We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. -- Swami Vivekananda (from "Words to Live By," Eknath Easwaran, January 9)
I suspect upgrading my thoughts is going to be my spiritual priority this year. Just yesterday I wrote that our spiritual growth begins and ends with our thoughts. It is the discipline of our thoughts that must get first call.
Blinding flash of the obvious: My spiritual priority...that first call...is to be in lovingkindness for others.
It will be interesting to see how well I do...how well I remember to do is more like it. I trust my thoughts to be directed in lovingkindness toward others...which is not a stretch. I'm more a kindness thought person than not...specifically for the one(s) I am resisting. But then that's more for my own benefit than another's.
Today's Easwaran and Rohr both are about the importance of the care and feeding of our thoughts.
Rohr today quotes Tibetan Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön: Tonglen practice, also known as 'taking and sending,' reverses our usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. In tonglen practice, we visualize taking in the pain of others with every in-breath and sending out whatever will benefit them on the out-breath.
Ah. I feel like I just got my marching orders...for January anyway.
Thank you.
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