The real magic happens when we become intimately familiar with the moment-by-moment experience of being alive. Instead of trying to force complete experiences to happen. I focus on setting the stage for them to happen by exercising my attention.
When remembering to notice that we're alive becomes a habit, we begin to erode the internal friction that obscures our view of the richness we're swimming in every day.
Read More"Why meditate? As you suffer less, are more fulfilled, as you understand who you are, and as you have a handle on changing how you carry yourself, all of that sums up ultimately in how you contribute to making this world a better place."
~ Shinzen Young
Read MoreWhen you catch yourself absorbed by some immediate aspect of your environment, try to yield to the observation fully for a few seconds.
Read MoreI have to admit I’m really attracted to his model of teaching because it really articulates a very specific way of mental noting and labeling.
Read More"It is probably the case that our very ancient ancestors—before the arising of civilization, when we were still in a tribal state—lived an awful lot of their lives in a meditative state just naturally.
And then, with the arising of civilization, that becomes lost and it's necessary to create conceptual frameworks and specific practice techniques to get back there."
~ Shinzen Young
Read More"The ultimate thing that meditation can do for the individual is show them how their happiness does not need to be dependent on conditions.
When does a person have their happiness not dependent on a condition? Whenever they are having a complete experience."
~ Shinzen Young
Read More"The sense of self becomes a home rather than a prison. You can come and go freely."
~ Shinzen Young
Read More"It’s ironic that the biggest potential problem associated with focusing on emotional discomfort is closely linked to one of its most powerful payoffs: our cage may get rattled a bit before it collapses."
~ Shinzen Young
Read MoreMay our sincere, imperfect efforts contribute something useful to the conversation between the contemplative traditions and neuroscience, which share the desire to reduce human suffering.
Read More"One of the reasons it's so difficult to focus on a small piece of experience that's neutral, like the breath, why it feels like you're just going to die—is because you are!"
~ Shinzen Young
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