ThichNahtHanhhas bee a great spiritual teacher for me. I am very grateful to him to plant the seeds of learning how to live spiritually.This essay raises important questions in my mind. What is darkness? Where does it come from? What is light? Where does it come from? As I am reflecting on these questions quietly, following my breath, light of awareness shines from within. This nonjudgmental awareness enlightens me. Darkness is created by myself in my mind and heart. Restlessness is created by myself in my mind and heart.This illuminated knowing liberates me from my self-created darkness. Darkness merges with light. Darkness becomes light. Light of awareness guides me to live mindfully.
Two days ago, i and my co-teacher were discussingthe topic of Forgiveness with our Middle School-High School students. It was an open-enddiscussion. It was quite interesting to observehow a few students were reacting strongly to the students who were expressing their ideas of forgiveness very differently from other students. We as teachers wanted our students to learn how to listen to other students as well as to us as teachers mindfully by being fully attentive and present without passing judgments about ideas and opinions expressed by others. I shared how I related to the ideas of the students which were very different from my ideas of forgiveness. I shared my experience of forgiving someone who hurt me very deeply. I mindfully processed my thoughts and feelings and let me be free from my anger toward the person hurting me. I let my thoughts and feelings come kindly and freely without judging, denying and getting stuck with them. I consciously let them come, stay and fade away effortlessly. This process helped me relate to the person hurting me empathetically and kindly. We built a bridge between both of us.
I have been learning how to keep the light of awareness shining within me. I have been learning from my own experiences the lessons of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and gentleness for relating to me and to others in my life. This is an ongoing process. I am happy to walk on this path and help others
to walk on their path by doing inner work mindfully.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave
On Sep 20, 2019 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Two days ago, i and my co-teacher were discussingthe topic of Forgiveness with our Middle School-High School students. It was an open-enddiscussion. It was quite interesting to observehow a few students were reacting strongly to the students who were expressing their ideas of forgiveness very differently from other students. We as teachers wanted our students to learn how to listen to other students as well as to us as teachers mindfully by being fully attentive and present without passing judgments about ideas and opinions expressed by others. I shared how I related to the ideas of the students which were very different from my ideas of forgiveness. I shared my experience of forgiving someone who hurt me very deeply. I mindfully processed my thoughts and feelings and let me be free from my anger toward the person hurting me. I let my thoughts and feelings come kindly and freely without judging, denying and getting stuck with them. I consciously let them come, stay and fade away effortlessly. This process helped me relate to the person hurting me empathetically and kindly. We built a bridge between both of us.
I have been learning how to keep the light of awareness shining within me. I have been learning from my own experiences the lessons of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and gentleness for relating to me and to others in my life. This is an ongoing process. I am happy to walk on this path and help others
to walk on their path by doing inner work mindfully.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave