You’re Never Too Old To Learn Something New. Never Stop Studying. 

“The aesthetic principles of Zen include wabi-sabi (侘寂), the aesthetic of “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" beauty, yugen (幽玄): profound grace and deep awareness of the Universe; datsuzoku (脱俗): free and unbounded by convention and seijaku (静寂): tranquility, stillness…”

—

Ecological Consciousness

art by Tsuchiya-Koitsu

@pickupthephonetoday (via www.pickupthephone.today )

Today, I found myself heading to a Buddhist temple for an addiction recovery meeting and meditation session. Initially, I was overwhelmed with anxiety, my mind racing with all the ways things could go wrong. Why? Because the mind, though a powerful tool, is just that—a tool. It should be used only when needed; otherwise, it will create problems simply to justify its own activity, becoming an addiction in itself.

As I made my way there, I became aware of the vibrations of the music resonating in my ears, the wind brushing against my face, the comfort of my seat—each moment was rich with joy. Yet, we so rarely tap into the immediate joy available to us in the present.

“Free yourself from the illusion of good and bad days. Labeling time makes us nostalgic of the past and demanding of the future. There is only here and now. Let it be.”

— Ram Dass

"The practitioner should be at peace within. Do not seek tranquility outside. There is nothing that can be taken away from a person who is at peace within. " Buddha (Sutta Nipata 919)