Search results for: "Mindfulness"

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  2. For the Cessation of Dukkha
     … We get the mind quiet so that we can see the mind. The mind has so many things going on. It’s like a corporation: a big building with lots of people. And for the most part, as with any corporation, nobody really knows everything that’s going on in the corporation. So things that are important and things that are unimportant all get … 
  3. From Dependence to Independence
     … the ability to be mindful, to be alert, to be resolute in what we do. Now, there’s a large part of the mind that would rather not make the effort, would like to dismiss the whole thing. But you can ask yourself: “What kind of part of the mind is that? Where will it lead you?”* *As long as we’re human beings … 
  4. This Fathom-Long Body
     … how the mind relates to the body. All the unskillful things the mind does around its experience, it’s going to do first to the body. And most consistently with the body. So if you want to understand the movements of the mind, if you want to understand how the mind creates a sense of self, how it can begin to let go of … 
  5. Recollection of the Buddha
     … He said, “I’ve been trying to get to the radiant mind, thinking that that was the goal. Now I’m being told that even that is ignorance.” Well, that attitude is the mind-set that gets defeated, saying, “I’ve tried so hard, so hard, so hard and I’m still not there. I’m going to give up.” That mind-set is … 
  6. A Post for the Heart
    One of the Thai terms for a mind that has really good, firm, reliable principles inside is that the heart has a post. This relates to the way buildings are built in Thailand. A house is built up on stilts, but the first thing you’ve got to put up is the first post. Once that post is in place, then you can put … 
  7. Nurturing Your Inner Adult
     … Sometimes the body can get very light, but the quality of the mind is solid. And your awareness can go deep down into the body. Having this as your foundation is very useful because it changes the balance of power in your mind. All too often when greed, aversion, delusion, fear, jealousy, any unpleasant or unskillful emotion comes into the mind, the way you … 
  8. A Better Place to Feed
     … As you develop a more expansive mind state here, then whatever bad influences come in from the past don’t weigh so heavily on you, because you’ve got something bigger and better right here. You want to nurture that, maintain that. So you develop an expansive mind. You expand to fill the present moment. When the mind is small—in other words, when … 
  9. The Karma that Ends Karma
     … There was one brief moment when you decided, “I’m out of here.” Something else popped up in the mind and you went for it. There was a choice. This is why meditation requires so much mindfulness and alertness. As we practice, mindfulness means the ability to keep your original intention in mind. Alertness means the ability to keep watch over things around that … 
  10. Delusion
     … So it’s useful to read up on what’s skillful and what’s not, and on how to work with the mind and how to work with skillful actions in general, because it gives you a body of concepts to work with. For example, mindfulness: It’s very important to learn that mindfulness doesn’t just mean just being aware of something or … 
  11. Intro to Breath Meditation
     … But if you spend time with the breath—watching the breath, adjusting the breath, learning from the breath—you get sensitive not only to the breath but also to the mind, what the mind is doing in the present moment. And you begin to get sensitive to the ways that the mind causes unnecessary stress and suffering for itself. This is the big irony … 
  12. The Wisdom of Tenacity
     … The mind could be giving rise to all kinds of other states right now, but you’ve got to choose. These are the states that are really worth getting the mind into. They may seem fabricated and constructed, and sometimes you wonder how something constructed like this could be worthwhile. But the mind is used to constructing things, and as long as it has … 
  13. Opportunities Everywhere
     … to improve your mindfulness, to improve your alertness, to get quicker and quicker about noticing when the mind is about to move off into another world, catching yourself so that you don’t go jumping into the balloon along with it. You can see the balloon float away and then it’ll just—it’s not really a balloon, it’s more like a … 
  14. Thinking Your Way to Stillness
     … Another is simply to look at what the thoughts are doing to the mind. If you allow the mind to think in these ways over and over again, you’re creating mental ruts. Are those ruts that you want? Do you want your mind to keep lurching back into those ideas again and again and again? As the ruts get deeper and deeper, it … 
  15. For Goodness’ Sake
     … That means your peace of mind doesn’t require putting up huge walls of denial. It’s also peace of mind that can withstand all kinds of external changes, because you’ve made certain qualities in your mind unchanging. So, think of the all-around aspect of the goodness we’re looking for—goodness and happiness together—and the deep peace of mind that … 
  16. Help Others, Help Your Mind
    As we train the mind, it’s important to remember that the Pali term for “mind,” citta, also includes the heart. And we have to train both sides. The side that figures things out, the side that reasons—that’s the mind. The side that wills—that’s the heart. When we teach the mind how to think clearly, observe clearly, we want the … 
  17. Learning How to Talk to Yourself
     … Tell yourself you don’t have to believe everything the mind says; just try to get clear about what its reasons are. And give it alternative reasons for why it’s a good thing to have some time alone. To begin with, you get to know your mind. After all, here your mind is the element in the present moment that is sometimes making … 
  18. Harmony Inside & Outside
     … He got upset at his mind one night because it wasn’t settling down, so he started cursing his mind. Ajaan Mun sensed this, and the next morning said, “Don’t do that to your mind. Don’t curse your mind. It creates a really bad feeling inside.” When the mind is obstreperous, when it’s not settling down, do your best to urge … 
  19. Choosing Your Allies
     … different ways of breathing that can have a different effect on the mind, calming when you need to be calmed, energized when you need to be energized. This way, you can develop an ally here in the body—an ally you need, because you’ve got that other problem: the mind. As I often say, the mind is like a committee. Sometimes it’s … 
  20. At Play
     … Remember the stages in focusing on the mind: First you’re sensitive to the state of your mind and then you gladden it. You can gladden it by thinking about the good you’ve done in the past; about how fortunate you are to be here, having this opportunity to work directly on your mind. But more immediately, gladness has to come with a … 
  21. Cut, Cut, Cut
     … So it’s not necessary that you strip everything down outside, but you do have to learn to strip things down in your own mind. This is the trick of living in a monastery, living in a community like this: not getting all tied up in knots. Learning how to keep things basic, keep things simple, in your own mind at least. There may … 
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