Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All of the people of the world, I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside, inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands maybe.

- Neil Gaiman, The Sandman -

She transforms her own dark into her own light. 

She sees her private shadows - and loves them. 

She meets her emotional depths - and owns it. 

She faces private fears of separation - and rises above the illusion. 

She is the source of her Self and she is always in a state of greater becoming.

 

- Molly McCord -

Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Revenant

Même si je m'agrippe à mes possessions,
Je n'aurai d'autre choix que de partir en abandonnant tout.
Je cultiverai donc la générosité.

- Jam-mgon Ju Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho -

In private interviews, I hear about problems with family members, partners, and employers. When you listen, the problems sound so small. But if you think about that problem again and again, it gets bigger and bigger. Making a mountain out of a molehill is the monkey’s specialty. This is the nature of the restless monkey-mind. Generally we do not observe the mind itself, so this encounter with the monkey can be confusing. But actually we are beginning to recognize awareness and all the thoughts, feelings, and impulses that are constantly moving through it. If people come to meditation in order to get rid of thoughts, this encounter with the monkey-mind might be disheartening. But we do not have to get rid of the monkey-mind. Ignoring this thought-factory never works, and suppressing it is impossible. But we can befriend it. How do we do this? By hanging around. We’re not aggressive. We do not try to conquer or control our new friend, but if we want to get to know its qualities, we have to stay present for the encounter. When we begin to meditate, no matter what style or tradition we follow, we will surely meet the monkey. But with awareness meditation, we give the monkey a constructive job to do.

– Mingyur Rinpoche

from the book "Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism"

Always remember

that you are absolutely unique.

Just like everyone else.

- Margaret Mead -

 

 

 

From the very beginning you are being told to compare yourself with others.

This is the greatest disease; it is like a cancer that goes on destroying your very soul because each individual is unique, and comparison is not possible.

- Osho -

J.S. Bach - The six cello suites - Pau Casals, 1936/39

...

Each second we live is a new and unique moment
of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach
our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris
is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We
should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel.
You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been
another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the
way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.
You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you
grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must
work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.

- Pablo Casals-

Young people think their lives will last a long time; old people think life will end soon. But we can't assume these things. Our life comes with a built-in expiration date. There are many strong and healthy people who die young, while many of the old and sick and feeble live on and on. Not knowing when we'll die, we need to develop an appreciation for and acceptance of what we have, while we have it, rather than continuing to find fault with our experience and seeking, incessantly, to fulfill our
desires.

If we find ourselves worrying whether our nose is too big or too small, we should think, "What if I had no head - now that would be a problem!" As long as we have life, we should rejoice. If everything doesn't go exactly as we'd like, we can accept it. If we contemplate impermanence deeply, patience and compassion will arise. We will hold less to the apparent truth of our experience, and the mind will become more flexible. Realizing that one day this body will be buried or burned, we will rejoice in every moment we have rather than make ourselves or others unhappy.

- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche -

BODY SCAN

Sometimes we speak clumsily and create internal knots in others. Then we say, "I was just telling the truth." It may be the truth, but if our way of speaking causes unnecessary suffering, it is not Right Speech. The truth must be presented in ways that others can accept. Words that damage or destroy are not Right Speech. Before you speak, understand the person you are speaking to. Consider each word carefully before you say anything, so that your speech is "Right" in both form and content.

– Thich Nhat Hanh -

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Balans bij je kinderen

 

 begint altijd bij je eigen balans.

 

Breathe.

 You’re going to be okay.

 Breathe and remember that you’ve been in this place before. You’ve been this uncomfortable and anxious and scared, and you’ve survived. Breathe and know that you can survive this too. These feelings can’t break you. They’re painful and debilitating, but you can sit with them and eventually, they will pass. Maybe not immediately, but sometime soon, they are going to fade and when they do, you’ll look back at this moment and laugh for having doubted your resilience. I know it feels unbearable right now, but keep breathing, again and again.

 This will pass. 

I promise it will pass.

- Daniell Koepke -

You deserve a relationship with someone

 who never has you guessing

 where you stand with them.

 

- TheMindJournal.com -

I had spent many years pursuing excellence...

 

now it was dedicated to freedom,

 

 and that was far more important.

 

-  Nina Simone -

 

NITCH