Open & Mindful

Gradually, as you remain open and mindful, and use a technique to focus your mind more and more, your negativity will slowly be diffused; you begin to feel, as the French say, être bien dans sa peau (“well in your own skin”. From this comes release and a profound ease. I think of this practice as the most effective form of therapy and self-healing.

Glimpse After Glimpse

Sogyal Rinpoche

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My greatest challenge has been negative thinking combined with a cynical outlook of the world around me. I suppose I could have listened to the advice of the ages and attempted to think differently but I knew deep inside that I was only repressing the bitterness and contempt that were roots of a weed that would not die by trimming the leaves and lopping off a few stems. Even if I hewed this stubborn thistle of despair to the ground, the roots would still send up shoots. Prayer and meditation, when applied regularly, is the spade and hoe I use to dig down and put light on these defects of character. Bringing them to the light… exposing hidden shame, desperation and self-hatred… admitting them to my self and another human being… casts them aside into the hands of one far greater than me. These are the steps I take to uproot this prickly bush.

      I carry this message to others in the hope that they too can find the grace of God in their daily affairs. There is a simplicity and beauty to this way of living that has changed my heart. The Heart of Compassion… the candle in the dark… chases it away and sheds light in every dark corner. Open and mindful, I become more and more at piece with myself and others.

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