“This leads up to the next step, being sensitive to rapture—or refreshment, which is probably a better translation of the Pali word, piti. Breathe in with a sense of refreshment; breath out with a sense of refreshment. And this is how you get there, by being aware of the whole body, by calming the way the breath comes in, calming the way the breath goes out. This allows for a sense of fullness. It’s almost as if every cell in your body is allowed to have its space and to fill up its space, all the way down to the tips of your toes, all the way down to the tips of your fingers, through all the muscles of your head , through all the muscles at the back of your head, down the back of your neck, all the parts of the body that you tend to ignore. Allow all of them to have their space, so that they are not squeezed with the out-breath, not pressured with the in-breath. The more there’s a sense of connectedness of the breath energy throughout the body, the less pressure you have to apply. It’s almost as if you allow all the pores of your skin to open up, and everybody gets to breathe. Everybody gets to have a part of the breath.” – Thanisarro Bhikkhu
“Washing the dishes
is like bathing a baby Buddha.
The profane is the sacred.
Everyday mind is Buddha’s mind.” – #ThichNhatHanh
My practice is doing the dishes, sweeping the floor, gardening. Immersed in the world takes time, takes effort. Being in “the world” but not “of the world.” Let the stillness seep in.
“Simply pose the question in the mind each time you breathe in: 'What kind of breath would feel especially gratifying right now?' See how your body responds.” – Thanissaro Bhikkhu in With Each & Every Breath
“If, before you start meditating, you realize that you’re facing an important decision in life that might interfere with your meditation, tell yourself that you’ll use the meditation period to clear your mind before contemplating the decision. Before meditating, pose whatever questions you want to have answers for, and then drop them. Refuse to pay them any attention if they pop up during the meditation. Focus your attention exclusively on the breath. When you emerge from the meditation, see if an answer presents itself to your awareness. ere’s no guarantee that the answer will be correct, but at least it’s coming from a quiet spot in the mind, and it gives you something to put to the test. If no answer presents itself, your mind is at any rate clearer and sharper than it was before the meditation, putting you in a better position to contemplate the issues you face. But be sure that while you’re meditating you don’t have anything to do with thoughts about those issues at all.” – Thanissaro Bhikkhu in With Each & Every Breath