Sangha of Auspicious Companions

THE PRACTICE OF COMPASSIONATE ABIDING

A question that has intrigued me for years is this: how can we start exactly where we are, with all our entanglements, and still develop unconditional acceptance of ourselves instead of guilt and depression? One of the most helpful methods I’ve found is the practice of compassionate abiding. The next time you realize that you’re hooked, you could experiment with this approach.

Contacting the experience of being hooked, you breathe in, allowing the feeling completely and opening to it. The in-breath can be deep and relaxed—anything that helps you to let the feeling be there, anything that helps you not push it away. Then, still abiding with the urge and edginess of the feeling, as you breathe out you relax and give the feeling space. The out-breath is not a way of sending the discomfort away but of ventilating it, of loosening the tension around it, of becoming aware of the space in which the discomfort is occurring.

Of Interest to Readers

If you enjoy receiving weekly quotes from Pema Chödrön, you may also enjoy one or more of the other weekly quotes we offer:

• Tibetan Dharma Quotes of the Week
• Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chögyam Trungpa
• His Holiness the Dalai Lama Quotes of the Week

August 1, 2012

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Life Through A Camera Lens

“‘I couldn’t believe how beautiful the ocean was,’ he commented. ‘I’ve never seen an ocean before, and then to get to see palm trees in person, and to even touch them. It was just amazing.’ He began thumbing through a series of photographs on his phone, each displaying an image of a palm tree.” Though she’d seen many palm trees before, the writer describing this encounter realized in that moment that she’d always taken them for granted. So began her exploration of the wonder that often dwells just beneath the familiar landscape of our lives, and her idea of experimenting with a literal or metaphoric “camera-practice”. { read more }

Be The Change

Do the “camera-practice” today. See if it helps you experience your world in a richer, deeper way.

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