MSI Press Blog

  Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -20-   The quality of one's life depends on the quality of attention. Whatever you pay attention to will grow more important in your life. Deepak Chopra   Achieving artistic and financial success by the early 1890s, Claude Monet purchased his home in Giverny, France and set to work developing a landscape that would inspire his painting in the last 30 years of his life. He received permission from local authorities to divert water from the Epte River to create a pond for cultivating water lilies. Monet spent long hours in his gardens, tending to them, and joyfully observing the constant unfolding of light, colors, and texture. He commented on his attention to his lily pond:   It took me a while to understand my water lilies. I cultivated them without thinking about painting them. A landscape doesn’t captivate you in just one da...

  Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -19-   When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and the end of spiritual practice. Only in this moment can we discover that which is timeless. Only here can we find the love that we seek. Love in the past is simply memory, and love in the future is fantasy. Only in the reality of the present can we love, can we awaken, can we find peace and understanding and connection with ourselves and the world. Jack Kornfield   Thanks substantially to work by Jack Kornfield, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, and a small number of other pioneers in this area, the idea of mindfulness—paying attention, in the present moment, without judgment—has embedded itself in the American consciousness. A man suffers flashbacks and remorse about a motor vehicle acci...

  Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -14-   Throughout life, keep asking yourself, “What would I do right now, in this situation, if I were guided by my life purpose? What would I be doing differently at this moment?” The more mindful you are of your life purpose, the greater its impact will be on your life and the lives of those you care about.   Matthew McKay, John Forsyth, Georg Eifert   When I work with groups, I often begin with a mindful walking exercise. I give them Thich Nhat Hanh’s instructions for walking meditation;   Take short steps in complete relaxation; go slowly with a smile on your lips, with your heart open to an experience of peace.    … and invite them to get up from their seats, leave the room, and return to their seats in a spirit of mindful walking. The very first time I began a teaching session with a mindful walking exerci...