I think I told you before that I have been going to meditation on Monday nights at a Buddhist center. I have come to find this to be one of my favorite activities throughout the week. I am always eager to hear the topic of the day and excited to listen to whichever teacher speaks. The teacher tonight was the founder of Against the Stream, Noah Levine, and was my favorite so far. The theme was not so specific, but more general in asking why we meditate and what we can expect. It is an always welcome reminder to me not to stop meditating – to keep practicing every day. The reason that we all meditate is to help us cope, deal and detach from suffering. Most people are brought to this practice to lessen pain. For me, it has truly helped lessen a discomfort in life. It has given me a tool that gets me through in a smoother and more peaceful way. These reminders might seem redundant and simple, but they are usually the best ones. Just keep on keeping on with whatever you do to make yourself better. It’s subtle, but it’s working. Trust that.

(Image found here)

The past couple of Monday nights, I have started to go to a Buddhist meditation center.  Every week they have a different teacher and topic that we discuss after mediation.

This week, there was a Buddhist monk who spoke. She was a really powerful teacher and there are a couple of things that I have thought about since:

The first is that your quality of life is a result of where you put your attention. 

She also told us that the mind repeats 3 patterns:

• There is something wrong – with me, with you, with the world, etc.
• There is not enough – money, friendship, kindness, time, energy, etc
• I need to be doing something – the dishes, becoming famous, make more money, etc

There have been a couple times this week where I have become aware of these patterns. I have also noticed how I seek out things that continue this pattern.

It’s definitely something worth being mindful of.