Present Moment Human Development Services

In Buddhist psychology, the instructions for thought transformation are very explicit. The Buddha instructs his followers, Like a skilled carpenter who removes... a coarse peg by knocking it out with a fine one, so a person removes a pain-producing thought by substituting a beautiful one. The carpenter’s peg is a practical description of how we can remove unhealthy thought patterns such as self-judgment, worry and anxiety by thought substitution. What is required is the selection of a helpful substitute and repeated practice. Repetition is key. Repetition, compassion, and the belief that the painful cycles of thought can be transformed all have a part in developing new patterns of thought. The most common replacement thoughts are variations on the practices of loving-kindness and compassion. When a repeated negative thought arises, one of worry and anxiety, of self-criticism or depression, first study it. When does it arise? How often? What is its tone of voice? Does it appear as words or have images too? What story does it want you to believe? How painful is it to hear it over and over? Now that you see it clearly, you can say to the thought, Thank you for trying to protect me, but I’m OK now. http://ow.ly/KFD730lGseR See more

We can fall in love anytime we’re fully present. Through staying open in love and expressing our love in action, we can transform ourselves into something great...er than ego. Never has our meditation practice been more needed to stay in love and trust the ultimate goodness of humanity. http://ow.ly/ZMED30pmP7E See more

The Buddha encouraged his community to meditate in the forest at the foot of a tree, beginning a long tradition of reverence for nature in Buddhism. Spending ti...me in nature, we can sense the intimate connection between the natural world and our own nature. There’s a circuitry between the health of the environment and our own mental and physical health. Even along city streets we notice the power of nature blades of grass poking through asphalt, tree roots heaving up concrete slabs of sidewalk. Stay, linger in the yard or in the park or on the beach at dusk as the day fades. Revel in the stillness of being in nature. #mindfulness #meditation#nature #trudygoodman Image: @francoiscasanova See more