1.
Life is Suffering
By keeping the dark backdrop of life always in mind, we can sharpen our appreciation of whatever stands out against it.
2.
Benevolence
Compassion is a learnable skill – and we need to direct it as much towards those we love as those we are tempted to dismiss and detest.
3.
Guanyin
Guanyin is a saintly female figure in East Asian Buddhism associated with mercy, compassion and kindness. She understands that you are tired, that things aren’t easy: she has a measure of the difficulties involved in life.
4.
Not Making an Effort
Wu Wei is a (Chinese) term at the heart of the philosophy of Daoism. It means ‘not making an effort’, going with the flow, but it doesn’t in imply laziness. It suggests a surrender of the will based on a wise recognition of the need to accede to the demands of reality.
5.
Bamboo as Wisdom
‘Hold fast to the mountain, take root in a broken-up bluff, grow stronger after tribulations, and withstand the buffeting wind from all directions’.
6.
Kintsugi
In Zen aesthetics, the broken pieces of an accidentally-smashed pot should never just be tossed away, they should be carefully picked up and put back together. It’s not shameful to need repair; a mended bowl is a symbol of hope that we too can be put together again and still be loved despite our evident flaws.