“One renowned Tibetan Hermit limited his practice to watching his mind. He drew one black mark on the wall of his room whenever he had an unvirtuous thought. Initially his walls were all black; however, as he became more mindful his thoughts became more virtuous and white marks began to replace the black ones.”
“Anger, hatred, and desire” are damaging and destructive emotions.
“It is difficult to hold back from anger when provoked unless we have trained our mind to first recollect the unpleasant effects such thoughts will cause us. It is therefore essential that we begin our training in patience calmly, not while experiencing anger. We must recall in detail how, when angry, we lose our peace of mind, how we are unable to concentate on our work, and how unpleasant we become to those around us. It is by thinking long and hard in this manner [meditation] that we eventually become able to refrain from anger.”
By the Dahlai Lama written in An Open Heart, Little, Brown and Company 2001
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Dr Linda Shelton 