#355 Physically Connecting with Life

     "The most powerful thing I've learned in practice is to tune in to how I actually feel. Our tendency is to either bury or act on feeling but not to actually feel feeling - and I don't mean a particular feeling but the felt sense that is underneath all feeling: our beating heart, our humanity, our basic goodness. The most important thing is to connect with that, and then everything else is just our life. ... our path is not a project, it's life. It's so powerful to realize that practice is fundamentally choiceless. It's just about being a human being, about being able to connect with our humanity on a more complete level."   Judith Simmer-Brown

Gretel in contemplation

#354 Upgrading Models of Reality - Traumatic OR Gentle?

     We tend to ignore (avoidance) perceptions that don't fit our current worldview (ideas, self-concepts, preconceptions, diagnostic boxes). So we live our lives according to, identify with, & understandably cling to, stunningly simple models of reality. One way or another, we squeeze all perceptions to fit this model. Were it not so, we'd remain perpetually amazed & immobilized by this incomprehensibly complex, rapidly changing universe.
     But as time passes, we're forced to recognize discrepancies between reality & our models. Periodically, this disconnect completely overwhelms our model, causing our entire current worldview to crumble ("suffer a breakdown", "loss of faith", "existential crisis", "shipwreck" etc) and we're forced to build a new, more adequate model that's a closer approximation of reality. Initially, this can be quite traumatic, yet this is an absolutely normal part of maturation - see: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/06/shipwrecks-meaning-meaning-making.html

     Mindfulness practice is an evidence-based, surprisingly gentle, effective way of learning about reality, by intentionally, gently, slowly but progressively approaching & embracing our entire experience, including fears, and thus learning to be at home with & finding joy in this very life. It's a very effective way of constantly, intentionally upgrading our operating system, so our software doesn't need to crash.

Udayan Sankar Pal   www.facebook.com/UdayanSankarPal

#353 Monash University - Opening Minds through Mindfulness

     With Dr. Craig Hassed's leadership, Australia's "Monash University is a world leader in mindfulness programs. (They) currently offer a number of mindfulness programs designed to enhance the experience of both students and staff. (They) are working towards embedding mindfulness in the core curriculum by 2015 so that all Monash students will have the opportunity to learn mindfulness." http://monash.edu/counselling/mindfulness.html

     "Contemplation is a third way of knowing – a missing link – that complements & enhances the rational & sensory. The contemplative mind is opened and activated through a wide range of approaches – from pondering to poetry to meditation – that are designed to shift states of mind in order to cultivate such capacities as deepened awareness, concentration and insight. Historically, the contemplative has been used throughout the wisdom traditions as fundamental for developing interiority and understanding the most essential knowledge, yet it is almost entirely absent from contemporary education."
        Hart T. From information to transformation. Education for the evolution of consciousness. Peter Lang Publishing, NY, 2009.

     See also: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/06/empathy-basic-human-competence.html 

 

Mjeddy   www.dpreview.com

#352 Cultivating Wisdom - the Essential Basic Competency - are Universities up to the Task?

     "Many educators are asking hard questions about the consequences of a too-narrow focus on technical skills that can rapidly become obsolete. At U of T, recent curriculum reforms have deliberately leavened academic and technical skills with what one might call “renewable competencies,” such as critical thinking, effective writing & communications, problem-solving, teamwork, and ethical & social reasoning. These are competencies for a lifetime, for any job and for every citizen. ...
     It’s hard to imagine nurturing such attributes effectively without some in-person interactions. It’s even harder to imagine how traits such as resilience or emotional self-awareness can be developed in an online cocoon with its pseudo-socialization. In contrast, if student A debates student B in a seminar, neither can reboot as their pet arguments get shredded. And the good news is that they might thereafter engage in civil discourse and discover the most important piece of human geography: common ground.
     Please don’t take this as a Luddite turn. I firmly believe that digital tools will make a hugely positive difference to higher education in the decades ahead. But I also believe that in-person education – and the competencies fostered by interpersonal exchanges – will be irreplaceable on our hot and crowded planet for a very long time." 
       David Naylor, President, University of Toronto   http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/presidents-message/online-and-in-person-digital-synergy-david-naylor/

     I humbly suggest that the common, connecting "language" or foundation for these essential life skills is perhaps best learned via mindfulness meditation practice.

