Lynn J Kelly offers another helpful blogpost on how and why we might meditate. I encourage you to check out her link below for all of her mindfulness offerings.
Remembering and Realigning
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Tag Archives: dharma
Four Types of People to Avoid
Here’s a quick explanation of people to avoid: the taker, the talker, the flatterer, and the reckless from Lynn J Kelly. See picture above and link below. Thank you, Lynn.
Refuge in What? Repost from Lynn J Kelly
We all need refuge from overwhelming times. Some people hide behind watching TV, overeating or overdrinking, or spending time with people doing things that may hurt us in the long term.
Today, Lynn J Kelly, an Australian American practicing Buddhist, offers another option that may be of some interest to you. See her blogpost below:
Refuge in What?
Posted on October 5, 2025 by lynnjkelly
One “becomes a Buddhist” by sincerely taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. This is only meaningful if we have some sense of what that means. When we are afraid or unhappy, where do we go? Most of us take refuge in the ordinary comforts of our lives – music, on-line entertainment, TV, food, reading, friends or family, or some activity that we find absorbing. From the Pali canon:
They go to many a refuge,
Those who have been struck by fear;
They go to mountains and forests,
To parks and trees and shrines.
(Dhammapada 188, translated by John Kelly)
However, these refuges only offer temporary relief.
When we take refuge in the triple gem (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha), we are saying that when things get rough, we look to:
- the Buddha as an embodiment of the potential for awakening in all humans (including ourselves);
- to the Dhamma as the body of the Buddha’s teachings on reality as we can experience it; and
- to the Sangha, the worldwide, time-spanning community of serious practitioners of the Buddha’s path.
Many of us started looking into the Buddha’s path with only a vague hope that it might help us become less confused. We naturally want to minimize suffering for ourselves and others, but how to go about that can be mysterious.
Committing to the Buddha’s path takes time. It generally requires some motivation (suffering?) and some inspiration, through reading or hearing about the Buddha’s teachings. But it’s only by taking up and trying out the Buddha’s instructions in our own lives that we develop faith – faith in the possibility of awakening, faith that the Buddha himself and many others have tasted the freedom he points to. For example, the teachings on how generosity and ethical behavior affect our mind state, if put into practice, will quickly produce results in our experience.
The thought of meditating can be a stumbling block for new practitioners. Remember that nothing special is meant to happen. We could think of it simply as a short period of unplugging from our normal inputs. We find a way to set worries aside and relax for 20 minutes or so, usually by training the attention on the breath or some other neutral object. If we accept whatever energy is in our body and mind, as it is in the present moment, we may find that it changes and is gradually replaced with a relatively steadier mind state. In this way, step by step, we learn to live fully in the present, whatever it contains.
Small Steps Make a Huge Difference
“Every action we take with words or body has a component of intention. The smallest ethical action has the power to set us on the path to awakening. Inversely, when we behave in a harmful way, towards ourselves or others, it sets a trajectory in a direction it would be better not to go.”
I’ve seen the truth of the above statement in both directions.
For the full blog written by Lynn J Kelly, see the link below.
Helpful Reminders from Lynn J Kelly
The article below reminds me of the scouting practice to “always leave a place better than you found it,” meaning that we treat our environment and those around us with respect and care.
May your day and this holiday season be filled with joy and wisdom.
Beautiful & Provocative Sentiment from Brandy Anderson
The Value of Simplicity – KISSS
A fresh cup of coffee to start the day, re-reading a familiar passage from a favorite book, letting go of unnecessary complexity in our lives, oh what joy can be received from a simple life!
Keeping it short, sweet and simple (KISSS) is a mantra worth remembering.
Below is an excerpt from a Tricycle article on Full Simplicity written by Kim Allen for a Buddhist take on the art of living more simply and skillfully.
http://www.uncontrived.org/books.html
The Value of Simplicity
Doing more with less: A teaching from the Metta Sutta By Kim Allen
“(The) idea of valuing simplicity is a notion that is consonant with the early (Buddhist) teachings. Choosing just one of many examples, we can find the value of simplicity expressed in the opening lines of the Metta Sutta (Sn 1.8).
