Phillip Moffitt

The Buddha taught that your true nature is obscured by the veils of wanting, fear, and delusion (or ignorance). He urged that you look at the nature of your mind systematically and observe how these three mind-states condition what you think and value, and how you behave. He taught that it is the identification with these mind-states that causes suffering; for instance, you mistakenly believe that just because you feel the emotion of wanting, your true nature is the same as that wanting. If you are not your thoughts, then what is your true nature, how do you find it, and how do you live so that it may flourish? These are the perennial questions for anyone who starts to develop an inner life. Read more: https://dharmawisdom.org/realizing-your-true-nature/

Each of us is dependent upon others for our blessings. We flourish or perish together through interwoven acts of generosity arising from the benevolence and integrity of others, many of whom we shall never meet. This is the power of generosity. When we mindfully practice generosity, we come into contact with its joyful, healing power. https://dharmawisdom.org/the-gift-of-generosity/

Gratitude is one of the most powerful practices for living the dharma in daily life and the most easily cultivated, requiring the least sacrifice for what is gained in return. It is particularly effective for people who have self-defeating feelings, or those who habitually notice everything that's wrong in life. http://ow.ly/tzztc

There is a poignant story about two Buddhist monks who encounter each other many years after being released from prison where they had been tortured. The first one asks, Have you forgiven our captors? The second one replies, I will never forgive them! Never! The first says, Well, I guess they still have you in prison, don’t they? This story vividly illustrates the tyranny of anger. http://ow.ly/tzz87

During this season of gift giving, reflect on how you might practice generosity throughout the year. There are many ways to cultivate an attitude of generosity in daily life. Here are just a few that I have found to be quite powerful: Be generous with your attention when you’re listening to someone. Be generous in celebrating another person’s happiness. Be generous with your sympathy toward someone who has experienced loss. Be generous with your compliments and praise of others. Be generous with your unconditional respect of others. Be generous with your willingness to be helpful. http://ow.ly/DPE7n

Try being mindful of how little distinction you make between caring about something or somebody and being attached to that thing or person. The Buddha taught that one of the fundamental characteristics of the universe is anicca, meaning that everything changes. We all know that this is true from our own experience, yet often we hold onto something or someone as though what we care about should be exempt from this fundamental law. http://ow.ly/FO7LJ

You can enhance the degree of well-being you experience in your life by committing to and cultivating an attitude that focuses on your effort rather than on the results of that effort. We call this "as best I am able" practice. https://skillfulchange.com/cultivating-as-best-i-am-able/

When the fear feels stuck, realize that you are clinging to a perception that is merely painted on the walls of your mind. It's this clinging, not the danger, no matter how genuinely threatening it might be, that is the cause of your greatest distress. The proper response is threefold: continual mindfulness of the fear, deep compassion for the suffering it is causing, and cultivation of equanimity that allows you to stay with it. You will find that the dharma will do the rest. http://ow.ly/FNUDe

We all experience moments when we act or speak in an inauthentic way. We want others to like us or to think we’re smart, so we present a false persona. Or we do it because we feel unsafe or we want something really badly. It can be truly painful when this happens. Worse still is when we’re inauthentic with ourselves because we’re unable to admit something difficult. If you aspire to experience more authenticity in your life, start by committing to living authentically with yourself. http://ow.ly/ymroN