     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2012/02/33-deeper-teaching.html 
     and: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/06/empathy-basic-human-competence.html 

Michelle Finucane   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#351 Resilience - Cultivating Inner Strength by Experiencing Sequential Successes

     "Resilience seems to be a skill that has to be experienced to be learned. ... The belief that one can bounce back from a setback, can overcome a failure or disappointment is most likely based upon numerous instances where that individual has previously done so. Those multiple experiences may give birth to a belief that one can turn things around."

       Barton GB. Career success and life skill development through sports. PhD Thesis, Boston University, School of Education, 2011.

lona Antonoviciute http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#350 Conditioned Reflexes, Autopilot AND Conscious Awareness, Mature Judgment

     During meditation, as loud self-talk settles down, we gradually notice that a much quieter self-talk continues unabated. Also, despite our efforts to let go of thinking, we notice that we're periodically whisked off by a train of thought - one that may not even be particularly interesting. Patiently, peacefully, seamlessly we turn attention back to the here-and-now.
     It takes moderate effort to remain alert, conscious of what precisely is going on in our mind-body moment-by-moment. Monitoring posture, muscle-tone, breath and mind requires moderate effort. Not enough effort, and we go on autopilot or night-time sleep. Too much effort, and we go into striving, doing mode, trying to force something that isn't real, isn't helpful.
     We gradually learn not to take conditioned habits so seriously. Conditioning turns out to be a sadly simple affair as we come to appreciate it in greater detail - with frightening similarity to a drunk's predictable behavior. Sadder still is remaining on conditioning's autopilot.
     Meditation literally allows us to objectively, directly see our (primitive) conditioned reflexes AND gives us the choice, the freedom, the opportunity to try something infinitely better. In "observer-self" we are simultaneously conscious of conditioning AND the creative freedom to choose differently, consciously, wisely. Awareness increasingly stabilizes so we can live in an increasingly mature, evolved, wise manner.

Rick Wianecki   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#349 Equanimity in our Relationships is More Real

     Our relationships, with others, and even with ourselves, can be real roller coasters. I think it's simply accurate to say that, like most people, we are imperfect "works in progress," slowly becoming less foolish, and a bit wiser as the years roll on, and as we all accumulate impressive collections of errors.
     So when someone screws up badly, if we're really honest with ourselves, we can admit that either we've been there, or at the very least, could easily have done the same thing. Yet, out of fear, we tend to publicly denounce "bad guys," trying to convince ourselves "well I could never have done that!" Instantly we transform into "the church lady" & do our little "superior dance." Meanwhile the poor sucker who did just "do that" is wondering "What the hell happened? How could I possibly have gotten into this mess?"
     The more we realize the possibility of ourselves erring, the more skillfully we'll avoid doing so - and - the less harshly we'll judge those who do mess up. Most of us are neither demons nor fully enlightened beings, most of us are just getting by, carrying a heavy load. Let's give each other a break - we all need it.

     "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity."           Pema Chodron

Murat Tosun   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#348 Heart of Mindfulness Practice - Perseverance, Embracing "Difficulties"

     I was very excited to read the paper below on strengthening resiliency. It nicely describes "heart" as a collection of critical qualities that can be developed in a number of ways, such as sports and enduring a difficult childhood, but perhaps the most efficient laboratory-like conditions for creating heart is mindfulness practice. See: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/06/heart-can-should-be-cultivated.html

     "Kokoro is the Japanese word for heart or fighting spirit. The Koreans refer to kokoro simply as the 'indomitable spirit.' ... it is something housed in all of us, and all we need to do is simply find ways to release it. ... Heart only needs to be tapped into and enriched.
     In martial arts, confidence, which can be defined as having trust in one's abilities, is recognized as being 'a product of one's previous experience.' Thus, training an individual by exposing him or her to supervised challenges that require 'reaching down inside' for heart teaches the student to have confidence in the ability to draw on fighting spirit when severely challenged. To be internalized, such training must be continually practiced and rehearsed. Such training is invaluable ... as everyone runs the risk of being exposed to traumatic stress."
       Bell CC, Suggs H. Using sports to strengthen resiliency in children. Training heart. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 1998; 7(4): 859-65.

