Everything has been just the way it needed to be. – In life, we do lots of things. Some we wish we could take back. Some we wish we could relive a thousand times. All of these things, positive and negative, have taught us important lessons and have collectively made us into the person we are today. If we were to reverse or adjust any of them, we wouldn’t be who we are; we would be somebody else. So just live, make mistakes, make memories, and take chances. Never second guess who you are or where you’ve been.
Do not pursue the past.
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is. The future
Has not yet come. Looking deeply at life
As it is in the very here and now,
The practitioner dwells in
Stability and Freedom
–Bhaddekaratta Sutta
- Forgive yourself for the things you regret having done to others, forgive others for the things they did to you; acknowledge the rightness of the events that you thought did not benefit you, and, more than that, acknowledge that each event was for your benefit or will turn out to be for your benefit.
“The present moment is a wonderful moment.” –Thich Nhat Hanh
- The moment we call now is all that exists.
- When we live in the now, keeping our awareness and concentration on the present moment, as zen encourages us to do, we rein in our runaway imaginations – not dwelling on the past, not worrying about the future, not judging events as they come and go.
- Meditation does not have to be long or complicated for you to receive its benefits. Start with five minutes a day. Follow your breath in and out – if you start to think of something other than your breath, gently pull yourself back.
