you don’t need to be new

"And, besides I remind myself, you don’t need to be new, Stacia. You just need to be Now."

- Stacia Trask. "A Pliny the Elderwood Cutting Board: The Raw Materials of Age + Utility" www.peacefoodlove.com.

picking up the arrow

If someone insults us, we usually dwell on it, asking ourselves, “Why did he say that to me?” and on and on. It’s as if someone shoots an arrow at us, but it falls short. Focusing on the problem is like picking up the arrow and repeatedly stabbing ourselves with it, saying, “He hurt me so much. I can’t believe he did that.”

- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, "Putting Down the Arrow," tricycle.com

no past, no future, only this

"There is nothing other than this present moment; there is no past, there is no future; there is nothing but this. So when we don’t pay attention to each little this, we miss the whole thing."

—Charlotte Joko Beck, "Attention Means Attention," tricycle.com

take this power seriously

“You have the power

to lift your partner’s 

spirits or to dash them.

Take this power seriously.

 

The choices you make 

will profoundly affect 

your partner,

your relationship – and 

yourself.”

- Stephanie Dowrick. “The Almost Perfect Marriage.” Allen & Unwin, 2013-03-09.

the key to surviving the storm

“Yes, on occasion, tumult can lead to improvement. The key to surviving the storm seems to be an ability to eventually let go of attachments—to grudges, to being right, to righteous anger—and to open ourselves to love and compassion for our partner.”

- Sarah Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.

let go

“In Buddhist terms, accommodation can be seen as the Second Noble Truth: desire is the cause of suffering, therefore, let go. Let go of the desire to be right, the desire to retaliate, the desire to defend the “self,”

- Sarah Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.

cultivate letting go

“We are not in pursuit of something when we meditate. Rather, we cultivate letting go”

- Sarah Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.

add a teaspoon of poison to a lagoon

“if we add a teaspoon of poison to a cup of water then the water becomes contaminated, but if we add a teaspoon of poison to a lagoon, it has little effect. Similarly, if our partner makes a careless comment when our mind is spacious, we feel little effect. If our mind is contracted and small, then any insensitive remark feels like a declaration of war.”

- Sarah Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.

an intention cannot fail

"An intention cannot fail, because it happens right now. With an intention, there is no required result—we are simply connecting to our chosen course. “I’m just going to practice, and see what happens.” Therefore we invite curiosity, a sense of experimentation: “Well, this is interesting, I wonder what’s going to happen now?” Intention has strength, as its rooted in reality, but also suppleness—holding to an intention doesn’t mean our actions can’t change, based on what we discover.

Intentions come from inside, whereas goals are external. In connecting to an intention, we don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction—what we desire is already here as a seed within us. We may need some guidance and training to cultivate that seed, but relief comes when we realize we don’t need to try and be something we’re not."

- Ed Halliwell, "Meidtate With Intention, Not Goals." mindful.org

breathing is portable

“breathing is portable. You can’t forget to bring it with you.”

- Arnie Kozak. “The Awakened Introvert.” New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

the universe is not ours to manage

“equanimity, as the voice of wisdom, simply reminds us that life is a series of highs and lows over which we have little control. We can and should do everything we can to ease suffering and foster happiness in others. But in the end, the universe is not ours to manage.”

- Sharon Salzberg. “Love Your Enemies.” Hay House, 2013-09-11.

you can choose how to respond

“If something unexpected happens that throws us for a loop, we can freak out and say: “This should not be happening!” Or we can train ourselves to respond and go with the flow. You can’t keep what’s happening from happening. But you can choose how to respond.”

- George Mumford. “The Mindful Athlete.” Parallax Press.

you will handle it

“Mindfulness reestablishes confidence by telling the anxious tendencies of the mind that when that future moment becomes the present moment, you will handle it.”

- Arnie Kozak. “The Awakened Introvert.” New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

transform your game

“you couldn’t solve problems with the same consciousness that created them. It’s only in changing your consciousness that you can solve problems and transform your game, whatever it is and wherever you’re playing it.”

- George Mumford. “The Mindful Athlete.” Parallax Press.

love no one until you can love yourself

"love no one until you can love yourself, for love of another is merely empty flattery and self-deception for one who cannot accept himself without pretense."

- L. E. Modesitt, Jr. “The Magic of Recluse.” Tom Doherty Associates, 1991