[AzulOscuro]

I wrote this to a friend who I thought he could benefits of mindfulness.
It’s only an introduction and I know most of people knows what mindfulness is, but in case someone is interested at reading, here I paste it. And why not, maybe, many of you encourage yourself to practise and be member of the community here in the forum.

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness is a practise in Buddhism practised by Buddhists for centuries. It means two main concepts: Being present with all your senses in the now, whatever you are doing at that moment, ex; in the conversation with a person, in the trip to the factory you are working in, in the meal you are eating, the drink you are drinking, your breath and body when you are in a training practice.
It lays on the idea of focussing on a single task, a single stimuli to enjoy it at its fulness. No matter if a distraction arises (a thought that comes about whatever... it’s normal, but you again come back to the object of your attention. No matter how many times you get distracted. It’s normal. Don’t judge it as positive or negative because it’s none of these. It’s normal. You come back to your focus because it’s the right way to put your mind at ease and train your brain. So we arrive to the second main meaning of mindfulness, that is, no judging. If you get distracted by something else, it doesn’t matter, your mind is doing what it is for: Creating thoughts. If feelings of grief arises, no matters...it’s a normal feeling we all face to from time to time. Accept how you feel and accept this feel of thought. Don’t fight against it. Accept it and go back to focus yourself on what you were doing. You will see as that feeling doesn’t grow up.

We can begin by practicing mindfulness in two situations.
Tomorrow, at your breakfast, enjoy each instant of the meal. Focus on your meal only. It’s taste, it’s texture...with anything else. You and the meal you are eating. Chew slowly, as slower as you can and notice the favour. No TV, no radio, no anything else but you and that meal.

Then, you can make also a practice when you go to sleep. Don’t try to repeat any phrasal. No. Drive your mind into blank. This is your objective. Your mind empty of thoughts. Will it be possible? Sure, it won’t. Many thoughts are gonna arrive to your mind. Some of them, stupid as hell. Don’t worry. Accept these thoughts and let them go past your mind. Say hello to them and goodbye. Don’t engage with them. But, if you engage with them for some instants, it doesn’t matter, let them go and let them go when you get it. You will see how they disappear and your mind get peace again or another thought appears, in that case, you say hello and goodbye again. Try to not engaging with it.
If you see it easier, you can focus on your breath along this process, so each time you get engage with a thought and you notice it, accept it and return to your breath.

[Vanaheimr]

Such a very interesting thing!
Tbh I wasn't familiar with it, I remember i tried to practise it only for one day, I only could control it partially, I don't know why, may be I was missing some techniques! Or my mind wasn't really prepared, distracted a little a bit, but when I was doing this practise, felt kinda relief, less pain and stress,
I'm looking forwards to make this practise under control,

[DechanDawa]

A good technique:

Something called "a light touch."


Let's say I am at the grocery store in line. Behind me in line is a couple with a fussy baby. I noticed this. But also...I can act. I turn around and ask them if they would like to go ahead of me. I nod at their baby. The parents' faces break into smiles of relief. They look exhausted!


Mindfulness isn't only about noticing. It is about walking in the world lightly and spreading positivity lightly.

I say this because we don't want mindfulness to cause us to become self-absorped.

Practicing a "light tough" with ourselves and others is being mindfully compassionate. I read a lot about mindfulness online and sometimes I notice it is presented in a sort of rigid way. This is wrong. It should have a very relaxed feeling. Sometimes just to smile is mindfulness practice.


(I am a certified mindfulness instructor)

[Be Still]

I also don’t believe it should be tied to a religion. Mindfulness can be practiced by any individual from any faith. It really comes down to emptying our minds of any story, illusion, conditioning etc and being fully invested in each moment, as if you are experiencing it for the first time. You bring all your creativity, all your energy, all your attention here. This removes suffering that we may be carrying from the past (regrets, shame, disempowering beliefs) and future suffering (anxiety about tomorrow, being burdened by expectations, fear of uncertainty etc). So this practice can be experienced by every person without them having to tie it to a religion or an ideology.

