“The unification of mind in śamatha is temporary and conditioned. However, the unification around Insight is far more profound, and it’s permanent. When temporary unification around a shared intention fades, each sub-mind operates as a separate entity, constrained by and at the mercy of the mind-system as a whole. Therefore, individual sub-minds strive to preserve their autonomy and, as much as possible, direct the resources of the mind-system toward their individual goals. Yet after Insight, the various sub-minds become unified around a shared Insight into impermanence, emptiness, suffering, no-Self, and interconnectedness. From this flow a corresponding set of shared values: harmlessness, compassion, and loving-kindness. Now each sub-mind operates as an independent part of a much greater whole, working for the good of that whole. This allows each sub-mind to do its job effectively, without running into fundamental conflicts with other sub-minds. When enough of the mind-system has undergone this transformation, we’re able to function as an individual person while simultaneously perceiving ourselves as part of an indivisible and inconceivably greater whole.” WholeCompassionInsightImpermanenceInterconnectednessLoving KindnessUnificationHarmlessnessMind SystemSub Mind Book:The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science Source: The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science
“The only thing that ever gets us through anything like this, and ever has whether it's war, hurricanes or typhoons, epidemics, or anything else - love. Everything comes down to love. Find all the love that you can. Express it. Feel it. Be it. In every possible way. If you have COVID, love the COVID. You may not understand why this had to happen - why this virus came into existence. You don't have too. Just trust that there's something much greater than you. You don't have to believe in a god as such to recognize that there's this huge unfolding taking place that we're all a part of. When you look at the history of it -- out of nothing but pure energy came galaxies, and suns, and planets. Planets that life could develop on. And life is developed - the whole totality of everything is moving in a particular direction. If you examine what is the most common underlying feature of all of that - it's going to come down to something as simple as love. When the first particles formed after the big bang, they fell in love with each other and electrons and protons joined together, and we had hydrogen atoms! And they were doing the dance of love. And the hydrogen atoms got together with oxygen atoms and you had water molecules, doing the dance of love. This has lead to absolutely everything else. Just find the love, and live in the space of love, die in the space of love. That is the one single thing that is the essence of absolutely everything. That's what fifty years of spiritual practice has taught me.” LoveGodMeditationBuddhismCoronavirusCovid Author:Culadasa (John Yates)