“In fact, shifting from conditional, externally based self-esteem to unconditional, internally experienced self-esteem is primarily about letting go. As you let go of your resistance to the way things are, you relinquish unrealistic expectations that you can never meet and false interpretations that can never bring you ease” (Marotta, 2013,…
These seven qualities offer an effective framework for cultivating the mind, overcoming the hindrances, and balancing the energetic and calming forces that develop in meditation. When cultivated and balanced, the mind is ripe for awakening. This series will explore each factor to reveal its importance, function, and role in the…
Over the last 30+ years we have been obsessed with trying to raise self-esteem, and for the most part these attempts have failed. In part, this “problem with self-esteem” is driven from a Western perspective which tends to view ourselves as defective or “in need of improvement.” We take on…
Dissatisfaction, Impermanence, and No Self. Reality speaks. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: According to the Buddha, our resistance to the three truths of reality causes mental suffering. We believe life should be…
Looking up, the stars. Universal messengers. Tell us who we are. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: When looking up at the multitude of stars in the night sky it’s not uncommon to…
Fragrant wood shavings. Here today. Gone tomorrow. Sacred essences. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: When we find ourselves struggling with what life is giving us or not giving us, it often feels…
Life under burnt wood. All that’s hidden is not lost. The phoenix rises. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: What’s gone, is not necessarily forgotten. What’s forgotten, is not necessarily gone. We are…
Master mask maker. Artisan of the sacred. Breathe life into it. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: Thich Nhat Hahn has a saying: “Walk as if you’re kissing the earth.” He advises us…
Keepers of lost time. In the recesses of mind. Whispers in the dark. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: We are too often caught up in self-importance and a false delusion of permanence,…
Forgot the blinker? Driven by distraction mind? Forego assumptions. -Janetti Marotta This post is part of my Haiku series. If you haven’t already, please read my “Introduction to Haiku” post. Short practice: Too often do we make foregone conclusions, erroneous assumptions that lead to thinking the worse rather than giving…
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