Just One Thing - Pema Chodron

All that is necessary then is to rest undistractedly in the immediate present, in this very instant in time.
And if we become drawn away by thoughts, by longings, by hopes and fears, again and again we can return to this present moment.
We are here.
We are carried off as if by the wind, and as if by the wind, we are brought back.
When one thought has ended and another has not begun, we can rest in that space.
We train in returning to the unchanging heart of this very moment.
All compassion and all inspiration come from that.
Pema Chodron - When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (1997)

This short episode is from Joe, intended as the first of many, reflecting on passages he took note of in reading. Next week's main ep will explain more of the back story behind this new project.
 
Joe is writing over at https://joeloh.substack.com, and (Sam here) I say it's very good stuff. Very honest. Totally Joe. A rollicking read.
Image: 'Calanais Stones, what a mystery' by Craig https://wish-art.blog/

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About the author of today's quote:

Pema Chödrön (born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, July 14, 1936) is an American Tibetan Buddhist. She is an ordained nun, former Acharya of Shambhala Buddhism and disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Chödrön has written books and audiobooks, and is principal teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia. Chödrön teaches the traditional "Yarne" retreat at Gampo Abbey each winter and the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life in Berkeley each summer. (wikiquote)

More Pema Chodron quotes at https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pema_Ch%C3%B6dr%C3%B6n

By the same author: How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind (2008)

Creators & Guests

Host

Joe Loh

Film crew guy and mental health care worker with aspirations of being a small town intellectual one day.

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 ”All that is necessary then is to rest undistractedly in the immediate present, in this very instant in time. And if we become drawn away by thoughts, by longings, by hopes and fears, again and again we can return to this present moment. We are here.
We are carried off, as if by the wind, and as if by the wind we are brought back. When one thought has ended, and another has not yet begun, we can rest in that space. We train, in returning to the unchanging heart of this very moment. All compassion, all inspiration come from that.”

That's a quote from Pema Chodron’s “When Things Fall Apart”. I guess for me it sums up the basic tenants of Buddhist meditation that I would like to be able to enact in my life.

“All that is necessary is to rest undistracted in the immediate present, in this very instant in time.”

I think, years ago when I first read this I had no ability to do this and I've slowly, slowly, very imperfectly, through stop/start practice come more into the present moment. And I’ve seen that to actually enter the present moment is to leave all fear behind. And that spiritual practice can be as simple as being here now. It makes me think of Ram Das' famous book “Be Here Now”. It makes me think of Eckhart Tolle – “The Power of Now.”

These are ancient truths. Certainly going back thousands of years. But for me, as a note to self, Pema Chodron sums it up perfectly.

“We are here. We are carried off as if by the wind, and as if by the wind we are brought back.”

So many thoughts that seem to bother me, actually, all I have to do is do nothing about them. And they're carried off by the wind. And another thought comes in. And maybe it's a relief. Or maybe I have a succession of worrying thoughts. But if I try to block them, or fixate on them, or go into my phone and doom scroll about them, they grow more powerful.

But I always have the option, to just return to my immediate present moment. Which is usually one of a few simple things; Physical safety, I can count myself lucky to live in a fairly peaceful corner of the world. A decent temperature, usually I'm not too hot or too cold. And usually not too hungry. There's a lot to be grateful for, for me, each time I return to the present moment. And I don't need to fear thoughts in the way that I did before I came across a meditation practice. Thoughts are like clouds passing through the sky. What I am, as consciousness, as awareness, is the sky. It's a simple truth but it's one that's taken me a lot of practice to have an experience with. And I'm hoping that that experience is deepening.