Today's Daily Dharma from Tricycle:
Take Note of Your MindIt's impossible to take note of your mind all of the time. You would tie yourself up in knots and run off the road. Instead of going to an extreme, begin by concentrating on one particular emotion in yourself. Choose the emotion that bothers you the most, or the one that is most prominent in you.... For many people, anger is a good starting point because it is easily noticed and dissolves faster than most other emotions. Once you begin to watch your anger, you will make an interesting discovery. You will find that as soon as you know you are angry, your anger will melt away by itself. It is very important that you watch without likes or dislikes. The more you are able to look at your own anger without making judgments, without being critical, the more easily the anger will dissipate.
~ Thynn Thynn, Living Meditation, Living Insight.
It's easy to fall into the all-or-nothing trap when we first begin to practice mindfulness. We want to be as aware as possible of what is going on in our minds. I know I made this mistake.
But, as the quote suggests, if we start small and focus on one thing at a time, we can gradually build our awareness and become more mindful of our feelings and thoughts. We do not need to go to extremes in either direction -- being completely unaware or being totally aware. As the Buddha taught, the Middle Way is often the best way.
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