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Gratefulness
Starting a formal gratefulness practice and appreciate this site and everyone that is part of making it so helpful to me.
It teaches me that I am collapsed in my ego or comparing mind and I need to train more to develop sympathetic joy for others and recognize expressions of “basic goodness” or “buddha nature” in others.
complete vulnerability when fully open to change and both the sweetness it brings and courage necessary to prevent shutting it down
Becoming more familiar with my mind, it’s illusions and the causes of it’s creations
In a way, I cherish my journey by trying to live more fully and not go around it. This can be very challenging at times but I want to learn the lessons of life.
One phrase that Br. David uses in his teachings is, “how may I serve?” Contemplating the meaning behind it has helped me with the motivation “to bless” and wholeheartedly indirectly happens more easily.
This was a powerful contemplation for me. All are family, in the same boat together, hang in there for each other over the long haul in a “Good Shepard” way, connected thru helpful and not helpful ripples of words/deeds. Other meaning but these are the first ones to come to mind.
I usually don’t ask but am getting into the habit of it now. Part of letting go of my ego.
Keeping my heart open all the time and receiving every experience as a gift
In so many ways that it boggles the mind. I recently asked myself this question within the context of my “economic privileged” life and realized two major economic factors were primarily responsible. First, was my fathers access to the GI bill as a veteran of WW2 which allowed him to get an education. Second, was my great grandfather’s, on mothers side, access to the free land thru the Homestead Act. Both events significant changed the financial fortunes on both my mothe...
In so many ways that it boggles the mind. I recently asked myself this question within the context of my “economic privileged” life and realized two major economic factors were primarily responsible. First, was my fathers access to the GI bill as a veteran of WW2 which allowed him to get an education. Second, was my great grandfather’s, on mothers side, access to the free land thru the Homestead Act. Both events significant changed the financial fortunes on both my mothers and fathers side of the family. These events were were largely denied to people of color by the way.
There are many but the latest is that I need to reach out more in both everyday life and times of need. To pass on the many blessing that have been given to me and continue the ripples of kindness shown to me by so many people.
Maybe those blessings that I pass on, pay forward or continue the ripples of blessing as I learn TO bless. I don’t do enough of this now and have the intent to do better in the future.
I really like what Br. David said about memory in his 99 Blessings book, “May I know what to forgive and forget and what to retain and treasure, keeping in mind the smallest kindness shown to me and spreading its ripples for a long time.” This phrase about memory has made a profoundly positive impact on the past and current relationships of my life. And helping me train for the “ability to bless.”
Grateful living is the antidote and door opener to so many spiritual issues and can help to relax the aversion to pain but important to realize its limits to reduce chronic physical pain for most of us. My wife is a long term cancer survivor with more than 27 surgeries and has three types of chronic physical pain to manage. We need to use our wisdom and bring other tools including medication to help us with the physical aspect. The next spiritual question of “how to be grateful for chronic ...
Grateful living is the antidote and door opener to so many spiritual issues and can help to relax the aversion to pain but important to realize its limits to reduce chronic physical pain for most of us. My wife is a long term cancer survivor with more than 27 surgeries and has three types of chronic physical pain to manage. We need to use our wisdom and bring other tools including medication to help us with the physical aspect. The next spiritual question of “how to be grateful for chronic physical pain” and did it come from the “source” for our benefit is an ongoing discussion at the breakfast table. Grateful living allows her to drop the blame, get to a general “trust” in life and let the learning occur, BUT it is a daily challenge.
Family, friends, difficult people in my life (if/when they are ready), and whoever needs a hug (which is probably everyone). What a wonderful way to start a ripple of blessing.
True story about hugs starting ripples. My wife was in the hospital one day recovering from massive cancer surgery and just transferred to a chair when her surgeon walked in. She spontaneously stood up and gave him a hug before he told her to sit down due to the pain it caused her. After a brief medical up...
True story about hugs starting ripples. My wife was in the hospital one day recovering from massive cancer surgery and just transferred to a chair when her surgeon walked in. She spontaneously stood up and gave him a hug before he told her to sit down due to the pain it caused her. After a brief medical update conversation, he left and after a few minutes the attending nurse walks in the room. She asked if Dr. W was her doctor and she said yes and asked, “why do you ask?” She said that she had worked with Dr. W for 25 years and that was the first time he EVER gave me a hug.
Ripples my dear friends!!
All previous mentioned plus many music instruments and voices including the cello, Native American flute and sacred music.
It feels like I was guided here and personally had little to do with it. I do know that is was indeed a Gift as Br. David says and am drinking the kindness and wisdom from all of you each morning. Thank you!
Reminds me of the following quote by Helen Keller, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” Not often enough do I think about the kindness of so many people who’s shoulders I now stand on.
Reminds me of when on a family vacation my sons saw for the first time the extreme poverty of the third world. They were about 8 and 10 and both started and could not stop crying for several minutes. When we all flew back home, we kneeled down on the dirty pavement before getting in the car and kissed it.
I would make a couple of suggestions to add with your gratefulness practice here. First, use the headspace app every day to both answer your questions about awareness and practice it on a daily basis. It is best to do it first thing in the morning when you wake up and can do it in bed laying down if that helps. Second, start walking every day. You can start by going around the block and add time/distance from there. A good walk (no special shoes or work out dress needed) will help clear y...
I would make a couple of suggestions to add with your gratefulness practice here. First, use the headspace app every day to both answer your questions about awareness and practice it on a daily basis. It is best to do it first thing in the morning when you wake up and can do it in bed laying down if that helps. Second, start walking every day. You can start by going around the block and add time/distance from there. A good walk (no special shoes or work out dress needed) will help clear you body of unhelpful energy that is impacting your mind/thoughts. Hope this helps.
My approach is to see ALL of life as it arises as a rainbow and to try and fully experience life’s beauty and challenges to learn from them. If there is enlightenment or something like it, my sense is the mountain is inverted and requires ALL of us to go thru down thru it and not bypass the difficulties of life. It no doubt requires the courage of a “Warrior”. Christ had his faith challenged as he walked thru the desert for 40 days. I too have felt that feeling more than once where ever...
My approach is to see ALL of life as it arises as a rainbow and to try and fully experience life’s beauty and challenges to learn from them. If there is enlightenment or something like it, my sense is the mountain is inverted and requires ALL of us to go thru down thru it and not bypass the difficulties of life. It no doubt requires the courage of a “Warrior”. Christ had his faith challenged as he walked thru the desert for 40 days. I too have felt that feeling more than once where everything inside was dry and dead. But, I had the “guts” to keep going until faith came back in fullness. Can we not, after going thru difficulties, look back on the beautiful and difficult rainbows with a smile and smell the rose of the gift?
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