     Heart allows one to PERSEVERE, and by experiencing a sequence of mini triumphs - daily meditation practice, sitting still for the predetermined time, despite urges to do stuff, itchy nose, stiffness, sleepiness, anxiety, boredom, plans, worries, etc, etc, etc one remains like-a-mountain sitting still - one builds internal strength to PERSEVERE, gradually transcending "ordinary unhappiness," finding greater and greater ease, equanimity, joy.

Anne Bastedo   http://www.serenityimages.ca

#347 Training in Equanimity

     "In sitting meditation you can begin to train to be objective with the unpleasant ... It sounds rather like a form of self-mortification or torture - but in the arising of unpleasantness, you can really begin to see objectively that 'This is changing' or 'This hurts; this feels this way.' The little bit of training in a session of sitting practice might only be five minutes and then you move, or it might be thirty minutes and then you move. This effort brings a kind of strength and power into the mind (for later) when you need to be with something unpleasant that is more emotionally powerful. You've intuitively understood how to be with the unpleasant in a way that's not intellectual, but more like a craft. ... It's in your body; it's visceral. ... Your whole body begins to understand ... to be at peace with the unpleasant ... Over time that builds a lovely strength of mind."     Ajahn Viradhammo

a complete unknown   www.dpreview.com

#346 Wisdom to Foolishness Ratio - Personal & Societal

     How well do we monitor the quality of our thoughts, words and actions? By quality I mean, where do these fit on the wise to foolish spectrum? How soon do we become aware when (not if) we're being / have been foolish? What do we do about it? What proportion do we rationalize, externalize, project, procrastinate, deny, suppress, repress vs see clearly, accept, make amends for, try not to repeat?
     Are we actively, intentionally, skillfully maturing, growing wise or stagnating?
     Where we are on this ratio is entirely our choice. Each moment-to-moment choice powerfully impacts our personal and societal quality of life. Mindfully or mindlessly, actively or passively, wisely or foolishly, we co-create present-moment reality, moment by moment by moment by ...

     See more re wisdom: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/03/wisdom-deep-insight-mature.html

Vivienne Leibowich   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#345 Mindfulness Meditation & Ethical Behavior - One Indivisible Package

     "Moral integrity, concentration, and insight all grow together, conditioning one another every step of the way. Ethical mind states are a necessary precursor for meditation, because the mind is incapable of tranquility if agitated by the hindrances of sense desire, ill will, restlessness, laziness, and doubt. Ethical behavior is also the demonstrable result of wisdom, insofar as unwholesome states arise less often and with less intensity as wisdom deepens. Wisdom transforms the unconscious mind, rooting out impulses that lead to suffering both for oneself and for others. It does this not by acting them out or suppressing them, but by the middle way of seeing clearly how impermanent they are, and how they are born in and nourished by the delusions of self. In short, one understands them, and they lose their allure.
     ... Behavior is the outward expression of one's inner understanding, and only someone still firmly in the grip of craving and ignorance is capable of the abuse of power, money, sexuality, and intoxicants."          Andrew Olendzki

Habib Kassis   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#344 All Embracing Compassion

Until he extends the circle
of his compassion
to all living things,
man himself will not find peace.                      Albert Schweitzer

poppyjk   www.dpreview.com

#343 Challenges to Accept & Transcend when starting Meditation Practice

     Nothing worthwhile is ever simply handed to us, we have to EARN it: commitment in time, effort & energy. When we're sufficiently interested in meditating, we prioritize it, and we start.
     I myself READ about it for 30 YEARS before I actually sat down & began meditating - so I know all about inertia. But the profound benefits of meditation arise ONLY THROUGH PRACTICING meditation.

