Category: Spirituality

Where Can We Find Love & Compassion?

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Love and Compassion

Look Within

Love and compassion are not the possession of any group or religious system. They are woven into our human spirit and our very cells. The only nourishment they require is our intimate and heartfelt attention.

Available to All

The emergence and blossoming of understanding, love, and intelligence has nothing to do with any tradition – no matter how ancient or impressive – it has nothing to do with time. It happens completely on its own when a human being questions, wonders, listens, and looks without getting stuck in fear. When self-concern is quiet, in abeyance, heaven and earth are open.

…..Toni Packer

The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
Jack Kornfield

Background on Jack Kornfield

How Can We Connect With The Sacredness Of Life ?

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Sacredness

Connecting

Sitting on a cushion, I can meditate.
Kneeling in a church, I can pray.
Sharing a cup of coffee with a loved one in the kitchen, I can connect with the sacredness of life.

Breaking Through Formalities

We often think we can pray and meditate only if the conditions are right. Unless we are sitting in a church, sitting in a meditation hall, or taking directions from a guru, spiritual practices may seem pointless. Fortunately, we can break through these formalities and transform our lives into a spiritual conversation when we embrace the adage that prayer is speaking and meditation is listening.

Experiencing Truth

Blessings can come to us when we learn to informally pray and meditate as we communicate with those we love, for then we speak to what is universal in them even as we listen with focused attention to truth speaking through them to us.

Now! The Art of Being Truly Present
Now! The Art of Being Truly Present
Jean Smith

Gratitude – What’s It All About?

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Gratitude

Bounty of Gratitude

  • Gratitude is a gracious acknowledgment of all that sustains us, a bow to our blessings, and an appreciation of the moments of good fortune that sustain our life everyday.
  • Gratitude is confidence in life itself – in gratitude, we feel how the same force that pushes grass through cracks in sidewalks invigorates our own life.
  • Gratitude gladdens the heart – it isn’t sentamental, jealous, or judgmental.
  • Gratitude doesn’t envy or compare.

Blessings

As gratitude grows, it gives rise to joy. We experience the courage to rejoice in our own good fortune and in the good fortune of others. Gratitude receives in wonder the myriad offerings of the rain and the earth, the care that supports every single life.

The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
Jack Kornfield

Background on Jack Kornfield

How Can We Connect With Another’s Suffering?

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Suffering Alone

Pain of Suffering

None of us has had exactly the same difficulties as another, yet we can strive to understand what others are going through. It can take some imagination, like asking ourselves how we might feel in their shoes. We can also ask others directly: “What’s this been like for you?”

Connecting

We strengthen our relationships when we’re willing to connect with another person’s suffering.

A Mindful Year
A Mindful Year
Aria Campbell-Danesh and Seth J. Gillihan