[DechanDawa]

Yeah. I had a Tibetan monk teacher. He used to say, "Mindfulness and meditation can be practiced for one of two reasons: 1) For spiritual salvation, or 2) To relax and have a nice life."

He was always laughing. When I visited him I would laugh so hard that when I left my cheeks would ache! That's what I remember about him. It had nothing to do with him being a Buddhist monk. He was such a cool, funny, relaxed guy. Always laughing and smiling.

[Vanaheimr]

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

A good technique:

Something called "a light touch."


Let's say I am at the grocery store in line. Behind me in line is a couple with a fussy baby. I noticed this. But also...I can act. I turn around and ask them if they would like to go ahead of me. I nod at their baby. The parents' faces break into smiles of relief. They look exhausted!


Mindfulness isn't only about noticing. It is about walking in the world lightly and spreading positivity lightly.

I say this because we don't want mindfulness to cause us to become self-absorped.

Practicing a "light tough" with ourselves and others is being mindfully compassionate. I read a lot about mindfulness online and sometimes I notice it is presented in a sort of rigid way. This is wrong. It should have a very relaxed feeling. Sometimes just to smile is mindfulness practice.


(I am a certified mindfulness instructor)

Thank you very much for providing to us such a useful technique

[AzulOscuro]

Originally Posted by Vanaheimr

Such a very interesting thing!
Tbh I wasn't familiar with it, I remember i tried to practise it only for one day, I only could control it partially, I don't know why, may be I was missing some techniques! Or my mind wasn't really prepared, distracted a little a bit, but when I was doing this practise, felt kinda relief, less pain and stress,
I'm looking forwards to make this practise under control,

You know which are the good news. You never do mindfulness good or bad. The key lay on this. There’s no a good or a bad performance. It’s an experience and it’s always different because of many factors: How your mind, your body are this or that particular day, the environment conditions, the openness you have this day to see what’s happening inside you, external distractions or interruptions, etc.

For me there are two kinds of practise: Formal and non-formal. Non-formal practise may be connected to any daily activity. The base is being present at the moment, focused on the activity you are doing (f.e. driving your car, eating a fruit or any other meal). Multitasking is just the oposite.
That means you can doing mindfulness at any moment. I assure you that when you are focused on a single task, you enjoy this task in a very much deeper level. But, without judgements, if you get distracted, you simply came back to the activity as soon as you notice your mind was occupied with anything else.

[AzulOscuro]

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

A good technique:

Something called "a light touch."


Let's say I am at the grocery store in line. Behind me in line is a couple with a fussy baby. I noticed this. But also...I can act. I turn around and ask them if they would like to go ahead of me. I nod at their baby. The parents' faces break into smiles of relief. They look exhausted!


Mindfulness isn't only about noticing. It is about walking in the world lightly and spreading positivity lightly.

I say this because we don't want mindfulness to cause us to become self-absorped.

Practicing a "light tough" with ourselves and others is being mindfully compassionate. I read a lot about mindfulness online and sometimes I notice it is presented in a sort of rigid way. This is wrong. It should have a very relaxed feeling. Sometimes just to smile is mindfulness practice.


(I am a certified mindfulness instructor)

Interesting!!!
Indeed, the main goal of mindfulness is to find a balance, to live as unattached from things as possible, the ability to receive what comes from outside and also inside without judging. So, I guess you kind of transmite this calm.

Thank you for sharing. It’s been very stimulating.

[AzulOscuro]

Originally Posted by Be Still

I also don’t believe it should be tied to a religion. Mindfulness can be practiced by any individual from any faith. It really comes down to emptying our minds of any story, illusion, conditioning etc and being fully invested in each moment, as if you are experiencing it for the first time. You bring all your creativity, all your energy, all your attention here. This removes suffering that we may be carrying from the past (regrets, shame, disempowering beliefs) and future suffering (anxiety about tomorrow, being burdened by expectations, fear of uncertainty etc). So this practice can be experienced by every person without them having to tie it to a religion or an ideology.

You brought out a relevant point. I completely agree with you. It’s a way of living. Indeed, it’s the way little kids from any civilisation lives. They are focused on what they are doing, and don’t pay attention to the time. A kid could be hours and hours playing and don’t notice it’s time to go for dinner until an adult call him the attention.

What happen is that wise monks in Buddhism stressed and developed a formal practise and Western World took this technique as a great present from the East.

[Vanaheimr]

If I manage to defeat the point of getting my mind distracted while practising mindfulness, surely I would be enjoying every single minute in my day,
Thank you for your help and for the precious advice.

[DechanDawa]

Once you "get" mindfulness it never leaves. That is my experience.

Thank you for stimulating my excitement to practice mindfulness meditation again.

[AzulOscuro]

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

A good technique:

Something called "a light touch."


Let's say I am at the grocery store in line. Behind me in line is a couple with a fussy baby. I noticed this. But also...I can act. I turn around and ask them if they would like to go ahead of me. I nod at their baby. The parents' faces break into smiles of relief. They look exhausted!


Mindfulness isn't only about noticing. It is about walking in the world lightly and spreading positivity lightly.

I say this because we don't want mindfulness to cause us to become self-absorped.

Practicing a "light tough" with ourselves and others is being mindfully compassionate. I read a lot about mindfulness online and sometimes I notice it is presented in a sort of rigid way. This is wrong. It should have a very relaxed feeling. Sometimes just to smile is mindfulness practice.


(I am a certified mindfulness instructor)

You know, I was thinking about one of the point you brought out yesterday about many documents, books, articles, etc, offering a very limited vision of what mindfulness is.
In my opinion is not an easy concept and you know sometimes when a concept is borrowed by a culture from another, it loses part of its identity. So, here, it had to be created something more to kind of fill a gap: Mindfulness of compassion.

I think you will agree with me if I say that you have to do your own research on the topic and practise but if you have someone who already have a experience, like your professor, it’s much easier to achieve a better knowledge.
Tell us, please.
I think you are for now, the most authorised person to talk about this topic.

[AzulOscuro]

Originally Posted by Vanaheimr

If I manage to defeat the point of getting my mind distracted while practising mindfulness, surely I would be enjoying every single minute in my day,
Thank you for your help and for the precious advice.

You already have an intuitive knowledge about mindfulness. Everyone has it but you showed it to me in your replies to some of my threads, about trying myself with compassion to overcome a loss, for instance.

[Blknblu]

Timely post, thanks

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by AzulOscuro

You know, I was thinking about one of the point you brought out yesterday about many documents, books, articles, etc, offering a very limited vision of what mindfulness is.
In my opinion is not an easy concept and you know sometimes when a concept is borrowed by a culture from another, it loses part of its identity. So, here, it had to be created something more to kind of fill a gap: Mindfulness of compassion.

I think you will agree with me if I say that you have to do your own research on the topic and practise but if you have someone who already have a experience, like your professor, it’s much easier to achieve a better knowledge.
Tell us, please.
I think you are for now, the most authorised person to talk about this topic.

If mindfulness is co-opted from Buddhism and made into a secular western practice without compassion it could end up being quite sterile and dead. I don't know if this makes any sense. Westerners did not "add" compassion to mindfulness and turn it into a western practice. I understand that people do not want mindfulness to be connected with a religion but the fact is that mindfulness has been recorded as a practice introduced by the Buddha himself and the Buddha primarily taught compassion.

[DechanDawa]

I had one main Tibetan meditation teacher for seven years. He went back to Tibet to build a school. Well, then there was a big earthquake in (Chinese) Tibet. I say Chinese Tibet because politically there is really no Tibet although culturally it exists.

Anyway I was listening to BBC radio late one night and they were reporting on a terrible earthquake in a remote place in Tibet. They said the name of the village and I realized in was near this village where my teacher had built his school.


The BBC reporter said, "There are so many dead they have to be buried in mass graves. Many villagers are beside themselves with grief and are screaming and falling to the ground. The main people digging the graves are monks from a nearby school."