     “Meditation is not for the faint-hearted, nor for those who routinely avoid the whispered longings of their own hearts.” Jon Kabat-Zinn
 
Initial Challenges we learn to Accept & Transcend in Meditation Practice:
     "Difficulty Maintaining Cognitive Focus, Mind wandering, thinking too much. e.g., “Getting past a wandering mind,” “Doubting my ability to stay focused and clear my mind.” 
     Physical Issues Pain, feeling tired, difficulty sitting still. e. g., “How can I explore different body positions in hope of being generally more comfortable,” “It’s hard not to fall asleep. It makes me tired,” “Lack of willingness to sit still.” 
     General Difficulties During Meditation e.g., “Just hard to do,” “Will meditation ever be easy?” 
     Finding Time to Meditate Outside of Class e.g., “Making time for my formal practice,” “That I don’t have enough time to do it frequently.” 
     Finding Motivation to Meditate Outside of Class e.g., “When am I ever going to feel the urge to sit and meditate by myself?” “I’ve wondered how to find the self-motivation to meditate on my own.” 
     Does Meditation Really Work? Questions about whether meditation is beneficial, expectancy violations for experi- ence during meditation compared to misconceptions about what mindfulness is. e.g., “Is it really that beneficial?” “Whether nor not it works,” “Why doesn’t it instantly transform me?” “It doesn’t always make me happy.” 
     Am I doing it Right? Questions about one’s own ability to do meditation. e.g., “That I’m doing it right,” “That I’m just not getting it,” “Not getting it.” 
     Other e.g., “Why my path is what it is,” “Is skiing and climbing meditation?”"

     Sears SR, Kraus S, Carlough K, Treat E. Perceived benefits and doubts of participants in a weekly meditation study. Mindfulness (NY), 2011, 10.1007/s12671-011-0055-4.  

 

SERGE333   www.dpreview.com

#342 WHO IS THAT BURIED SUBPERSONALITY?

     Remember the "you", who at age 18, boldly told close friends how you were going to change the world?
     That VERY SAME YOU periodically reappears, quite unexpectedly, when traveling, after a few drinks, or simply among close confidants.
     What happened to the part of you who holds those ideals, those plans to help humanity? What, Who - BURIED your soul - your raison d'être - your true calling?
     IS IT TIME TO BE AUTHENTIC? To live Palmer's "undivided life"? 

     Life really IS a ONE-TIME performance!!!!

     Who am I?
     What is this?

ultimitsu   www.dpreview.com

#341 Not Constantly Up, Happy, Energized?

     "unless plagued with a mood disorder, our evaluation of the future depends largely on the situation. Yet, there is this psycho-spiritual pressure in the air of having to be positive, jovial, and enthusiastic all the time. ... this Zeitgeist (was) in part created by positive psychology. ... (this) artificially created positive mentality has contributed to the housing and banking crisis. Everybody involved seemed to have thrown caution – and ultimately bushels of money -- out the window. Usually well-balanced people were part of a groupthink: 'I believe, and therefore it will be.' "
     From a mindfulness perspective "happiness is not synonymous with or dependent on positive feelings. Instead happiness is having a good relationship with the whole of life, with the light and the darkness, the good and the bad, the concrete and the indefinable. How could there be lasting happiness if we exclude a part of life that is real and that serves a purpose. This understanding should inoculate everybody against the pressure of having to feel optimistic all the time."

       Andrea F. Polard Psy. D. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unified-theory-happiness/201306/cognitive-optimism-versus-zen-wisdom

 

Uloo   www.dpreview.com

#340 Mindfulness is Intentional Transformational Learning

      "Fundamental change is difficult because it involves a radical shift in identity. 'Fundamental', 'structural', and 'radical' are terms that highlight different aspects of transformational learning (TL). ... An apt metaphor for transformational change is the caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly — not a difference of degree, but, rather, one of kind; not superficial, but, rather, structural in nature. When we move from the biologic metaphor to the psychologic of TL, the structures implicated are those of identity rather than those of anatomy. The ground of assumptions upon which we construct our identities is remade during transformational learning."

       Green L. Transformative learning: A passage through the liminal zone. in: Psychoanalysis and education: Minding a gap. Karnac Books, London, England, 2012. pp199-216. 

