tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30116234.post780389501617862911..comments2023-04-02T05:53:11.429-05:00Comments on Buddhist [from] Nebraska: The Path Not Taken (?)Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17336284049302046478noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30116234.post-41728744184081647632009-11-05T19:55:09.793-06:002009-11-05T19:55:09.793-06:00PS. I usually don't follow my own advice. [smi...PS. I usually don't follow my own advice. [smile] ... JimTeacher Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13484073447443357818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30116234.post-6974972620890844612009-11-05T19:45:41.710-06:002009-11-05T19:45:41.710-06:00I think you said something very smart there. It&#...I think you said something very smart there. It's very likely that I'm spending so much time planning this whole PhD path simply as something to distract myself from the constant monotony of thesisizing. I think I do need to put it down for a bit and pay attention to where I am.<br /><br />Thanks!Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17336284049302046478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30116234.post-41180495072547333942009-11-05T19:36:46.343-06:002009-11-05T19:36:46.343-06:00Maybe your head has been spending too much time in...Maybe your head has been spending too much time in the future. Your plan, your goals, it's only a direction. Nothing more. It's not real, it hasn't happened and much can happen between now and then, can't it. Ask, are you chasing something or running away from something? Moving in a direction with your feet firmly planted in the present should be the answer.<br /><br />'Now' is important. Your classes, your teachers, your friends, your favorite coffee shop, the trees your walk past, the bicycle that puts wind in your hair, the music playing through your ears, the people and things that come into your universe right now, this very instant.<br /><br />In the end, it's not the sum total of your accomplishments that define a human life, but how you lived, whether you had many or very few 'I did that' moments. Degrees, awards, jobs, licenses are really meaningless in the big scheme of things. They are just things, useful tools at times, but things just the same. Get too attached to them and they use you instead.<br /><br />Maybe it's time to sit a bit more and contemplate your navel lint. [laugh] No, really, your meditation practice might be the best medicine - it's not always pleasant - but medicine never is. [smile] Sit, sit, sit.Teacher Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13484073447443357818noreply@blogger.com