Taking Refuge within My Self

in: Dharma Topics
Discussion Date: Thu, Mar 16, 2023

Dear Still Water Sangha,

What is my true self? My true home? How do I access them?

My practice recently circled back to these basic questions. I appreciate that my path, my practice, is sometimes like peeling an onion; questions and insights continue to arise and lead me further in. As I continued to contemplate these questions I remembered these two gathas by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay).

Listening to the bell, I feel my afflictions begin to dissolve. My mind is calm, my body relaxed, a smile is born on my lips. Following the sound of the bell, my breathing guides me back to the safe island of mindfulness. In the garden of my heart, the flower of peace blooms beautifully.

Listen, listen, this wonderful sound brings me back to my true self.

Yes, my... Continued

Embracing Aimlessness

in: Dharma Topics
Discussion Date: Thu, Feb 02, 2023
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