We have been trained to prioritize "seamless" experiences over ethical ones. But every convenience has a hidden cost, whether it is labor rights, environmental impact, or the erosion of privacy.
Efficiency is a metric for machines, not for a meaningful life. When we stop choosing products solely for their convenience, we reclaim our agency. We choose local over global, human over algorithm, and sustainable over instant.
What would happen if we stopped using services that do very little good for society, even if it means taking the long way around?
Explore identity and connection, inspire curiosity, and prompt engaging discussions about the here and now.
Kid-Friendly Mindfulness Exercise
5 stars
This book is a kid-friendly #mindfulness exercise. My daughter loves it. It also works well as a brief mindfulness exercise for adults, especially those who are wary of practices that involve more silence and not moving.
I've been working through this one again gradually as a complement to the MMTCP Training I'm doing and in which the practice of #RAIN features quite prominently. Now that I have more practice under my belt, I'm struck by how versatile the practice truly is and how it not only is connected to other practices (such as #tonglen, and, less explicitly, Nonviolent Communication #NVC), but also complements and is complemented by these same practices.
I've been working through this one again gradually as a complement to the MMTCP Training I'm doing and in which the practice of #RAIN features quite prominently. Now that I have more practice under my belt, I'm struck by how versatile the practice truly is and how it not only is connected to other practices (such as #tonglen, and, less explicitly, Nonviolent Communication #NVC), but also complements and is complemented by these same practices.
There is one advantage to realizing that you're never going to get it right: you do begin to stop expecting everyone else to get it right too, which makes for less frustration when other people turn out to be just as human as you are.
― Jeff Wilson, Buddhism of the Heart: Reflections on Shin Buddhism and Inner Togetherness
There is one advantage to realizing that you're never going to get it right: you do begin to stop expecting everyone else to get it right too, which makes for less frustration when other people turn out to be just as human as you are.
― Jeff Wilson, Buddhism of the Heart: Reflections on Shin Buddhism and Inner Togetherness
Buddhistdoor Quote for Today: Linji Yixuan (d. 866 CE)
An ancient said that if you call it a thing, you miss the mark. Just look for yourself: what else is there? Talk could go on forever: each of you must personally make the effort. — Linji Yixuan (d. 866 CE)
You need to know the answers to 4 key questions before going ahead with any new tool, digital or analog, or you risk the newcomer distracting or detracting from the job it is supposed to help with.
Stuck scrolling? Try this: Look away from the screen you are reading this on. Look around your environment and locate the farthest point away from you, look at that space and breathe, inhale and exhale three times. Look back to the screen, did you miss anything while looking away? Look again to the farthest point away from you. Breathe for 3 breaths again. Is there anything else you want to do NOW? #trythis#1minutemeditation#oneminute#meditation#mindfulness#breathe#look#stuckscrolling
Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling — …
A Classic Meditation Manual, not just for Beginners
5 stars
A common refrain I have heard from several #meditation teachers is that it is good periodically to return to basic instructions for the dual reason that it tends to correct any unskillful patterns which have emerged and that the questions that arise as a result of one's own meditation practice aid in learning and allow the practitioner to absorb more from the same or similar material. This advice has definitely held true as I read this book for the second time (this time with my ears via the recorded voice of Edoardo Ballerini).
I read Mindfulness in Plain English for the first time nearly 20 years ago, and even though the basic contents of the book were familiar to me on this second read-through, nearly the whole book struck me as remarkably fresh. The introduction alone opens with wonderful force, directly addressing the #unsatisfactoriness which is likely familiar to …
A common refrain I have heard from several #meditation teachers is that it is good periodically to return to basic instructions for the dual reason that it tends to correct any unskillful patterns which have emerged and that the questions that arise as a result of one's own meditation practice aid in learning and allow the practitioner to absorb more from the same or similar material. This advice has definitely held true as I read this book for the second time (this time with my ears via the recorded voice of Edoardo Ballerini).
