Meditation practice is simply moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others. Joko Beck More Quotes by Joko Beck More Quotes From Joko Beck Practice has to be a process of endless disappointment. We have to see that everything we demand (and even get) eventually disappoints us. This discovery is our teacher. Joko Beck disappointment discovery teacher Meditation is not about doing something Joko Beck meditation There is one thing in life that you can always rely on: life being as it is. Joko Beck one-thing rely things-in-life Underneath our nice, friendly facades there is great unease. If I were to scratch below the surface of anyone I would find fear, pain, and anxiety running amok. We all have ways to cover them up. We overeat, over-drink, overwork; we watch too much television. Joko Beck pain nice running An old Zen rule of thumb is not to answer until one has been asked three times. Joko Beck thumbs three answers We are caught in the contradiction of finding life a rather perplexing puzzle which causes us a lot of misery, and at the same time being dimly aware of the boundless, limitless nature of life. So we begin looking for an answer to the puzzle. Joko Beck misery causes answers We tend to run our whole life trying to avoid all that hurts or displeases us, noticing the objects, people, or situations that we think will give us pain or pleasure, avoiding one and pursuing the other. Joko Beck pain hurt running Caught in the self-centered dream, only suffering; Joko Beck compassion dream teacher We are just living this moment; we don't have to live 150,000 moments at once. We are only living one. That's why I say you might as well practice with each moment. Joko Beck practice might inspirational It's of no use to look back and say, "I should have been different." At any given moment, we are the way we are, and we see what we're able to see. For that reason, guilt is always inappropriate. Joko Beck different guilt should-have Practice can be stated very simply. It is moving from a life of hurting myself and others to a life of not hurting myself and others. That seems so simple-except when we substitute for real practice some idea that we should be different or better than we are, or that our lives should be different from the way they are. When we substitute our ideas about what should be (such notions as "I should not be angry or confused or unwilling") for our life as it truly is, then we're off base and our practice is barren. Joko Beck confused real hurt We learn in our guts, not just in our brain, that a life of joy is not in seeking happiness, but in experiencing and simply being the circumstances of our life as they are; not in fulfilling personal wants, but in fulfilling the needs of life. Joko Beck brain joy happiness Whenever we say a person's name, notice whether we have stated more than a fact. For example, the judgment, 'She's thoughtless' goes beyond the facts 'She said she'd call me and she didn't. Joko Beck example names facts My dog doesn't worry about the meaning of life. She may worry if she doesn't get her breakfast, but she doesn't sit around worrying whether she will get fulfilled or liberated or enlightened. As long as she gets some food and a little affection, her life is fine. But we human beings are not like dogs. We have self-centered minds which get us into plenty of trouble. If we do not come to understand the error in the way we think, our self-awareness, which is our greatest blessing, is also our downfall. Joko Beck blessing dog thinking Trust in things being as they are is the secret of life. But we don't want to hear that. I can absolutely trust that in the next year my life is going to be changed, different, yet always just the way it is. Joko Beck trust secret years None of us would choose to be Sisyphus; yet in a sense, we all are. Joko Beck sisyphus We are always doing something to cover up our basic existential anxiety. Some people live that way until the day they die. Joko Beck cover-ups anxiety people You cannot avoid paradise. You can only avoid seeking it. Joko Beck seeking paradise We 'rid ourselves of conceptual thought' when, by persistent observation, we recognize the unreality of our self-centered thoughts. Then we can remain dispassionate and fundamentally unaffected by them. That does not mean to be a cold person. Rather, it means not to be caught and dragged around by circumstances. Joko Beck self doe mean To some degree we all find life difficult, perplexing, and oppressive. Even when it goes well, as it may for a time, we worry that it probably won't keep on that way. Joko Beck degrees worry may