Jithoto   www.dpreview.com

#339 Depth of Interest - Document, Program, or Operating System?

     If we're creating a Word document and something goes awry, there could be something wrong with the document itself. So we could "save as", give the document a new name, and start working on it again.
     Or the problem might be one level higher - the Word program itself might be messed-up. We'd have to fix or replace the Word program.
     Or the problem could be one level higher still - the Operating System (OS) might be out of date. If so, most current programs (and their documents) would be out of sync with the old OS. Installing a new OS is a much more profound change, fundamentally changing the whole look and feel of the computer, all programs, and all documents.
     Human beings want life's problems to be quick & easy to fix (document level). We dislike change, especially major change. We'd prefer to surgically excise only one small part of our lives that's unwanted or isn't working, but keep everything else exactly the same thank you very much. But very few problems are like a splinter in the thumb - pull out the splinter, thumb quickly heals, end of story.
     Sometimes, trying harder with what one has is just not enough eg sometimes we need to upgrade our skills by taking a specific course on a specific topic. So our lives remain more or less the same, but now we can perform a new task because of this limited course (program level - instal new software).
     Life presents MUCH greater challenges at times - we can feel overwhelmed, scared, sad or just plain burned out. Our whole worldview & self-concept can completely shatter - we can undergo a complete  "shipwreck" - see: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=shipwreck  This is a program level disturbance, NOT the end of the world!
     Program level disturbances require program level interventions. Your computer (hardware) is good for several OS upgrades. So is your body!! You will inevitably go through several major worldview & self-concept transitions in your life (starting school, moving, falling in love, starting a new job, losing a job, ending a relationship, retirement, death of a loved one, serious illness, etc). When one door closes, another opens - we get used to the old OS, but the new OS is always better in new, surprising ways.
     Mindfulness practice allows us to perceive ourselves and the world increasingly clearly, and quite naturally we gradually perceive everything differently, as though everything had changed. We gradually become better synchronized with life as it actually is. Mindfulness practice is transformational - continuous incremental upgrading of our OS - experiential learning at the worldview & self-concept level. When we do continuous minor upgrades, there are fewer or no meltdowns. Mindfulness practice promotes & ensures this natural evolution towards wisdom - see: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=wisdom

vlee1009   www.dpreview.com

#338 Mindfulness - Whole-heartedly Doing the Right Thing in Real Time

     Mindfulness practice "is about working on how we can do what we are already doing so that we do it more whole-heartedly, bringing our self fresh to each moment.
     This is not easy, because many of the moments of our lives are painful. We have only a little control over what life brings to us; often we can’t get what we want and we can’t avoid what we don’t want. This is the beginning of both psychotherapy and spiritual practice, since it leads us to the question of how we deal with what is in front of us."

        Rosenbaum R. Zen and the heart of psychotherapy. Brunner/Mazel, Philadelphia, 1998. http://www.zenqigong.com/Psych/

Johnny Rockets - Seattle WA - May 2013

#337 Mindfulness Meditation & Discriminating Mind

     "mindfulness meditation arose as a method to help a person let go of his or her discriminating mind by letting go of one’s usual identifications with the contents of consciousness. Discriminating mind can easily lead to an attitude of obtaining something, an attempt to acquire more control of the self or of one’s experience by obtaining increased awareness and understanding. It can be helpful, then, to consider the complementary practice of Zen shikantaza (‘just sitting’) meditation. Shikantaza eschews both attainment and even observing awareness; instead, it emphasizes dropping discriminating mind (although it includes discriminating mind, because it even involves dropping dropping). The emphasis is on letting go, to an opening up to ‘this Very Mind,’ which is not overly attached to ‘understanding.’ ’’ 

       Rosenbaum R. Empty mindfulness in humanistic psychotherapy. The Humanistic Psychologist 2009; 37(2): 207-221.

how123   www.dpreview.com

#336 Meditating - OR - just Thinking?

