We tend to bestow our judging mind with unquestioned power and authority, but this risks an inaccurate self-perception. Instead, listen and question, without believing every word. Take back your right to evaluate the credibility of judgments and your own self-worth. By clarifying your relationship to the judging mind, you can reclaim your power to establish a more accurate self-perception and stable sense of well-being. ~Mark Coleman
A monk asked Shito “How does one become free?”. Shito replied, “Who has bound you?” That’s the question, who binds you? Don’t look outside, look into the mind, investigate the opinionated mind. Become familiar with its opinions and judgments; then you won’t be so vulnerable to them. Our effort is to release the mind from its ordinary opinions and see revealed a new universe. Nothing binds us but the habituated mind. ~Katherine Thanas
I saw these posts on Mindful Balance last month HERE and HERE, and they resonated with me. {Karl Duffy, I hope you know how much I enjoy your blog and all of the wisdom you capture and share there. Thank you!}
With regular practice, I learn to notice the voice that talks to me, that interprets the world for me, that makes judgments about just about everything, and that shares her stories with me. And with regular practice, I learn to discern when her ideas are truly helpful and to choose what I believe and act upon. It is a continual process of exploration and discovery. I catch myself listening to her, wanting to be in control, wanting to reach closure, wanting to be perfect, wanting more when there’s plenty…wanting, wanting, wanting. The small victory comes when I let her needs go and open to a world of possibility that she couldn’t even imagine.
And Then Opens Possibility 