Posts tagged Pause to Ponder
Dethroning the Mind

A central focus of my father’s remarkable healing and awakening journey was centered around uncovering the shortcomings of his mind. A brilliant inventor, my dad realized that he’d always glorified his brain, and that letting it “rule the entire kingdom” had kept him trapped in an endless cycle of suffering.

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Going With the Flow

As someone who puts a lot of energy and determination toward achieving my goals, I have to constantly remind myself to stay flexible instead of falling into the familiar trap of plowing full steam ahead with blinders on. The following insights—gleaned from several articles that arrived in my inbox from DailyOM—have been helpful reminders not to resist the unexpected by viewing it as an obstacle. Instead, I’m trying to stay open to messages from the ever-changing universe, and welcome the unanticipated with more ease, excitement and curiosity. 

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Impermanence

It takes courage to be a human alive on planet earth. Everything we grow to love and rely on is always changing, and we can’t hang on to any of it forever, no matter how desperately we try. One reason I’m drawn to Buddhist philosophy is that it addresses the issue of impermanence head-on, explaining how much of our suffering comes from clinging to our desires and rejecting the truth of life as it actually is. 

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What Is Holding You Back?

For today’s Pause to Ponder post, I want to share a short but powerful exercise I learned from Patrice Vecchione during our recent Quest “Write Your Mind Open” writing workshop. Before we started writing, Patrice asked participants to create a list of beliefs, attitudes or behavioral patterns that shut us down or hold us back—in relationships, writing, work, or any other arena of life.

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Why Are We Here?

I’ve pondered the meaning of life since I was a young girl. I remember being outside in the countryside on a moonless night when I was eight. Looking up at the countless bright stars in the dark sky, I felt full to bursting with a fierce longing to comprehend the vastness of the universe and the meaning of life. I found my father and with great hope asked, “Daddy, why are we here?”

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Wisdom

What is wisdom? It definitely goes beyond the information our brain is constantly accumulating. Wisdom is somehow recognized by our entire body and soul as right, healthy and helpful—something that aligns us with a deeper, more timeless truth that helps us live with more peace and ease. I found the following description of wisdom by Yung Pueblo beautiful, so I wanted to share it with you.

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Rest

Today’s Pause to Ponder post was excerpted from a chapter titled “Rest” from “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words,” by poet and philosopher, David Whyte. In this gem of a book, Whyte dives into the meaning of 52 different words as he explores and illuminates the complex experience of being human.

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Patience

“‘Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time.” This is borrowed from the wise and wonderful Debbie Millman, for it’s hard to better capture something so fundamental yet so impatiently overlooked in our culture of immediacy.” —Maria Popova’s blog, The Marginalian

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Prioritizing Our Own Happiness

“If your happiness depends on your children being happy, that makes them your hostages. So stay out of their business, stop using them for your happiness, and be your own happiness. And that way you are the teacher for your children: someone who knows how to live a happy life.” Byron Katie, from "Question Your Thinking, Change the World: Quotations from Byron Katie"

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The Power of Presence

“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and the end of spiritual practice. Only in this moment can we discover that which is timeless. Only here can we find the love that we seek. Love in the past is simply memory, and love in the future is fantasy. Only in the reality of the present can we love, can we awaken, can we find peace and understanding and connection with ourselves and the world.” —Jack Kornfield, from A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life

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An Expanded Universe

“The spiritual world provides a sense of wonder and a degree of open-mindedness not always found within the confines of science. The world of reason can be narrow and filled with dead ends, while a spiritual viewpoint is limitless and invites fantastic possibilities. The unseen world is boundless…“ —Rick Rubin, From The Creative Act: A Way of Being

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