The reporter than said, "Here, maybe we can speak to their leader who we understand speaks English."

When they began to interview the head monk I realized it was my teacher! Of course I started to cry because even from around the world my teacher was still giving me lessons on compassion.

Mindfulness is a way to...wow...just to be where we are... fully!

There was my teacher digging graves and burying the dead. He was just living his mindfulness fully in the moment. It was very strange to hear his voice on BBC radio. Despite the crisis he sounded as calm as always.

[AzulOscuro]

What an impressive story, the one about your teacher! I always found astonishing the equilibrium, the peace of mind Tibetans monks achieve.
It’s accepting what it goes and act on it without regretting, feeling of shame or hits on the chest.
Compassion is so needed on Western World. We have been taught the idea of sacrifice, sins and the feeling of guilty as a way for a future afterlife that many times it’s hard to feel compassion especially toward ourselves. It’s very contradictory because then we only need to confess our sins, make a penitence and that’s it. All it’s solve. Nothing is learnt in my opinion or changed.

It’s curious Jesus Christ if he indeed exist and many clues draw us to his existence, showed and practice Compassion, then things took another path and the feeling of guilty and punishment were imposed.

I’m not a religious person but if I had to follow one, it would be Buddhism.

You are very lucky to have had such a great teacher.

Finally, I wanted to stress again on the point you brought out in your first post of this thread. This technique about the “ touch of light”. It’s so beautiful. I loved it so much. And we need it as we need to feed ourselves.

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by AzulOscuro

What an impressive story, the one about your teacher! I always found astonishing the equilibrium, the peace of mind Tibetans monks achieve.
It’s accepting what it goes and act on it without regretting, feeling of shame or hits on the chest.
Compassion is so needed on Western World. We have been taught the idea of sacrifice, sins and the feeling of guilty as a way for a future afterlife that many times it’s hard to feel compassion especially toward ourselves. It’s very contradictory because then we only need to confess our sins, make a penitence and that’s it. All it’s solve. Nothing is learnt in my opinion or changed.

It’s curious Jesus Christ if he indeed exist and many clues draw us to his existence, showed and practice Compassion, then things took another path and the feeling of guilty and punishment were imposed.

I’m not a religious person but if I had to follow one, it would be Buddhism.

You are very lucky to have had such a great teacher.

Finally, I wanted to stress again on the point you brought out in your first post of this thread. This technique about the “ touch of light”. It’s so beautiful. I loved it so much. And we need it as we need to feed ourselves.

The basic teachings of Jesus are so simple and beautiful. It is the same with Buddhism. The basic teachings of the Buddha are so very beautiful...like gold. But when I went to graduate school to study Buddhism I was shocked to find that as a religion it was very complicated...and what they say is salvific...that is....concerned with salvation. Also...believed to be the "one true religion," by its leaders.


How to know the exact truth of what Jesus or the Buddha taught? I wish I could travel back in time!


Today there is so much corruption in religions.

I am sorry to tell a story about another Buddhist teacher I knew. He is actually quite famous and the head of an international community. Unfortunately he was accused of sexual abuse by several of his students. He stepped away from his leadership role...however, recently he started teaching again. It is all very upsetting to me (as well as many others who think he should not teach). He was actually what is called my "root teacher" and the one who gave me a foundation in mindfulness and meditation. I would never have suspected him of not being a moral person. I must add he was a great teacher of mindfulness and wrote several books which are really great books.


I like what the Buddha said. He said you have to test everything...just as gold is tested to make sure it is authentic. It may look like gold...but could actually be another metal of no value.


Thanks for this thread. It is really inspiring me to throw myself back into mindfulness and meditation in a big way. I taught meditation for about 10 years but then retired from it...so I could now begin a new chapter.



At this time I do not consider myself at all religion based. I want to practice mindfulness without religion. Or...inspired by Jesus and Buddha...as great teachers but not religious leaders. After all...Jesus and Buddha were humble and were not trying to start religions, right?

[AzulOscuro]

Completely agree with you, what we know about Buddha and Jesus is so beautiful. These are the figures I find more appealing and deep, not so much as religious figures but as humans.

