Contemplation: Nonsectarian Sectarianism

After reviewing the guidelines for practice, take the following as your contemplation:

Many people think and say that everyone is supposed to be open, but though the doors of their mouths are open, the gates of their minds are tightly closed with their rusty, iron ego's latch.  This pseudo-nonsectarian attitude actually feeds ego.  Often these people only want to use Dharma ideas for building self-aggrandizing positions rather than for enlightenment.  Yet a sign of nonsectarianism is not holding any position of this or that.  Even though these people call themselves nonsectarian, they try to support their own position by intellectualizing their misunderstanding, institutionalizing their desires and beliefs, reducing sublime qualities to ordinary, marketable art, and using Dharma as capital.

Thinley Norbu, White Sail, p. 45-46 (highly recommended reading)

Contemplation: No hindrance in the mind

After reviewing the guidelines for the practice, take the following as your contemplation.

With no hindrance in the mind, no hindrance, therefore no fear;
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is nirvana.

from the Heart Sutra, as recited at Tendai Buddhist Institute

Contemplation: Right Here

 After reviewing the guidelines for practice, take the following as your contemplation:

Everything we want is right here in the present moment.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step, p. 42