Welcome
This is the kitchen where we talk about food, life, and recovery—a spiritual path to healing and peace.

Invitation
You are invited to keep coming back to A Cup of Kindness to share your experience, strength and hope; fears, doubts and insecurities; and to pick up information, inspiration … and have a little fun!

My story
In January 2007, at the age of 51, I joined a 12-step program and began my recovery from food addiction, losing 75 pounds in the process. Read more…

In January 2011, at the age of 55, I began my recovery from a multi-trauma accident, 36 fractures, damaged lungs, and post traumatic stress. Read more…

I am deeply grateful for all the kindnesses, large and small, offered to me in recovery. Here I am... alive… still making progress … still not perfect … finding a new way forward in a growing community of women and men who share a lot in common around food and life.

I hope you'll join me in this kitchen and let me know what's cooking with you.

Subscribe
A Cup of Kindness

Meditate
Open Heart Project

Play
Pinterest

Taking refuge

connect

 

Susan Piver’s Open Heart Project  (OHP) is powerful sustenance for my daily Quiet Time. It was introduced to me by a July 2012 blog post from Seth Godin. I highly recommend OHP. It provides a beautiful, real, human teacher; clear, concise teaching; and a good fellowship of fellow practitioners. (I’m in the Member Spotlight today!)

There’s a Basic Level that’s free and a Practitioner Level that is $180 per year.

The free stuff includes two emails per week from Susan. Each email contains a 10-minute meditation video plus a second video with a “dharma talk,” insights or suggestions about how to stabilize your practice.

I had been using the free 10-minute guided meditations as an intro to my Quiet Time and receiving great benefits. Then, last month I could no longer resist joining as a practitioner. Now I am delighted to be in an exchange of spiritual currency with such a superb teacher.

Here is something to contemplate from Susan’s teacher, Sakyong Mipham. For me, it speaks to the choices I must make throughout each day — choices of what to eat, what to think, what to say… any choice that raises the slightest doubt in my mind. My question to myself today as I make each choice is, “Will my choice bring fear, doubt and insecurity or serenity, confidence and peace?”

“The confidence of the tiger is contentment. Contentment comes from discernment, the virtue of touching our feet to the earth of every moment. As we slow down and consider our thoughts, words, and actions with the question, “Will this bring happiness or pain?”, we become like tigers who carefully observe the landscape before pouncing. In looking at what to cultivate and what to discard, we are remembering our precious human life and deciding to use it well.”

Excerpted from the book : Ruling Your World by Sakyong Mipham.

Thank you to the Triple Gem –  Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha. I take refuge in the best nature in all beings (Buddha); the great, universal, spiritual teachings (Dhamma); and my beloved community of fellow practitioners (Sangha).

Love & Light,

Valerie

6 Comments to Taking refuge

  1. Myra TAte's Gravatar Myra TAte
    January 9, 2013 at 12:27 pm | Permalink

    The clarity of your question is exactly what I need today. thank you, daughter.

  2. Sandra's Gravatar Sandra
    January 9, 2013 at 1:26 pm | Permalink

    I recently recommitted to a daily medication practice. It makes such a difference when I start my day this way.
    May all beings be happy.
    May all beings be at peace.
    May all beings be free from suffering.
    May all beings be free from pain.

  3. Sissy's Gravatar Sissy
    January 9, 2013 at 8:05 pm | Permalink

    This is interesting to think about.

    Sometimes I have to make choices that are scary and I’m unsure about my decision. This is especially true in my work these days. There is a lot to be done and people are looking to me for help and the final say. I have to make the effort to move us forward. It isn’t often peaceful or comfortable. It is rare that I am doubt-free.

    And yes- the goal is happiness instead of pain. Right vs. wrong. Keeping and cultivating what is working and letting go of what isn’t. I guess the serenity part is that I am doing my best to do the right thing. And it feels good to make a difference-even if there may be some occasional missteps.

  1. By on January 30, 2013 at 3:48 pm

Leave a Reply to Sandra

You can use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>