Search results for: "Mindfulness"

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  2. Mindfulness of Death
     … This is why it’s good to memorize passages in Pali, passages in Pali and English, so that you have some skillful thoughts sloshing around in the mind. After all, as death comes, the mind can latch on to all kinds of things, and if you’ve been impregnating your mind with good Dhamma, then that can have an influence on you at times … 
  3. Safety in Awareness
     … There’s something here in the mind that really is reliable, something you can touch in the mind that’s reliable. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we put so much effort in the practice, because there are so many things out there in the world and so many other things in our own minds that seem promising and then let … 
  4. Objectivity
    Some people make a big deal out of the fact the mind is never totally objective, never totally neutral. From that they claim that since there’s no objectivity, everybody is entitled to his or her subjective opinion. Everyone’s entitled to do what they want, to define happiness as they want, and to search for happiness in any way they want, because, as … 
  5. The Walls of Ignorance
     … So we need to learn how to take down these walls and divisions through our relentless honesty, relentless mindfulness, relentless alertness. The compartments of the mind that would allow us to do unskillful things — which would mean that we can’t trust ourselves — get torn down. The mind that’s truly one is the mind that can trust itself totally. There are no hidden … 
  6. Shelter
     … You have to be willing to take time, with a sense of confidence that this project we’re working on right here—getting the mind to settle down, getting a good place for the mind to stay—is going to take time because the mind is a very complex phenomenon. Part of it is willing to settle down and another part is not. This … 
  7. Happy to Be Here
     … Often we think that only after we get the mind in concentration will it be in a good mood, but that’s not the case. When the Buddha talked about it, he said that you start out with a sense of joy, a sense of gladness, and that provides a place where the mind can settle down. You want to be happy to be … 
  8. Working with Nature
     … As Ajaan Lee points out, when you’re trying to get the mind into concentration, directed thought, evaluation, and singleness of preoccupation are the causes. You keep directing your thoughts to the breath and evaluating it to make it a good place to stay. All of this may involve some activity. You want to get the mind still, but to get it still, you … 
  9. Random Word Generators
     … We’re learning how to be a good editor, for one thing, to decide which of our comments, say, on our mind, or on our breath, or on our ability to keep the mind with the breath are actually helpful; which ones are not. And this applies to all our activities. The mind has a habit of learning how to say unhelpful things, and … 
  10. Boxed Stories
     … body, feelings, mind, mental qualities. They’re all connected to the breath because after all, they’re all right here. When you’re with the breath, the fact that you’re attentive to the breath and alert to the breath creates a feeling of pleasure. When you’re with the breath, you’re mindful. The mind is getting a little bit more steady. That … 
  11. Capable
     … Our desire right now is to get the mind to settle down. So what can you do to get the mind to settle down? The Buddha gives his instructions in his description of right mindfulness. You keep focused on the body in and of itself—ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. So you stay with the … 
  12. Getting Yourself
     … When he found the right path, when he was practicing deep concentration getting the mind into the various levels of jhana and gaining the different insights that came from that concentration, whatever pleasure arose in his mind, he didn’t let that overcome his mind, either. He was closely keeping watch on his mind, and only when he’d straightened out his mind did … 
  13. Dhamma Survivalism
     … As the Buddha said, there’s nothing as quick to change as the mind, and it can change into all sorts of things. That applies to your mind—and to everybody else’s minds, too. They’re just as changeable as you are. When you’re in relationship, the changes don’t get added. They get multiplied. So ultimate security is not in relationships … 
  14. Perspectives & Priorities
     … All too often, we hear mindfulness practices described as putting aside your inner critic and just accepting everything. But look at what the Buddha says concerning the qualities of mindfulness: Mindfulness itself is the ability to keep something in mind—and you don’t just keep it in mind as a decoration of the mind. It’s supposed to inform your actions. You’re … 
  15. The Path of Questions
    The Path of Questions July, 2001 Let the mind settle down comfortably on the breath. Don’t push it too hard and don’t let it float away. Try to find just the right amount of pressure for staying with the breath. Let there be just that one question in the mind right now: how heavily to focus on the breath. Other questions you … 
  16. Rites of Passage
     … What kind of mind state do they come from, what kind of mind state do they encourage? Are those the kind of mind states you want to identify with? This is essentially how the Buddha’s teaching on not-self works: seeing the things that have control over our lives, that have power over our minds, and in the course of the meditation stepping … 
  17. Goodwill Without Limits
     … After all, this, too, is a kind of mindfulness. It doesn’t come under the four establishings of mindfulness but it’s an important form of mindfulness to inform the entirety of your practice. You want the entire heart and the entire mind to gain freedom, so both sides of the *citta *have to be trained. Of course, there’s not just goodwill in … 
  18. Respect for the Breath
     … Always try to be mindful, always try to be alert. “Mindful” here means that you always keep the breath in mind. It might help to think of the idea the whole body is breathing. Because “breath” means not only the process of breathing, but also the energy flow in the body. It’s through the energy flow that you actually sense your body. Sometimes … 
  19. Three More Recollections
    There are times when you make up your mind to stay with the breath and it’s easy. The breath is right there. You think of making it long, it goes long. You think of making it short, it goes short. You can adjust it and think of the comfortable breath sensations spreading throughout the body. You find it pleasant. You find it interesting … 
  20. Battling Darkness
    Battling Darkness August 6, 2005 One of the standard analogies for meditation is that you’re going into battle with all the habits of the mind that create suffering. They’re called defilements because they darken the mind. As the Buddha once said, the mind is luminous, but these defilements come creeping in. If the mind didn’t have some luminosity, you wouldn’t … 
  21. A Timeless Foundation
     … While you have your eyes closed, while you’re meditating, you want to get the mind as quiet as possible. Have as few disturbances inside as possible. One of the ways of doing that is to take an interest in the breath. If it’s just in-out, in-out, pretty soon the mind goes out and doesn’t come back in. Try to … 
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