I read Mindfulness in Plain English for the first time nearly 20 years ago, and even though the basic contents of the book were familiar to me on this second read-through, nearly the whole book struck me as remarkably fresh. The introduction alone opens with wonderful force, directly addressing the #unsatisfactoriness which is likely familiar to anyone who comes into contact with the the book, and has the dual ability not only to convince (or at least intrigue) those new to meditation that it might be a worthwhile endeavor, but also to imbue experienced #meditators with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency.
On my way through this book, I found myself wishing that I had returned to it before now, as it addresses many of the challenges I have faced and currently am facing in such a clear and understanding manner that I was able to apply the advice immediately. Indeed, looking back on my years of meditation experience, I realize that the guidance in this book would have been enough to address the majority of the challenges I've faced over the years.
The one possible weakness I could find in this book is the strong emphasis to place the attention on the breath at the nostrils and nowhere else, which I have indeed found to be one excellent place for the attention. However useful following the breath at the nostrils is, it is not the only place the breath can be followed at a relatively small, fixed point, and for some, this may be unhelpfully inflexible, while for others the inflexibility of the suggestion may be a helpful simplification of the abundance of options which are available when beginning a meditation practice. The good news is that this weakness is counterbalanced by Bhante Gunaratana's clarity that these are instructions based on one very specific tradition, and, in this newer addition, the new afterword giving an introduction to loving friendliness or metta, which itself is also an excellent practice and gateway for anyone wishing to start a meditation practice.
Overall, I am pleased that I took the time with this book again and now understand why it has acquired the status of a classic among meditation manuals: it is brief, yet comprehensive and contains everything one needs to start or reinvigorate a practice of insight meditation.
With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Mindfulness in Plain English is one …
Meditating your way through the ups and downs of daily life is the whole point of vipassana. This kind of practice is extremely rigorous and demanding, but it engenders a state of mental flexibility that is beyond comparison. A meditator keeps his mind open every second. He is constantly investigating life, inspecting his own experience, viewing existence in a detached and inquisitive way. Thus, he is constantly open to truth in any form, from any source, and at any time. This is the state of mind you need for liberation.
It is said that one may attain enlightenment at any moment if the mind is kept in a state of meditative readiness. The tiniest, most ordinary perception can be the stimulus: a view of the moon, the cry of a bird, the sound of the wind in the trees. It’s not so important what is perceived as the way in which you attend to that perception. That state of open readiness is essential. It could happen to you right now if you are ready. The tactile sensation of this book in your fingers could be the cue. The sound of these words in your head might be enough. You could attain enlightenment right now, if you are ready.
In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thích Nhất Hạnh …
Sage Guidance for Practitioners at All Experience Levels
5 stars
I've read from others that they consider Thích Nhất Hạnh's The Miracle of Mindfulness to be useful only to beginning meditators, but I think it is so much more than that. Especially with the context given in translator Mobi Ho's introduction that the book was originally written as a long letter, and then having read the book myself as someone who has been meditating for years, it is clear to me that the book is equally valuable or perhaps even more valuable as an inspiring reminder to practice and how practice can be done.
Beyond the main text of the letter, I was impressed by the list of practices and the selection of suttas/sutras at the end. I have read very few manuals of meditation which left with the feeling that they were enough to cultivate a practice, but this one is written and put together in such a …
I've read from others that they consider Thích Nhất Hạnh's The Miracle of Mindfulness to be useful only to beginning meditators, but I think it is so much more than that. Especially with the context given in translator Mobi Ho's introduction that the book was originally written as a long letter, and then having read the book myself as someone who has been meditating for years, it is clear to me that the book is equally valuable or perhaps even more valuable as an inspiring reminder to practice and how practice can be done.
Beyond the main text of the letter, I was impressed by the list of practices and the selection of suttas/sutras at the end. I have read very few manuals of meditation which left with the feeling that they were enough to cultivate a practice, but this one is written and put together in such a way that I would be confident recommending it as an excellent candidate for the category of "if you read only one book on the subject of meditation, read this one."
