Bodhi Mind Reflection

What is Contentment?

Cara Bermen (Chuan Rui 傳瑞)

When I was younger I thought contentment meant boring, and would seek out situations and relationships that were exciting and unpredictable. Ultimately these situations would end, and I would wonder why the happiness that brought was only fleeting. I couldn’t see that I was creating drama to distract myself from truly knowing myself. In my Mid-twenties I started meditating, and it occurred to me that contentment wasn’t a bad thing, that perhaps it was a more essential way to be in the world. I began paying attention to situations and people who generated contentment in me. I don’t pretend that it was an overnight change in my desires or perception, but it did allow me to trust that contentment was the true path to happiness.

I find that meditation helps me to recognize and dwell in contentment more easily, and not be distracted by emotional highs and lows. I’m more able to notice and label these emotions as just thinking, take a deep breath, and avoid speaking or acting rashly. In turn, I spend less time regretting rash actions!

 

菩提心旅

什麼是知足?

Cara Bermen (Chuan Rui 傳瑞)

當我年輕時,我認為知足代表無趣,甚至會刻意向外尋求刺激與驚喜。但最終  這些光景都會結束,使我不禁懷疑為什麼它們帶來的快樂總是稍縱即逝。我看不到自己的所作所為都是在阻擾自己認識真實的自我。在二十幾歲時我開始靜坐,它使我發現知足並非壞事,甚至還可能是不可或缺的生活態度。我開始留心使我感到知足的人和事。這絕不是我一夜之間的改變,但它真的讓我相信知足是通向快樂的真實途徑。

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