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness
And who knows the path of peace:Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
These verses suggest a link between goodwill (metta), ethical behavior, and simplicity.
Once we turn our mind toward the value of simplicity, we will notice ways in which complication has burdened or tangled our relationship with life. Here are a few possibilities for practice that can be extracted from these lines:
- Simplicity of body: Moving more slowly (peaceful and calm); maintaining a balanced posture (upright); using fewer material resources (frugal in their ways),
- Simplicity of speech: Speaking straightforwardly with just as many words as needed (straightforward in speech); refraining from complaining or demanding (not proud and demanding); speaking words of harmony (gentle in speech; skillful), and
- Simplicity of mind: Being satisfied with little (contentment; humility); honesty (upright); seeing in wise ways (wise and skillful); choosing non-busyness (unburdened with duties).
Centering (your) simplicity practice on these few lines from the Metta Sutta could go very far … Pragmatic wisdom also guides how we view and think about life activities:
- possessions must be managed, such as maintaining our car, computer, and phone;
- cleaning our clothes and living space;
- handling the purchase, preparation, and clean-up of food for meals;
- caring for our body and health in many ways, and
- the necessary task of acquiring money also takes significant energy, and even if we have enough money, it takes time and attention to manage financial resources.”
Excerpted with permission of the author from Full Simplicity: The Art of Renunciation and Letting Go, by Kim Allen, an exploration of how to fully embrace the dharma life as a layperson.
Kim Allen is an Insight teacher who draws from a background in long retreat practice, sutta study, and contemplative living to bring classical dharma to modern life. Her website is http://www.uncontrived.org.
See tricycle.org/article/value-of-simplicity/ for the full article.
Necessary Doubt
“An open mind is a strong mind … our doubting and questioning spur us on and keep us intellectually alert and can help us develop confidence in our innate qualities.”
Senior teacher, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo encourages us to live our lives with a question mark and to not settle for blind faith. Instead, we can experience our faith firsthand and not be content with what other people think or describe.
I hope you enjoy excerpts from the provocative Tricycle article below,
Necessary Doubt
Ani Tenzin Palmo teaches that a questioning mind is essential to the Buddhist path.
By Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo SUMMER 2002
we have a tendency to regard doubt as something shameful, almost as an enemy. We feel that if we have doubts, it means that we are denying the teachings and that we should really have unquestioning faith.
Referring to the dharma, the Buddha said, “come and see,” or “come and investigate,” not “come and believe.”
A famous sutra tells of a group of villagers who came to visit the Buddha. They said to him, “Many teachers come through here. Each has his own doctrine. Each claims that his particular philosophy and practice is the truth, but they all contradict each other. Now we’re totally confused. What do we do?” Doesn’t this story sound modern? Yet this was twenty-five hundred years ago. Same problems.
The Buddha replied, “You have a right to be confused. This is a confusing situation. Do not take anything on trust merely because it has passed down through tradition, or because your teachers say it, or because your elders have taught you, or because it’s written in some famous scripture. When you have seen it and experienced it for yourself to be right and true, then you can accept it.”
We need to be patient. We should not expect to understand the profound expositions of an enlightened mind in our first encounter with them.
Our doubting and questioning spur us on and keep us intellectually alert.
instead of suppressing the questions, I brought up the things I questioned and examined them one by one. When I came out the other end, I realized that it simply didn’t matter. We can be quite happy with a question mark.
We need to know what great teachers in the past have said, because they have been there ahead of us and have laid down maps for us to follow.
Following the path is about experiencing it for ourselves. It’s not taking on what other people have described. It’s not based on blind faith.
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is the current president of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women. She is one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Buddhist nun and the founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India.
Your Life Is a Mirror
What if every word you said, every gesture you made, revealed your true intentions? The Tricycle article reposted below says the answer to that question is an important step in our own personal development.
This somewhat lengthy article is well worth your time if you’re one of those people prone to self-deception. I know that’s something I need to work on. How about you?
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Your Life Is a Mirror
Venerated lama and spiritual teacher Khangser Rinpoche expounds on how to break free of the mind’s habitual tendency towards self-deception.
