Monday
Dharma Teachings, Sakyong and FamilySeven Qualities to Cultivate Every Day
Miksang Photo by Brian Fay
By Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
How do we carry a dharmic view into the day? By seeing the day as our life, and our life as the path, we learn to regard everything we meet as an opportunity to practice. There are seven facets of awakened mind that we can consciously cultivate to enhance the path-like texture of our life.
We are always meditating—constantly placing our minds on an object and becoming familiar with it. But are we getting used to things that will take us forward on the path?
Our modern culture does not encourage awakening, and without a sense of inner strength, we are easily invaded by the difficulties around us. If we don’t orient our day toward spiritual growth, the speed of our life takes over, fueled by habitual patterns. While some habitual patterns are a source of inspiration, others just drain our energy. Meditation trains us to notice these patterns, which create the fabric of the entity known as “me.”
When we wake up in the morning, our first meditation is often “What about me?” We can loosen this pattern by setting a different kind of view. Instead of “What do I have to do today?” or “Will I ever get enough sleep?” we can ask ourselves, “How can I use this day to let the dharma change my thoughts, words, and actions? What positive qualities shall I cultivate?”
Read more in June’s dharma offering on www.Sakyong.com
Jun 7, 2009
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Sunday, june 6,
Great introductory lines. These two points were excactly the matters with which me and my wife started this morning. Me with: will I ever get enough sleep again and she with: all the things she has to do today and that this amount is in fact not possible anyway even for both of us and especially not if one also wants to take a sunday walk or read some dharma like this talk.
So we read it in spite of it all and go for the walk to contemplate it.
Greetings,
Frans