Skillful Thoughts
Sometimes, a comment or thought can help more than a specific question. Check back regularly to see what’s on the SkillfulDoc’s mind…
Sometimes, a comment or thought can help more than a specific question. Check back regularly to see what’s on the SkillfulDoc’s mind…
skillfuldoc said,
November 5, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
Is there anyone alive who has not, at one time or another, dreamed of being rich? We dream of money and the happiness it will bring.
Some equate money with security; others believe that it gives freedom. Money is a common way that people assess their progress.
We use money to repay debts and reward those who have helped us. While money is used to buy favors, freedom and privilege, more commonly, money is used as a substitute for love and affection. Along these lines, withholding money is similar to holding back praise and affection.
Financial anxiety breeds envy and causes us to worry that we are too dependent on others. Some use money for society’s betterment; still, others use it as a way to oppress, plunder and spread misery.
Desite its many uses, money is just a means to an end yet we have imbued money with additional powers. For this reason we risk losing our minds over it.
skillfuldoc said,
November 10, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
On positive flow and achieving an optimal state of awareness:
Many people believe that complete immersion in an experience—reading, studying, playing chess, singing or dancing—reflects the ideal flow state. And while this is flow on one level, there is something even more significant to achieve.
As we have seen from the example of a mighty river, there are times when water does not really flow at all. It pools, washes up along rocks, gets diverted, and dries up. Still, a river, like all nature, can be healthy despite periods when its flow is not that obvious. So, is effortless effort, which many people describe as a highlight of their life, and religious leaders call “ecstasy,” an ideal state? Perhaps, effortless effort is possible but since it is not sustainable it is not skillful to pursue it as a goal in and of itself.
skillfuldoc said,
December 1, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
To live in resonance and harmony with all living things by definition includes periods of suffering. Death and life are merely two aspects of reality, the transformation from being to non-being. They are not antagonistic but rather complementary elements. In many respects, our temporal life is an illusion. Death, on the other hand, is an awakening. Therefore, it should be not feared. Admittedly, this is a difficult concept to embrace, particularly for those of us living in the west. However, this can be accomplished in such a way that we no longer fear death, and are better prepared for it and all of life’s challenges.