Book Nook Cafe discussion

I do Vipassana, which is mindfulness.

The teachers that I follow are from
Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City, CA (there are others with the same name so make sure it is Redwood City).
Do do podcasts on Audio Dharma or can find them on Youtube.
Gil Fronsdal is the main teacher and there are several others. He gives many 10-15 minute talks (and longer ones too). It starts my day out on a positive note and there are also many guided meditations there as well.

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you."

Rachel wrote: "I do Vipassana, which is mindfulness.

The teachers that I follow are from
Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City, CA (there are others with the same name so make sure it is Redwood City).
Do do p..."

Thank you ! I will check this out.

Rachel wrote: ""Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.""

:)

Rachel wrote: "The aspect that amazes me about we humans is that we go about living without truly realizing what we think or why we do what we do. So much is done on automatic pilot. I had no idea what I spent my..."

'Tis remarkable, Rachel. I was pretty much raised without that realization. We were raised Catholic and i went to parochial school until my sophomore year, so my folks must have figured i'd learn to think consciously about my days that way. Wrong!

Most people spend their lives asleep at the switch. This includes me most of the time but being mindful has made me at least aware that I am unaware.

Sometimes i’m astonished at how mindlessly my day has evaporated.

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
―Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Rachel wrote: "“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
―Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft"

Indeed they are.

I found that Stephen King book enlightening about the creative process of writing. Last week I read an Internet article about ten books not worth reading. About five of them were actually very good, including the Stephen King book. The article wasn’t worth reading.

I went back and edited this post now that I'm back to the compute ... I really hate posting from my iPhone, because of what the autocorrect does to my typing.

Larry wrote: "Last eeek I read an Internet article about ten books not worth reading. About give CB of them were actually very good..."

The article wasn’t worth reading.

Ironic!! 🙄

Good point, Larry. When we get right down to it, some of those “list” articles aren’t worth reading because they are just some yahoo’s opinion, possibly bearing a grudge.

Barbara wrote: "Larry wrote: "Last eeek I read an Internet article about ten books not worth reading. About give CB of them were actually very good..."

The article wasn’t worth reading.

Ironic!! 🙄"

Yes, I agree. Any list is the opinion of the person who wrote it. At book clubs I was not usually in agreement with the other members. Who was right? All of us.

Good point to make, Rachel, about no one being wrong in their opinion!

Nice point, Alias, with that quote.

Finding that silence is wonderful when it is possible to do it. I am a regular meditator and my mind frequently is like a flock of birds.

Rachel wrote: "Finding that silence is wonderful when it is possible to do it. I am a regular meditator and my mind frequently is like a flock of birds."

I hear you, Rachel. Monkey mind is difficult to tame.

When I was meditating, it took me a long time to get into a zone where I had a tiny bit of success with this. I think, for me, the key was letting go of the idea that I had to make my mind blank. When I just accepted my thoughts and went with the flow. I would notice I was thinking, say "thinking" to myself, then let the thoughts go. Maybe say, "releasing thoughts". Easier said then done. Then after I meditate, then notice if there is any pattern to my thoughts. There might be something there to consider. Maybe not.

I do want to get back into meditation again.

Good description, Alias. Good luck with it, when you recommence.

From the teachings I have heard, I find that the idea is to be in the present moment rather than to clear the mind of thoughts. That is why the object is generally the breath or bodily sensations because those are always in the present moment.

Rachel wrote: "From the teachings I have heard, I find that the idea is to be in the present moment rather than to clear the mind of thoughts. That is why the object is generally the breath or bodily sensations b..."

Yes. Though often you will find yourself wondering about all sorts of things. Refocus and begin again. It's normal. Some give up because they get frustrated when they find themselves thinking about what for dinner, why is that dog barking, did I remember to do put bread on the grocery list .... on and on. I found with time the level of monkey chatter does go down.

For me it is day to day. Some days I have a decent ability to stay in the moment and other days not at all. I always wonder why the past and the future are so sticky in our minds but the now, not at all.

