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When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present.
The other extreme to be avoided, he said, is indulgence in sense pleasures — being possessed by sexual desire, running after fame, eating immoderately, sleeping too much, or chasing after possessions.
Our suffering is holy if we embrace it and look deeply into it.
Calming allows us to rest, and resting is a precondition for healing.
Stopping, calming, and resting are preconditions for healing.
Don’t run away from things that are unpleasant in order to embrace things that are pleasant. Put your hands in the earth. Face the difficulties and grow new happiness.
No matter how well we describe it, we cannot give someone else the direct experience. He has to taste it for himself.
When you are caught in your perceptions and ideas, you lose reality.
Right Mindfulness accepts everything without judging or reacting.
Don’t wait to begin to practice until you are overwhelmed by a feeling. It may be too late.
Our words are very powerful. They can give someone a complex, take away their purpose in life, or even drive them to suicide. We must not forget this.
When we listen with our whole being, we can defuse a lot of bombs. If the other person feels that we are critical of what they are saying, their suffering will not be relieved.
That is called compassionate listening. You have to listen in such a way that compassion remains with you the whole time you are listening. That is the art.
Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration lift us above the realms of sensual pleasures and craving, and we find ourselves lighter and happier.