The best advice I never got

Be quiet. Stop ruminating.

What I think

If all I know is what I think, I don’t know very much.

Polishing the mirror

The estimable Nisargadatta Maharaj baldly asserted that ‘I am’ is the only true statement anyone can make. These two words, consciously returned to, work on the mind like a Zamboni on an ice rink, sweeping and smoothing, leaving it mirror-clear and undistorted. Feeling follows.

Cacophony

To cultivate a quiet mind, continuously observe the babble of thought in the head. Notice the repetition and negativity. See how the aim of these thoughts is to trigger an emotional response, how they parade their own importance. Dispassionate attention slows the mind. The space between thoughts expands.

A taste of honey

I can read about honey until the bovines are back but until I put it on my tongue, I remain a well-informed idiot on honey. What I know is not what I think.