Dear Friends,
From Shantideva, an eighth-century Buddhist master:
There’s nothing that does not grow light
Through habit and familiarity.
Putting up with little cares
I’ll train myself to bear with great adversity.
In chapter 5 of True Refuge, Tara Brach suggests a way of dealing with these “little cares” through a process she calls “light RAIN” – a way you can practice this during the day, in just a minute or two.
Briefly, the steps are:
- Recognize emotional reactivity
- Pause by taking three full breaths, and Allow your inner experience to be as it is
- Investigate with kindness whatever feelings are most predominant
- Resume activity, and notice if there is more Natural presence
You can read a summary of the practice here:
https://www.nicabm.com/finding-true-refuge-with-tara-brach/
The light RAIN practice gives us opportunities to work with the little cares in the day, and then, as Shantideva suggests, we’ll be better prepared to bear greater challenges.
With best wishes,
Andrea G