MARGINALIAN by MARIA POPOVA
“ Ask “What is this?,” then open yourself completely to what you “hear” in the silence that follows. Be open to this question in the same way as you would listen to a piece of music. Pay total attention to the polyphony of the birds and wind outside, the occasional plane that flies overhead, the patter of rain on a window. Listen carefully, and notice how listening is not just an opening of the mind but an opening of the heart, a vital concern or care for the world, the source of what we call compassion or love . To integrate contemplative practice into life requires more than becoming proficient in techniques of meditation . It entails the cultivation and refinement of a sensibility about the totality of your existence—from intimate moments of personal anguish to the endless suffering of the world. This sensibility encompasses a range of skills: mindfulness , curiosity, understanding, collectedness, compassion, equanimity , care. Each of these can be cultivated and refined in solit...
