Search results for: "Mindfulness"

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  2. Anchored in the Present
    There are four frames of reference for establishing mindfulness: the body in and of itself, feelings in and of themselves, the mind in and of itself, and mental qualities or mental events in and of themselves. They’re not very far apart from one another. In fact, when the Buddha talks about the best way to develop all four of them, he says to … 
  3. A Mind Like Earth
     … He said, “Make your mind like earth.” People throw disgusting things on the earth, but the earth doesn’t shrink away. “Make your mind like water.” People use water to wash disgusting things away, but the water doesn’t get disgusted. “Make your mind like fire.” Fire burns garbage, but it doesn’t get disgusted by the garbage. “Make you mind like wind.” Wind … 
  4. The Wisdom of Ardency
    The standard formula for mindfulness is that you keep track of the body in and of itself—ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. You do the same with feelings in and of themselves, mind-states in and of themselves, and mental qualities in and of themselves. There’s a large sutta devoted to explaining part of … 
  5. Breath Meditation: Four Sets of Tools
     … You notice things about the mind you didn’t notice before. And working at the breath is the ideal task to pursue so you can actually see the mind in action. So once you get the mind right here, just stay right here: mindful, alert, ardent. And the things you need to know to unburden the mind will reveal themselves as you keep at … 
  6. Don’t Believe Everything You Think
     … The breath is basically a physical phenomenon, but it’s very close to the mind and it’s your mind’s anchor in the present moment. When you’re with the breath, you know you’re in the present. When you’re with the breath, you can watch the thoughts coming into the mind and not get sucked into them—unless, of course, you … 
  7. Respect for Concentration
     … This is an important principle to keep in mind because all too often the stillness of our minds is something we step on. An idea pops into our heads and we go running after it. We leave our home base very quickly and then find it hard to get back. We’ve got to learn how to make concentration our normal state of mind … 
  8. To Discern Suffering
     … Mindfulness is keeping something in mind. Here it’s keeping in mind the fact that you want to understand the pain—and it’s not so much the physical pain of course, but the pain in the mind, the tension, the stress, the constant pressure that you’re putting on yourself one way or another. Here again, you run into that attitude, “If I … 
  9. The Value of Concentration
     … As soon as the thought comes into the mind, you’re right there. The hard part is in staying there, and for that you need to have a strong sense of how valuable it is to have a peace of mind, to have the mind centered in one place. You need to be very protective of what you’ve got. In the beginning it … 
  10. Choices
     … The Buddha says you should be mindful, alert, ardent. In other words, keep the breath in mind: That’s mindfulness. Then be alert: Watch what you’re doing as you’re staying with the breath. This means both watching how you’re breathing, and also watching how the mind relates to the breath. If you see anything wrong—in other words, your mindfulness is … 
  11. Choices Now & at Death
     … Aim your mind there. Now, this will depend on what that person’s belief systems are. When people are dying, you don’t want to impose something new on them, as long as they do believe that the mind will survive death. What’s important is that where the mind is holding on will create a state of mind that will either be lifted … 
  12. The Good Fight
     … In the same way, the mind has to be fed. This is why try to create a sense of well-being through the concentration. We’re taming our hunger, sensitizing ourselves to a higher aspiration than just to go around feeding off things outside. You can feed the mind with pleasure. You can feed the mind with rapture. Simply sitting here breathing, you can … 
  13. Complexities of Karma
     … This is why we develop mindfulness, so that we can remember what’s good, what’s right and what’s wrong, and hold that in mind and not let our emotions or our moods push that knowledge away. Remember, mindfulness means keeping something in mind. And you want to keep in mind the fact that your intentions are important, your actions will shape your … 
  14. A Concentration Checklist
     … In other words, the mind settles down and suddenly you realize, “Hey! The mind has settled down.” The mind hasn’t been talking to itself for a while, you realize, “Wow! The mind hasn’t been talking.” And that’s the end of it. This is where you have to take a very matter-of-fact attitude toward whatever comes up. You can’t … 
  15. Descartes’ Error
     … How do you go from being aware to forming thoughts? What are the steps in that process? You can’t see them unless you make the mind really still, unless you raise that question in your mind and turn your attention to making the mind still. So this is the proper role of thinking: directing your attention to important issues that are needed to … 
  16. The Perception of Space
     … reflections or perceptions to keep in mind as you get the mind in shape to be with the breath. These reflections and perceptions can be useful in all kinds of situations. One of the perceptions he taught to Rahula was make your mind like space. Nothing can be written on space. This is an image that keeps reappearing throughout the Canon. When the Buddha … 
  17. The Practice is Wherever There’s Mindfulness
     … In fact, that’s what mindfulness is: directed awareness. Mindfulness is keeping something in mind. Like right now as you’re meditating, you’re keeping the breath in mind. You’re keeping your meditation word in mind—if you’re using a meditation word—remembering not to wander off; remembering also, if you wander off, to come back. You can also remember what ways … 
  18. Beginner's Mind, Expert's Mind
  19. The Taste Is Release
     … When the mind is nurtured by discernment, it gains release from what are call the effluents, qualities that flow out of the mind, bubble up in the mind, and create a flood that can often sweep us away: sensuality, becoming, ignorance. Those are the four noble dhammas: virtue, concentration, discernment, release. In other words, the instructions remind us that the whole point of this … 
  20. Inquisitive
     … How does the mind relate to the body, how does the body relate to the mind? And how can you understand that relationship in a way that you can make the most use of it? You see that the mind and the body meet at the breath. So as you get to know the relationship between the mind and the breath, that spreads out … 
  21. The Interactive Present
     … Then you can start applying the same principle to positive mind states, the ones that you’re trying to develop. If you’re conscious of the part of the mind that doesn’t want to stay with the breath, try to find the part of the mind that does, that really appreciates having a chance to settle down and let go of its burdens … 
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