tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89412135566573810192024-03-13T11:37:57.079-04:00within you without youinsightful quotes and other tidbitsmctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-66902621954936812452016-08-10T21:51:00.001-04:002016-08-10T21:56:39.922-04:00you don’t need to be new<div><div><span class="s1"><div>"And, besides I remind myself, you don’t need to be new, Stacia. You just need to be Now."</div><div><br></div><div>- Stacia Trask. "A Pliny the Elderwood Cutting Board: The Raw Materials of Age + Utility" www.peacefoodlove.com.</div></span></div></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-44272097895323268772016-07-16T11:14:00.001-04:002016-07-16T11:14:18.591-04:00picking up the arrow<div>If someone insults us, we usually dwell on it, asking ourselves, “Why did he say that to me?” and on and on. It’s as if someone shoots an arrow at us, but it falls short. Focusing on the problem is like picking up the arrow and repeatedly stabbing ourselves with it, saying, “He hurt me so much. I can’t believe he did that.”</div><div><br></div><div>- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, "Putting Down the Arrow," tricycle.com</div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-82023156192135603872016-07-02T08:23:00.001-04:002016-07-02T08:25:28.923-04:00no past, no future, only this<div>"There is nothing other than this present moment; there is no past, there is no future; there is nothing but this. So when we don’t pay attention to each little this, we miss the whole thing."</div><div><br></div><div>—Charlotte Joko Beck, "Attention Means Attention," tricycle.com</div><div><br></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-16862996323377343752016-06-20T23:13:00.001-04:002016-06-20T23:13:45.797-04:00take this power seriously<div>“You have the power</div><div>to lift your partner’s </div><div>spirits or to dash them.</div><div><br></div><div>Take this power seriously.</div><div> </div><div>The choices you make </div><div>will profoundly affect </div><div>your partner,</div><div>your relationship – and </div><div>yourself.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stephanie</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Dowrick. “The Almost Perfect Marriage.” Allen & Unwin, 2013-03-09.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-555092636712920712016-06-11T23:21:00.001-04:002016-06-11T23:22:13.151-04:00the key to surviving the storm<div>“Yes, on occasion, tumult can lead to improvement. The key to surviving the storm seems to be an ability to eventually let go of attachments—to grudges, to being right, to righteous anger—and to open ourselves to love and compassion for our partner.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sarah </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-22914854180053062132016-06-07T23:48:00.001-04:002016-06-11T23:25:00.316-04:00let go<div>“In Buddhist terms, accommodation can be seen as the Second Noble Truth: desire is the cause of suffering, therefore, let go. Let go of the desire to be right, the desire to retaliate, the desire to defend the “self,”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sarah</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-61840801325273272622016-05-27T22:39:00.001-04:002016-05-27T22:40:32.611-04:00cultivate letting go<div>“We are not in pursuit of something when we meditate. Rather, we cultivate letting go”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sarah</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-8267783952685060862016-05-26T22:49:00.001-04:002016-05-26T22:50:13.790-04:00add a teaspoon of poison to a lagoon<div>“if we add a teaspoon of poison to a cup of water then the water becomes contaminated, but if we add a teaspoon of poison to a lagoon, it has little effect. Similarly, if our partner makes a careless comment when our mind is spacious, we feel little effect. If our mind is contracted and small, then any insensitive remark feels like a declaration of war.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sarah </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Napthali. “Buddhism for Couples.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2015-05-18.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-9985848279114227072015-12-22T13:35:00.001-05:002015-12-22T13:39:31.354-05:00an intention cannot fail"<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">An intention cannot fail, because it happens right now. With an intention, there is no required result—we are simply connecting to our chosen course. “I’m just going to practice, and see what happens.” Therefore we invite curiosity, a sense of experimentation: “Well, this is interesting, I wonder what’s going to happen now?” Intention has strength, as its rooted in reality, but also suppleness—holding to an intention doesn’t mean our actions can’t change, based on what we discover.</span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 26px !important;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Intentions come from inside, whereas goals are external. In connecting to an intention, we don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction—what we desire is already here as a seed within us. We may need some guidance and training to cultivate that seed, but relief comes when we realize we don’t need to try and be something we’re not."</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 26px !important;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Ed Halliwell, "Meidtate With Intention, Not Goals." mindful.org</span></p></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-4976609324200157222015-08-07T22:57:00.001-04:002015-08-07T22:57:59.288-04:00breathing is portable<div>“breathing is portable. You can’t forget to bring it with you.”</div><div><br></div><div>- <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Arnie </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Kozak. “The Awakened Introvert.” New Harbinger Publications, Inc.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-73540058392843641642015-08-06T22:57:00.001-04:002015-08-06T22:57:17.987-04:00the universe is not ours to manage<div>“equanimity, as the voice of wisdom, simply reminds us that life is a series of highs and lows over which we have little control. We can and should do everything we can to ease suffering and foster happiness in others. But in the end, the universe is not ours to manage.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sharon</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Salzberg. “Love Your Enemies.” Hay House, 2013-09-11.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-75936980324810649142015-07-01T22:55:00.001-04:002015-07-01T22:55:33.552-04:00you can choose how to respond<div>“If something unexpected happens that throws us for a loop, we can freak out and say: “This should not be happening!” Or we can train ourselves to respond and go with the flow. You can’t keep what’s happening from happening. But you can choose how to respond.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">George </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Mumford. “The Mindful Athlete.” Parallax Press.