Teachings & Contemplations
Suffering is a catalyst for awakening
Love is a catalyst for Transformation.
To Master the mind
Observe it in fearless compassion.
In the Heart we find the depth of our Humanity
And the Truth of our Divinity.
Teachings and Contemplations are written by Nancy unless otherwise noted.
A five minute practice to cultivate contentment
In it’s most simple form, contentment is a feeling of satisfaction and well-being. When we feel content our mind can become peaceful. Try this simple practice for seven days. Each morning when you wake up, as soon as you open your eyes, take a breath into your heart and bring your attention and awareness to the heart. You can sit up or remain lying down. See if you can engage a feeling of contentment in your heart. Can you engender a feeling of well-being in the present moment? If you can, then energize that feeling. See if you can give yourself five minutes to explore that feeling. Pay attention to it and nurture it. Can you simply be content? What does contentment feel like for you? Does it last? If not, what happens? If you have difficulty engaging the feeling of contentment then engage your senses in the room around you. Listen. Look. Be. Breathe. Can you feel satisfied exactly where you are for five minutes? Take note of what happens in this exploration for you. Take note of the thoughts that may arise during this time. Take note if you feel discontentment. There is no right or wrong in this practice. Creating space for possibility and potential is the key. Can you revisit the feeling of contentment in the heart a few times throughout your day?
Exploring dynamics of attraction, aversion and indifference
Aloha Everyone! When we come into contact with objects of perception and attention which include things that we think about as well as encountering other people and their ideas or opinions, there are three feelings that may be at the root and/or form the basis on which may give rise to some of the more coarse or afflicted emotions and thoughts which are the basis of suffering within our minds and in relationship to others.
I invite you to observe and become aware of attraction, aversion and indifference in everyday interrelating and thoughts that move through your mind…
I define mind as a succession of states of consciousness characterized by will, thought, and feeling.
If you feel attracted to any object or thought, what follows? More thoughts? Grasping? Projected action in relationship to the object?
If you feel aversion in the form of dislike or repugnance, what follows? Increasing thoughts? anger? Does it spiral into deeper and dense feelings?
If you feel indifferent to something, what informs that feeling?
Do these feelings feel immediate like a knee-jerk reaction? Do they build through thinking?
This exploration and contemplation is to facilitate a deeper understanding of the mind through observation and potentially transform self-created suffering.
Understanding Perception through Conscious Observation
Aloha Everyone! I would like to invite you to contemplate and explore perception based on this definition;
Perception; A way of regarding, understanding or interpreting something; a mental impression.
Here are a few things to consider and explore:
How do you perceive what is arising within and without?
What is the basis for how you interpret whatever comes into consciousness?
Is it complicated?
Is it layered with other ideas or beliefs?
Is there a difference between you as the perceiver and what you perceive?
This contemplation is a stimulus for engaging your experience in conscious observation, creating space in the mind and expanding the capacity of Awareness.