Rachel wrote: "I always wonder why the past and the future are so sticky in our minds but the now, not at all...."

Good question. Maybe anxiety. It can be soothing to daydream. It can be practical to envision future tasks to better handle them or replay past actions to analyze them for your future actions. Perhaps it just the way our brains are wired.

I found this online from Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl....

That tendency must be universal, though. So many express that frustration with wandering minds, there must be something in us that triggers it. Or maybe our brains just hold more as we, humans, evolve and this is the downside.

Madrano, thanks for putting the link from psychology today. It really speaks to the issue. We are not our past selves nor our tomorrow selves. I guess from an evolutionary standpoint we are trying to learn from the past and plan for the future. Have you noticed, it is not the things we generally worry about that actually happen to us. It is usually something out of the blue.

Sorry Alias, it was you that posted it.

Rachel wrote:

"Sorry Alias, it was you that posted it."

Have you noticed, it is not the things we generally worry about that actually happen to us. It is usually something out of the blue


No problem.

Yes, we are often blindsided. Yes, covid I'm looking at you !

Today a friend mentioned she was taking a meditation class at the Y. I asked her your question. She thought it was probably evolutionary. A protective device. She though if we are in the present meditating, all is okay safety wise at that moment, so the mind then feels everything is cool here so I will look back or forward to plan, sooth etc.

I was reading something on Plato and thought I would share these quotes.

“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”

“If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.”

“Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.

Three winning quotes from Plato! I really like the first, which seems more appropriate than ever for today's world. Thanks.

madrano wrote: "Three winning quotes from Plato! I really like the first, which seems more appropriate than ever for today's world. Thanks."

Agreed. The first has a lot of resonance with the world which we live in currently. Way to go Plato.

:-)

Dancer, actress, and activist Lena Horne on mindset, strategy, and resilience:

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."

Source: As quoted in Wisdom for the Soul

Good observation.

So true and she would be a person who has been there done that.

https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eis...

Yes! “Read Every Book”. Bravo, Ike!

He would be considered a bleeding heart liberal now! Books are meant to take us to other worlds not lull us into blandness. Way to go Ike.

Neat and true point, Rachel.

Alias Reader wrote: "

https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eis..."

I am trying to read every book on my list but too many books and too little time!!

Agree, Julie, but it's fun to try ! :)

Ditto to both Julie & Alias!

madrano wrote: "Neat and true point, Rachel."

I heard a librarian say that the other day on NPR. Group think is dangerous for a society. Any society that thinks there is one right way is doomed to fail.

Smart librarian !

She was a very smart lady and I wish I knew her name so I could attribute the quote to her. I only heard part of the story but she was saying that libraries and librarians are having a difficult time because of the censorship issues.

I’m not surprised, although i admit i thought this kinda behavior was Long, long gone.

True.

Way to go Gloria. If there is anyone who has stood up for the rights of women, it is Gloria Steinem. Thanks for reminding us there is strength in numbers.

Excellent point.

The author Ruskin Bond on contentment:

"A small ginger cat arrives on my terrace every afternoon, to curl up in the sun and slumber peacefully for a couple of hours.

When he awakes, he gets on his feet with minimum effort, arches his back and walks away as he had come. The same spot every day, the same posture, the same pace. There may be better spots—sunnier, quieter, frequented by birds that can be hunted when the cat is rested and restored. But there is no guarantee, and the search will be never-ending, and there may rarely be time to sleep after all that searching and finding.

It occurs to me that perhaps the cat is a monk. By this I do not mean anything austere. I doubt anyone in single minded pursuit of enlightenment ever finds it. A good monk would be a mild sort of fellow, a bit of a sensualist, capable of compassion for the world, but also for himself. He would know that it is all right not to climb every mountain.

A good monk would know that contentment is easier to attain than happiness, and that it is enough."

~~Source: A Book Of Simple Living (Hat tip to Vidya)