The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Power of Meow (The Dalai Lama's Cat, #3)

by David Michie

“Being mindful of the mind is when we are aware of thoughts without becoming engaged with them. We see a thought merely as a thought. An act of cognition. Something temporary that arises, abides, and passes. Like a cat jumping from one side of the sofa to the other,” he said, beaming. “This is a very useful kind of mindfulness. We cultivate the awareness behind thoughts and feelings. We become the observers of our thoughts, not their slaves. Little by little, over time, we can take control of our mind-stream and let go of mental patterns that don’t serve us well.”

Samsara is going around and around in circles, the mind afflicted by karma and delusions. Nirvana is its oppose—letting go. Relaxing into our true state of being. Dissolving away any sense of separation between ourselves and all else.”

In Buddhism we define love as ‘the wish to give happiness to others.’ If we practice love, then compassion arises quite naturally, for it is ‘the wish to free others from suffering.’

What about the other seven billion people on planet Earth?

“What is the sense in wishing for the happiness of all beings but not for our own happiness? What is the point of practicing patience with complete strangers but not with ourselves? This kind of thinking makes no sense. It is also lacking in wisdom, because the self we may believe is so hard to accept has no independent reality. We cannot find it. It’s just a story we tell ourselves—a story that changes depending on our mood.

Don’t fool yourself into believing that what really is only a thought is the truth.”

“So to cultivate compassion for others, first we begin with ourselves. And our practice must be meaningful, because superficial practice will only give superficial results. We must go beyond mere ideas and deepen our understanding.

my mental fleas.

The here and now. What contentment it held! Why spoil it by thinking?

“Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum.” He whispers Tibet’s most famous mantra

“Both happiness and unhappiness arise from thought. Our challenge is to develop those thoughts that create happiness and avoid those that cause us to suffer. So much of the time, we are having negative thoughts without realizing what is happening because we’re so caught up in them. Or because we can’t help ourselves. But with mindfulness, it’s possible to become more aware. To observe what we are thinking, and if necessary, to change.”

“When we think of other beings with compassion, this makes us happiest. When we consider how to help others avoid suffering and give them contentment, we, ourselves, are the first to benefit.”

mindfulness is the key to discovering the primordial nature of mind itself. And what we find, at first only in glimpses, is that our minds are boundless and radiant, as much in the nature of feeling as in the ability to perceive. When we tap into this, we encounter feelings of expansive tranquility and abiding bliss.

What I was only just beginning to understand, though, was the treasure, the terma of the mind. How the connections between myself and those I was closest to formed a tapestry far richer and more elaborate than anything I could ever have imagined.

By the practice of this meditation I am becoming calm and relaxed, Happier and more efficient in all that I do, Both for my own sake, as well as for others.

May all beings have happiness and the true causes of happiness, May all beings be free from suffering and the true causes of suffering, May all beings enjoy vibrant good health and abundance, and May all beings find their highest purpose and be an inspiration to others.