Small Joys — Buddha and Eve

Day 295

#80

read a Buddhist text

This isn’t as easy as a bible passage, since there is no one book. I tried googling “koans” which are riddles to make you think. I ended up reading a lovely essay by Thich Nhat Hahn , a very wise Vietnamese Buddhist monk (recently passed away).

His essay Finding Our True Home was lovely. Excerpt:

Our true home is life, our true home is the present moment, whatever is happening right here and right now. Our true home is the place without discrimination, the place without hatred. Our true home is the place where we no longer seek, no longer wish, no longer regret. Our true home is not the past; it is not the object of our regrets, our yearning, our longing, or remorse. Our true home is not the future; it is not the object of our worries or fear. Our true home lies right in the present moment. If we can practice according to the teaching of the Buddha and return to the here and now, then the energy of mindfulness will help us to establish our true home in the present moment.

Day 296

#395

Name and get to know my inner voice

I’ve been thinking in this one a few days. I’ve had a hard time naming her. I’m certain she’s a her. In fact, she is me, sometimes a scared me, sometimes a confident me. It’s not my mother’s voice, which is a relief to really discover. I don’t get a lot of “should” or shame from my inner voice; she’s mostly supportive, sometimes uncertain.

I think I’ll name her Eve, I decided as I wrote this. I’ll start being supportive back and maybe we can team up to work together on problems.

I was reading about giving your negative inner voice a name so you can call it out. I can calm Eve and tell her to stop fretting.

How to find your inner voice. A little meditation to see if I can get to know her better.