Breeze

https://youtu.be/LHQ00JZ4q0o

"I went into the barbershop as usual, with the pleasant sensation of entering a familiar place, easily and naturally. new things are distressing to my sensibility; I'm at ease only in places where I've already been.

after I'd sat down in the chair, i happened to ask a young barber, occupied in fastening a clean cool cloth around my neck, about his older colleague from the chair to the right, a spry fellow who had been sick. i didn't ask this because i felt obliged to ask something; it was the place and my memory that sparked the question, 'he passed away yesterday,' flatly answered the barber's voice behind me. The whole of my irrational good mood abruptly died, like the eternally missing barber from the adjacent chair. A chill swept over all my thoughts. I said nothing.

Nostalgia! I even feel it for people and things that were nothing to me... Faces I habitually see on my habitual streets -if I stop seeing them I become sad. And they were nothing to me, except perhaps the symbol of all of life..."

Walking has inspired all sorts of creativity, "The moment

my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow,"

said Henry David Thoreau. William Wordsworth's

poem "Tintern Abbey" was written during a long

walk, as well. "Only thoughts reached by walking

have value," was how Friedrich Nietzsche put it.

But why does walking have this effect? The answer,

as you might have guessed, lies in your brain.

Your brain has two modes: an active mode and a de-

fault mode. When your brain is in active mode, it's

vital for keeping your brain in order and your

thinking sharp.

Evidence suggests that creativity occurs when

these two modes of thinking occur

simultaneously. And walking is a great way to encourage the brain to do exactly that. Walking - or

more specifically, spatial navigation - stimulates

the part of the brain around the hippocampus,

which is also the part of the brain that's active in

memory.

Walking might not help with uncreative problems

like mathematical calculations. But for creative

problem-solving, like coming up with a novel

mathematical formula, walking can help greatly.

The author calls it active idleness - letting your mind

wander freely, yet still retaining a sense

focus. You've probably heard people say you should "sleep

on" a difficult question - but why not also try

"walking on" it? Next time you have a challenging

problem to solve at work, give it a go.

When you through a pebble into a puddle of water, how does the water react? The answer, completely appropriately to the mass of the pebble and the force with which it was thrown. The water doesn't over or under react, but when we encounter stressful events in life we often let them control us by provoking a reaction that is disproportionate to what is required. For instance, if you're already buried under a mountain of tasks and then an email comes in adding one more thing, you might feel overwhelmed and respond brusquely, but wouldn't be great if you had a state of mind like water? Not over or under reacting to the email or any other events you encounter, but always just respond appropriately?

...

Watch this episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/9lt6vNqf6o8

How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk

This summary was prepared by Blinkist.

Blinkist is an app for non-fiction books.

To download it:

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“Children, eating the tangerine in mindfulness means that while eating the tangerine you are truly in touch with it. Your mind is not chasing after thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow, but is dwelling fully in the present moment. The tangerine is truly present. Living in mindful awareness means to live in the present moment, your mind and body dwelling in the very here and now.

“A person who practices mindfulness can see things in the tangerine that others are unable to see. An aware person can see the tangerine tree, the tangerine blossom in the spring, the sunlight and rain which nourished the tangerine. Looking deeply, one can see ten thousand things which have made the tangerine possible. Looking at a tangerine, a person who practices awareness can see all the wonders of the universe and how all things interact with one another. Children, our daily life is just like a tangerine. Just as a tangerine is comprised of sections, each day is comprised of twenty-four hours. One hour is like one section of tangerine. Living all twenty-four hours of a day is like eating all the sections of a tangerine. The path I have found is the path of living each hour of the day in awareness, mind and body always dwelling in the present moment. The opposite is to live in forgetfulness. If we live in forgetfulness, we do not know that we are alive. We do not fully experience life because our mind and body are not dwelling in the here and now.”

Gautama looked at Sujata and said her name. “Yes, Teacher?” Sujata joined her palms. “Do you a think a person who lives in awareness will make many errors or few?”

“Respected Teacher, a person who lives in awareness will make few errors. My mother always tells me that a girl should pay attention to how she walks, stands, speaks, laughs, and works, in order to avoid thoughts, words, and actions that might cause sorrow to herself or others.”

“Just so, Sujata. A person who lives in awareness knows what she is thinking, saying, and doing. Such a person can avoid thoughts, words, and actions that cause suffering for herself and others.

“Children, living in awareness means to live in the present moment. One is aware of what is taking place within one’s self and in one’s surroundings. One is in direct contact with life. If one continues to live in such a way, one will be able to deeply understand one’s self and one’s surroundings. Understanding leads to tolerance and love. When all beings understand one another, they will accept and love one another. Then there will not be much suffering in the world. What do you think, Svasti? Can people love if they are unable to understand?”

“Respected Teacher, without understanding love is most difficult. It reminds me of something that happened to my sister Bhima. One night she cried all night long until my sister Bala lost her patience and spanked Bhima. That only made Bhima cry more. I picked Bhima up and sensed that she was feverish. I was sure her head ached from the fever. I called Bala and told her to place her hand on Bhima’s forehead. When she did that she understood at once why Bhima was crying. Her eyes softened and she took Bhima into her arms and sang to her with love. Bhima stopped crying even though she still had a fever. Respected Teacher, I think that was because Bala understood why Bhima was upset. And so I think that without understanding, love is not possible.”

“Just so, Svasti! Love is possible only when there is understanding. And only with love can there be acceptance. Practice living in awareness, children, and you will deepen your understanding. You will be able to understand yourselves, other people, and all things. And you will have hearts of love. That is the wonderful path I have discovered.”