I am looking out of the window of my study. It is twilight and some cosmos that self-seeded this year is waving gently in the breeze. It is very peaceful here, despite the fact one of the busiest roads in Australia is at the end of my street. Lane Cove National Park is at the other end.
Today I meditated in the garden. As usual my thoughts scattered in all directions and I had to reel my concentration back time and time again, but by the end of half an hour I felt serene and just sat, looking at a cloud passing and listening to the lorikeets. On the way home from visiting a sick friend last night, T suggested I need not read Buddhist literature, rather, I should simply live life thoughtfully, think of others and do something for someone every day. 'Simple'. He said. I do question Buddhism and see that one can easily stray into narcissistic introspection if one is not careful. The reason I started meditating was as a preventative strategy for depression. The concept of mindfulness, of being aware of what one is doing all the time and awareness of the moment is a practical skill that is bound to assist in decreasing the tendency to ruminate, which occurs when depressed. The capacity for gloomy reflection is lessened if one does not place the mind elsewhere when brushing one's teeth or eating or cooking....
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