     Sitting still and trying to think things through is not meditating. Yet having thoughts does not by itself exclude meditating. Useful instructions from well-known meditation teacher Ashin Tejaniya:  

"Trying to create something is greed. 
Rejecting what is happening is aversion.
Not knowing if something is happening or has stopped happening is delusion.

Only to the extent that the observing mind has no greed, aversion or anxiety are you truly meditating.

Don’t have any expectations, don’t want anything,
don’t be anxious, because if these attitudes are in your mind, it becomes difficult to meditate."

     Having greed, aversion & delusion doesn't make one a "bad" or "evil" person, but these do cause suffering. We meditate to scientifically, experientially, learn how life works - how to let go of greed, aversion & delusion - thus reduce suffering, and live with joy.

Anne Bastedo   http://www.serenityimages.ca

#335 Avoiding Extremes - The Middle Way

     It's remarkable how we tend to oscillate back & forth between extremes. Emotionally, when we're not "on top of the world" or "down in the dumps", we often feel bored! With our sense of control over our environment, we either pretend to have "complete control" or none whatsoever, knowing full well that we need to work together intelligently to maintain reasonable control, over some things, most of the time. The same is true in health care: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/06/eliminating-medical-error-through.html

     And so too in mindfulness practice. Never practicing sitting meditation at home is one extreme that's quite common in those just starting out. Rarely, some folks spend way too many hours per day doing sitting meditation practice. Clearly, 30-50 minutes, once or twice per day, is ideal for most people who have jobs, families etc. Establishing a regular meditation routine takes some effort initially (at least partially because it's replacing some other well-established routine), but it's very important. You and your loved ones will clearly recognize continuously accumulating benefits from regularly practicing mindfulness meditation.

EMP Building by Frank O. Gehry, Seattle WA

#334 Odd Statements, Self-knowledge & Addiction

     Many suggestions and statements in the mindfulness literature may - initially - sound odd, intriguing, puzzling or just plain irritating. We measure all information based on our current worldview and self-concept. If new information does not fit with our current worldview and self-concept, there's cognitive dissonance, which is uncomfortable. 
     We don't like being uncomfortable. So instead of creatively approaching novel information, we try to avoid new data that threatens the status quo: ignore it or reinterpret (distort) it to fit our preconceptions. Only as a last resort, do we elect to grow as a person, mature - upgrade, remodel & expand our worldview & self-concept to better fit reality. 
     There's an addictive quality to our opinions, concepts - including self-concept, and worldview. They have a magical spell quality to them - like a "lucky coin" we feel we have to carry in our pockets at all times - or else!!! We identify with these - we think that we are literally composed of these ephemeral "things". We fear ego-death when we contemplate upgrading our self-concept or worldview. But of course we don't disappear or become diminished in any way when we change our minds about any or all of these. In fact, we become more at home in the universe, the more we open up to reality as it truly is. It's a progressive unburdening to drop old superstitions and evolve as an intelligent mature human being.

Dale Chihuly   http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

#333 Paradoxes & Head-scratchers during Mindfulness - Cognitive Dissonance

     "cognitive dissonance is the discomfort experienced when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting cognitions: ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions. In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel 'disequilibrium': frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc. 
     ... people have a bias to seek consonance between their expectations and reality. ... people engage in ... 'dissonance reduction' ... achieved in one of 3 ways: lowering the importance of one of the discordant factors, adding consonant elements, or changing one of the dissonant factors. This bias sheds light on otherwise puzzling, irrational, and even destructive behavior."     http://en.wikipedia.org

     As we become increasingly mindful ie more & more aware of what's actually happening all around us and within, we realize that we've been doing an awful lot of 'dissonance reduction' in order to distort reality to fit our naive ideas of safety, comfort, convenience, happiness etc.
     The puzzling statements about mindfulness that we initially discounted - "no, they can't mean that" - we increasingly realize accurately depict reality, but at the time, we literally could not - were not ready - to see it. Learning is iterative & experiential.
     As our practice matures, we become increasingly "more real". Reality is far less harsh than we feared, and the quality of our lives becomes better than we had hoped for.

     See also: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/06/intellectual-glass-ceiling-it-most.html

Dale Chihuly   http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/