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-26494981908553045342015-05-12T23:10:00.001-04:002015-05-12T23:10:02.923-04:00you will handle it<div>“Mindfulness reestablishes confidence by telling the anxious tendencies of the mind that when that future moment becomes the present moment, you will handle it.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Arnie </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Kozak. “The Awakened Introvert.” New Harbinger Publications, Inc.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-85263613219144682262015-05-10T00:03:00.001-04:002015-05-10T00:03:48.157-04:00transform your game<div>“you couldn’t solve problems with the same consciousness that created them. It’s only in changing your consciousness that you can solve problems and transform your game, whatever it is and wherever you’re playing it.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">George </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Mumford. “The Mindful Athlete.” Parallax Press.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-61579215270179577832015-02-15T17:38:00.001-05:002015-02-15T17:39:13.514-05:00love no one until you can love yourself<div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"love no one until you can love yourself, for love of another is merely empty flattery and self-deception for one who cannot accept himself without pretense."</span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div><br></div>- L. E. Modesitt, Jr. “The Magic of Recluse.” Tom Doherty Associates, 1991</span>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-1613448000954113042015-01-11T22:26:00.001-05:002015-01-11T22:26:45.379-05:00you are a full statement of your being<div>“every moment you are</div><div>a full statement of your being,</div><div>and you’re sending out vibrations that are</div><div>affecting everything around you,</div><div>which in turn is affecting</div><div>everything that comes back.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ram </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Dass. “Be Here Now (Enhanced Edition).” HarperCollins, 2010-10-26.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-11292390301356114552015-01-04T22:59:00.001-05:002015-01-04T22:59:34.104-05:00you can hear how it really is<div>“When you have quieted your mind</div><div>enough</div><div>and transcended your ego</div><div>enough</div><div>you can hear how it really is.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ram </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Dass. “Be Here Now (Enhanced Edition).” HarperCollins, 2010-10-26.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-42785057069619672562015-01-02T00:15:00.001-05:002015-01-02T00:15:48.822-05:00just be here now<div>“And during these travels he’s starting to train me in a most interesting way. We’d be sitting somewhere and I’d say,</div><div>“Did I ever tell you about the time that Tim and I . . .”</div><div>And he’d say, “Don’t think about the past. Just be here now.”</div><div>Silence.</div><div>And I’d say, “How long do you think we’re going to be on this trip?”</div><div>And he’d say, “Don’t think about the future. Just be here now.”</div><div><br></div><div>- <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ram</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Dass. “Be Here Now (Enhanced Edition).” HarperCollins, 2010-10-26.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-36044148565634390332015-01-01T00:08:00.001-05:002015-01-01T00:08:45.006-05:00it takes a while to realize that God can empty garbage<div>“It takes a while to realize that God can empty garbage.”</div><div><br></div><div>- <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ram </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Dass. “Be Here Now (Enhanced Edition).” HarperCollins, 2010-10-26.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-37738522616890399332014-11-14T07:20:00.001-05:002014-11-14T07:20:07.642-05:00life is available only in the present moment<div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We’re afraid all the time of what the future will bring—afraid we’ll lose our jobs, our possessions, the people around us whom we love. So we wait and hope for that magical moment—always sometime in the future—when everything will be as we want it to be. We forget that life is available only in the present moment."</span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thich Nhat Hanh, "Free From Fear", tricycle.com</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-7962409361337695112014-11-10T22:53:00.001-05:002014-11-10T22:53:52.075-05:00life is trial and error<div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Life is trial and error. Those who succeed are those who survive their failures and keep trying."</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- L. E. Modesitt, Jr. “Fall of Angels.” Tom Doherty Associates, 1996</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-72153641640278640192014-11-06T22:51:00.001-05:002014-11-06T22:51:54.630-05:00the pilgrimage into our own heart<div>“Be Here Now opened doors to our deeper selves, clarifying and calming the tumult of insight and upheaval and helping many of us take the first step on the pilgrimage into our own heart.”</div><div><br></div><div>- Ram Dass & Rameshwar Das. “Polishing the Mirror.” Sounds True.</div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-84772489004852178232014-11-03T22:21:00.001-05:002014-11-03T22:22:44.570-05:00a life lived in betrayal of what one is<div>"...a life lived in betrayal of what one is cannot be considered a life lived."</div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- L. E. Modesitt, Jr. “Scion of Cyador.” Tom Doherty Associates, 2000</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-27896151246781951182014-11-02T23:08:00.001-05:002014-11-02T23:08:18.275-05:00be willing to experiment with our time and attention<div>“The point is not to hate the stuff we’ve bought, or berate ourselves for being a news junkie, or withdraw from modern life, but to be willing to experiment with our time and attention, connecting more fully with our life as it happens”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sharon</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Salzberg. “Real Happiness - Enhanced Ebook Edition.” Workman Publishing, 2010.</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941213556657381019.post-51778733871466548242014-09-20T09:47:00.001-04:002014-09-20T09:47:35.848-04:00if we could let go"<span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The very act of clinging causes mental distress—have you ever noticed that longing hurts? Moreover, the exertions are futile since grasping cannot extend the life of pleasure, not even by a nanosecond. As for unpleasant sensations—in truth, they disappear in a moment, too. But when you feel averse to them, the pain doubles. It’s like trying to remove a thorn in your foot by piercing the skin with a second thorn. If we could let go, the mind wouldn't suffer."</span><div><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Cynthia Hatcher, "What's So Great About Now?"</span></div>mctraskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056260004946901772noreply@blogger.com0