Talking to you is inspiring.
I encourage you to join the group of mindfulness and meditation here in PsychCentral, if you didn’t. I didn’t read the nicknames of all the members. We could help each other and you could solve many of our doubts.

Thanks again for sharing another story about another of your teachers. I know this was negative but we have to accept humans are capable of doing the best but also the worst.
Maybe, this teacher of yours, the meditation and his interest in religion was a way he tried and practise to manage his impulses. But, finally the impulses won. Or maybe it was only a cover for his bad deeds.
What do you think, you who knows him?

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by AzulOscuro

Completely agree with you, what we know about Buddha and Jesus is so beautiful. These are the figures I find more appealing and deep, not so much as religious figures but as humans.

Talking to you is inspiring.
I encourage you to join the group of mindfulness and meditation here in PsychCentral, if you didn’t. I didn’t read the nicknames of all the members. We could help each other and you could solve many of our doubts.

Thanks again for sharing another story about another of your teachers. I know this was negative but we have to accept humans are capable of doing the best but also the worst.
Maybe, this teacher of yours, the meditation and his interest in religion was a way he tried and practise to manage his impulses. But, finally the impulses won. Or maybe it was only a cover for his bad deeds.
What do you think, you that know him?

You know, I spent a lot of time thinking about this teacher. I think maybe what you said is true. Perhaps he had impulses that he eventually could not fight. Because when he was young he was such a beautiful and inspiring teacher. Of course it is complicated. In the end we are only human and I do feel compassion towards this teacher.


I think it was maybe fame that ruined this teacher. That's why I don't like religion. You know what they say that absolute power corrupts.


Thank you for your invitation.

[AzulOscuro]

Of course, people change with time and many other circumstances. If he became famous, it can set his feet above the ground.
What happens is that what he did was too much awful. If he already had these impulse and he believes himself overpowered, he even mainly could find a justification to tell himself that what he was doing was good or even a help for the kids.
I love studying human behaviour, that’s why I was so curious about your teacher and what could moves him to act like that.
I don’t either like how much corruption came to religions. It seems the most weak souls or with less conscience are the ones who are arriving to move the leads of most institutions, including the religious ones.

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by AzulOscuro

Of course, people change with time and many other circumstances. If he became famous, it can set his feet above the ground.
What happens is that what he did was too much awful. If he already had these impulse and he believes himself overpowered, he even mainly could find a justification to tell himself that what he was doing was good or even a help for the kids.
I love studying human behaviour, that’s why I was so curious about your teacher and what could moves him to act like that.
I don’t either like how much corruption came to religions. It seems the most weak souls or with less conscience are the ones who are arriving to move the leads of most institutions, including the religious ones.

The abuse was of women who were of legal age but very young. Anyway he has been in the news you can read about him online...he was called The Sakyong (Mipham Rinpoche) and he was the leader of Shambhala International. He was part of a tradition where he could marry and he was married and had three small girls. His most famour student was Pema Chodren. You may have heard of her. Now that the Sakyong is returning to teaching Pema Chodren has resigned from her position as a leader in the organization. She does not believe he should return to teaching and neither do I.

[AzulOscuro]

Thank you, I will take it a look for sure.

[Tima mir]

Thank you for your great share. I found the best feeling in mindfulness exercises and when I drive my attention to my five senses whenever I remembered. I practice with an agreement with myself to be aware of my touch sense at my palms and soles of feet whenever I remembered. That is awesome. because let me don't follow my thought patterns and be experience the present moment. Thanks dude.

[CuriousWin]

When I first hear the word “Mindfulness,” I think about the thought of caring for someone else. Likewise, reading the concept of mindfulness I can comprehend its meaning. I have practiced this technique before, but I never knew it was a part of Buddhism practiced by Buddhists. One technique that I use is called time to myself. I listen to Jazz with the candle on. I use this technique to meditate about my personal life. This technique has helped me to analyze my inner self. I stay in a quiet place to avoid any distractions.