The Seeds of Love: Growing Mindful Relationships

by Jerry Braza, Ph.D.

“That which we nurture in ourselves is that which we become.”

The Gardener:Seeing…

Beginner’s Mind: “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities.”

Unconditional Acceptance: “Imagine how it feels to know that you have people in your life who love and accept you unconditionally, without judgment.”

Faith: “Those who do not have faith in others will not be able to stand on their own.”

Patience: “Real patience requires a gentle willingness to let life unfold at its own pace.”

The Gardener:Renewing

Stopping: “In our consciousness there are wounds also, lots of pains. Our consciousness needs to rest in order to restore itself.”

Space: “The space between the notes makes a beautiful life.”

Silence: “Silence means we’re not disturbed inside, there is no talking inside.”

The Gardener:Being

Stopping: “In stopping, we let go of the past and the future and we dwell in the present moment.”

Calming: “One of the most powerful thing we can do to strengthen the muscles of our attention and mindfulness is to return to what we are doing over and over again throughout the day.”

Looking Deeply: “By using mindfulness you will discover ways to look deeply at the seeds that need tending.”

The Garden

Gardening Guidelines

Create aeration between mind and store consciousness

Embrace all seedsWater the seeds of loveWeed out and transform negative seedsLearn how to selectively water

Aeration between mind and store consciousness Embrace all seeds Water the seeds of love Weed out and transform negative seeds Learn how to selectively water

Loving-kindness

“My aspiration is to water the seed of loving-kindness in order to create understanding so that I can bring joy and happiness to my beloved and all beings.” —Thich Nhat Hanh

Compassion

“In the face of suffering, no one has the right to turn away, not to see.” --Elie Wiesel

Joy

“Works of love are always works of joy.” —Mother Teresa

Equanimity

“The word equanimity; Latin roots meaning “even” and “mind.” With equanimity, what passes through your mind is held with spaciousness so you stay even-keeled and are not thrown off balance. The ancient circuitry of the brain is continually driving you to react one way or another–and equanimity is your circuit breaker.” -Rick Hanson

Deep Listening

“24/7 connectivity, we often get so busy tending our social networks that we miss the most precious connections that are right in front of us—connections with ourselves and others.

– Jon Kabat-ZinnAvoid a different kind of “roaming charge”—the emotional or psychic cost connected with the distraction and expectation associated with our phones.

Loving Speech

“Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truth fully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh

Gratitude

“Thank you for everything. I have no complaints.”

—words of a Buddhist nun

“To generate gratitude, we start by acknowledging that our lives are made possible by the lives of many who sacrificed so we could be here today.”

Generosity

“Charity is being moved to give. Generosity is being moved to change. With charity, the transaction is giver to receiver. The relationships in generosity are interactive and more mutually expansive. Charity is most often a reaction or responsibility based on sympathy, while generosity is also an anticipation or imagination sparked by empathy.”

Fear

“Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasures.”

—Rainer Maria Rilke

Anger

“ It’s not healthy to keep your anger inside for long. I always advise my friends, ‘Do not keep your anger to yourself for more than one day.’”

—Thich Nhat Hanh

Jealousy

“The seed of jealousy, more than any other, puts us face-to-face with our attachments as we turn our attention to all that we are “missing” in life, and respond or react to them with discontentment and resentment.”

Doubt

“If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they’d immediately go out.”

—William Blake

Gardening Guidelines

Create aeration between mind and store consciousness

Embrace all seedsWater the seeds of loveWeed out and transform negative seedsLearn how to selectively water

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In gratitude for the illustrations created by Linda Mc Gill