Make spiritual practice a part of my daily life

have continued today to take three deep breaths at every sound of the mindfulness bell in iTunes.

am also getting pretty good at assuming a half smile more and more often when my face is at rest.

Anywhere you find yourself sitting or standing, half-smile. Look at a leaf, a painting on a wall, a piece of fruit, or anything that is relatively still, and smile. Inhale and exhale quietly three times.

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

A famous Buddhist story found in The 7 Paths to God and many other places:

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed. As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out.

“Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!”

“Brother,” the second monk replied, “I set her down on the other side—why are you still carrying her?”

The Four Agreements

The 7 Paths to God

Faith and Practice of the Intermountain Yearly Meeting

The Miracle of Mindfulness

I have been learning a lot from the buddhists, lately. I’m listening to several books on CD, including How to Practice by the Dalai Lama. I laughed out loud to hear that His Holiness, when a guest in a nice home, will sometimes sneak a peak into the medicine cabinet to see if the people who live there must rely on medicine to help them sleep. Now this image just cracks me up, and it also makes me feel as if I could just sit down and write him a little note, because with a day filled with many responsibilities, and in spite of being quite ill and in a great deal of pain, my buddhist nun friend stays up till 2 or 3 in the morning to complete her prayers. Is there no rest for the weary?

Far from it…. but it is thrilling to watch the Pope at St. Patricks. What an amazing week this has been with both the Pope and the Dalai Lama in the US at the same time.

as I was adding an exercise-related goal just now, it occurred to me that my weekly ai-chi class is both exercise and a spiritual practice. (it’s sort of like tai-chi, but in the water)

I am exploring other options than bible reading.

I’m especially interested in learning more about mindfulness and meditation.

Trying to walk the dog while walking the dog, do the dishes while doing the dishes, etc.