Katehttp://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...ilies/good.gif

That has been and is my biggest stumbling block. I don't want to sound self-pitying but I have a lot of self-worthiness issues, but I am working on them. My practise has brought these things to the fore and I've had difficulty accepting them. I do believe that I will eventually though http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...ilies/grin.gif

Re #30

Thank you for your good wishes to everyone, Kate. Lovely to see you joining in with some reflections in the beginners forum.

Kind wishes,

http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...lies/hands.gif
Aloka

Thanks Aloka. It's a pleasure to be here.

Kate http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...lies/hands.gif

blueartist7
Good to have you on board http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...ilies/grin.gif

The teacher at my Samatha meditation class advised me to practice mindfulness all the time in my daily life.

I was painting a door frame containing 15 glass panes, and I didn't want to be doing it. I noticed my attention was on what I would be doing next, what I would be doing when the painting was finished, some time in the future.

Noticing this, I consciously brought my attention back to the paintbrush and to the flow of paint from the bristles on to the door. Within a short time I found it gave me a feeling of joy to see the paint flowing and I lost sense of the passing of time in a task that I didn't care for. It transformed into something that was worth doing well, and it filled my attention completely.

Now, I'm looking for ways of bringing that attention to everything I do. Not everything is as simple as the painting task. I find the jobs that require more intellectual effort are harder to approach in a mindful way.

Still, I now know what I'm aiming for.

I think we can spend a lot of time either dwelling on past events or conjuring up what the future ones will be.
The present moment is often overlooked.

Yes, the mind can be very subtle and convoluted. I often become aware of the thought: "I haven't thought anything atall for a while....oh, that's good - doh!" http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...ilies/grin.gif

Spiny