Aging as a Spiritual Practice Quotes

“Everything changes.” It’s not hard to understand this teaching as an intellectual fact; we learn it naturally by living it. But emotionally this teaching means that everything we love and care about—including our family, friends, and even our precious self—will change, transform, and eventually pass away.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Regret and celebration are equally important facets of aging. Throughout this book, these two aspects will appear in various guises and voices. That was the case with”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Lightning Strikes is the moment we truly wake up to our aging and can see the full significance of it in our whole life, from its unremembered beginning to its unknown end. Until that moment, regardless of our age, we spend much of the time not thinking too much about where our life is headed or what it all means. But once lightning strikes, it’s different. We have reached a tipping point. We have stopped seeing things as we wished they were and, for a moment at least, can see them as they actually are.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“At first blush this thought might seem depressing, but the process of transformation—aging and its accomplishments—can be very positive, with new possibilities, fresh beginnings, a wealth of appreciation, and a depth of gratitude that profoundly affects how our lives proceed.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“The life expectancy at the turn of the century was forty-five; now it is eighty. Living into one’s eighties, nineties, and even past one hundred is a real possibility today, one that makes your fifties and sixties a time not for winding down but for gearing up—though for what, we may not be sure.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Aging is beyond our control, but how we age is up to us.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“It is possible to find enjoyment in the gift of each moment and each breath, even in the midst of difficulty.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“I recently came across an article that reviewed more than seven hundred scientific studies looking at the correlation between religious involvement and physical and mental health and was stunned to discover that those who attend religious services at least once a week tend to survive seven years longer than those who don’t.7 This is especially true when religious involvement includes service to others. The study did not distinguish between type of religion, or whether it was meditative or contemplative. Any kind of religious or spiritual involvement was included.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“It seems obvious when you think about it. We evolved in nature, and our spiritual feelings of oneness and worship come from nature. All of the world religions were founded in rural settings. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were born in the desert, where the herding of sheep and the cultivation of grain”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“research shows that generosity is a cause of lasting happiness,”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“The answer, I propose, is that aging is an ideal time for the cultivation of the inner life: a time for spiritual practice. Why”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Not surprisingly, physical exercise and diet are key to healthy aging; the research proves that beyond any doubt. But serving others, maintaining healthy relationships, being in nature, and having an active spiritual life—topics central to this book—are equally important. Inner and outer aging are close partners. Until we can find the inner enjoyment of which Suzuki spoke, exercise and diet alone will not suffice to make us content.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“the reason we meditate is to enjoy our old age.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Letting go of what is already slipping away is how we actually enjoy our life.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“the experience of aging is itself a doorway to spiritual practice, one that transcends any particular religion or faith.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“The answer, I propose, is that aging is an ideal time for the cultivation of the inner life: a time for spiritual practice.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“What’s the best use of this extra gift of time?”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Every breath, new chances.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Gratitude, with no complaints, is the attitude that I would like to have, not only at the end of my life, but from now until then.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Generosity is woven into the fabric of all existence. All living things give and receive all the time. The very act of breathing is a kind of giving and receiving.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“As everything ages and passes away, may each of us be kind to ourselves; As everything ages and passes away, may each of us accept joy and sorrow; As everything ages and passes away, may each of us be happy and at peace.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Modern research affirms what all religions have known: Service to others brings gifts to oneself. As the Dalai Lama put it, “If you’re going to be selfish, be wisely selfish, which means to love and serve others, since love and service to others bring rewards to oneself”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“But why is that so? These days many people feel disconnected from the religion of their childhood. I know many people who think of Sunday morning as an ideal time to surf news sites, update their Facebook page, and catch up on their e-mails. At the same time, the latest Pew religion research polls show that millions of people are interested in spiritual matters, though they are adherents of no particular religion.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“Dr. Walsh then listed eight lifestyle factors that have been shown to contribute to healthy aging. These include exercise, diet, time in nature, relationships, recreation, stress management, and service to others. As soon as I saw this list I realized that a spiritual approach to aging and modern research had a lot in common. And when I read the last factor—religious and spiritual involvement—I was sure of it. Ancient Taoists and Buddhists combined meditation, exercise, diet, herbs, and minerals to support long life. Clearly they were on to something! Modern research points us in the same direction.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“But there was a deeper lesson: Why should we see our life as broken at all? The very notion of “fixing” may itself be the problem. At the root of every discouragement is a comparison: things should be different, things could be different, and because they are”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser

“As long as we keep comparing ourselves to a younger, better self (who may have been better only in hindsight), we shortchange the possibilities for becoming an older, wiser one. The wisdom of Adaptation begins in the willingness to let go of who we used to be and embrace who we are now.”
― Lewis Richmond, Aging As A Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide To Growing Older And Wiser