By Khangser Rinpoche JUN 21, 2024
Your life is a mirror reflecting the state of your inner world.
To see clearly you must first polish your mirror to clear it of what distorts the truth: your obscuring self-deception.
no longer looking at the reflection in the bathroom mirror, he was looking at himself in a different way: inner reflection.
Self-improvement starts with breaking self-deception and learning to face the truth. You must honestly witness, then evaluate, how your mental, emotional, and behavioral actions obscure the truth.
It’s much easier for you to point out areas where other people can improve rather than seeing your own flaws. This is how it usually is. You have difficulty looking at your imperfections, so you tell yourself lies,
Start by Being Honest
When you encounter a situation where there is no way for you to tell the truth, it is better to just stay silent.
Even if you can’t eliminate lies completely, at least try to reduce their frequency.
Break Subconscious Habits
Your past shapes your perception of the present.
You are not who you think you are—you’ve formed a lot of subconscious habits over the years that are probably unknown to you. That’s why you need the input of those you trust, and you need to pay close attention to your thoughts, feelings, and behavior. If you can’t see your flaws, there is no self-improvement.
Keep an Open Mind
Your ego has a way of obscuring areas you struggle with, so you must make certain to consider other people’s feedback about you. It’s not easy to see your own issues, you need a good, honest person to tell you about them.
You are not who you think you are
When you receive unpleasant feedback, try to resist the impulse to defend yourself with lies or get angry. Don’t dirty up your mirror with denial. Self-improvement is one of the most important aspects of your life, but to do it properly you need a clear mirror—you need honest feedback.
Study Cause and Effect
We drum up supernatural ways of eliminating our issues instead of taking personal accountability for them.
Blame sullies your mirror of self-reflection. Instead, focus on accepting the reality of the problem and do what you can realistically do now.
Every kind of suffering can be remedied. To do that you must first clearly understand that there is no such thing as causeless suffering. When you know that wholesome activities have beneficial effects and unwholesome actions have unbeneficial results, you can then choose the best course of action for yourself. This means you have a measure of control over your destiny.
Examine Your Motives
getting to the truth is tricky
Honesty is a matter of motive
Which is more honest: truth in words or truth in motive? When you want to give up self-deception in favor of self-knowledge, consider the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Remember that life is like a mirror: everything you perceive reflects your inner world. Cleaning your dirty mirror of distorting smudges means clearing self-deception and coming closer to the truth.
This article was excerpted and adapted from A Monk’s Guide to Finding Joy: How to Train Your Mind and Transform Your Life by Khangser Rinpoche, © Wisdom Publications July 2, 2024. Reprinted in arrangement with Wisdom Publications.
An Angry Person with a Zen Practice
The brief Lions Roar article below is much more than an American jazz singer, Bobby McFerrin lyric: Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
I highly recommend this piece written by Karen Maezen Miller. See excerpts below:
An Angry Person with a Zen Practice
by Karen Maezen Miller
I wasn’t an angry person until I became a Zen Buddhist. Sure, I yelled. I slammed things. I broke things. But I wouldn’t have called myself angry. It was always another person making me angry. How was that my fault?
But there was hope because I was an angry person with a Zen practice.
No one makes us feel, think, or do anything except as we allow.
Anger comes from our attachments.
We don’t get our way all the time, and besides, even when we do, it doesn’t last.
The wisdom of impermanence shows us the way to work with anger, that is, to not work with it at all.
Without my ruminations and reactions, anger does what all sensations do. It goes away by itself, providing I don’t chase after it.
One more thing has changed my relationship with anger: admitting it. When I feel myself getting angry around others, I try my best to say, “I’m angry right now.” Spoken, the words by themselves are safe. Unspoken, they smolder into fire and brimstone.
These days, though I still get angry, I’m no longer afraid of my anger. I don’t try to hide or avoid it. I remind myself not to rationalize it, justify it, or react in anger. I let it be, and then I let it be gone.
http://www.lionsroar.com/how-3-buddhist-teachers-work-with-difficult-emotions/
Life Matters 