The Mindful Way through Depression...

I am reading "The Mindful Way through Depression" presently (sample embedded above), although it is for depression, it offers a great amount of detail to handle difficult emotions that is applicable to everyone...I wander sometimes why being born as a human never came with a owner's manual.  Thankfully there is some great material coming available on the "human being manual" especially on mindfulness based techniques.

The more I think about it, it is really that we are rediscovering techniques that we already know innately, techniques so long forgotten, knowledge that we already have inside us that we are rediscovering like a sculptor chipping away at a rock to reveal a beautiful statue within...

Enjoy the sample from the book above, it resonated with me quite a bit, you could apply the morale of the story to any "day to day moment" and appreciate it so much more:

A well-known travel writer was invited to dine at the home of a well-to-do Japanese family.  His host had invited a number of guests, letting it known that he had something of a great importance to share.  part of the meal would consist of a blowfish, considered a superb delicacy in Japan, in part because these fish are fatally poisonous unless the poison has been removed by a highly skilled chef.  To be served such a fish was a great honor.

As guest of honor, the writer received the fish with great anticipation, and savored every mouthful.  The taste was, indeed, like nothing he had ever eaten.  What, asked his host, did he think of the experience?  The guest was ecstatic about the exquisite flavor of the fish he had sampled.  He did not have to exaggerate, for it was indeed sublime, among the best food he had ever tasted.  Only then did his host reveal that the fish he had eaten was a common variety.  Another guest, without realizing it, had eaten the blowfish.  The "important thing" the writer learned was not how good a rare and expensive delicacy tasted, but how amazing ordinary food could be if he paid close attention to each mouth full.

Stay living...

We must be able to...

Picture "Buddha's Eagle" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney

We must be able to build sufficient awareness through our daily discipline of meditation to be in tune to our higher self.  

We must be able to put those temporary pauses in our daily action, to allow us to contemplate what is happening with our deeper self.  

We must be able to act with conviction from the sensitivity that we build through our daily discipline of meditation, and be totally congruent with our higher self.

From my upcoming book "Zen,Zombies & Karma"

What is Karma?

Picture "Ordinary mindness is the way" by h.koppdelaney

Here is another sample (draft) of a short book I am doing, which is moving very slowly :)

Why is this happening to me? Why was I born this way? Why am I the way I am?  There is a lot of whys in life...too many that we can possibly comprehend.  Could it really be that life is just one big random event?

According to the law of Karma, there is no such thing as a random event, everything is interrelated working like perfect clockwork, there is a reason for everything to be as it is, there is a reason for everyone to be in everyone’s life, there is learning possible from every single situation.

I really like the definition of Karma by Sri Sri Ravi Sankar, he says:
“Karma is action that results from the impressions of the mind, the action it has produced, and the new impressions it is going to produce in the mind in the future which will cause further actions."

The impressions are called Samskaras in Sanskrit, these are scripts recorded in the inner depths of our mind which governs our automatic behaviors, they also shapes our personalities. This explains why everyone has different personalities, even animals show different personalities.   

Karmas are of 3 types, stored (Sinchit), in flight (Pralabdha), future (Kriyaman)...The stored karma is like seeds that have been sowed by passed actions, in flight is the plants that have sprouted from these seeds, and future karmas, are the fruit of these plants that give more seeds. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar goes to say that we don't actually know when these seeds are going to sprout.

Why is this so important to understand?  This is important because one can understand that one is simply a product of ones own creation, through the actions one has taken in the past. Now if we understand this, we can take steps in creating karma’s that are more beneficial to us, live with them with a certain level of acceptance, and rise above them.

Why we are zombies...

Picture "Ordinary mindness is the way" by h.koppdelaney

Finally I get the courage to start on my first book...here is a sample...

Why we are zombies?

I see them all around me, I feel like one too at times...everywhere you look, everyone is on autopilot...

Is this what we were destined for? Is this why humans were given this intellect? Why is this?

Well it takes work and discipline to overcome the lethargy and the addictions of the mind and of the body...the spirit is boundless, the mind however is a slave, a slave of the senses, a slave to the addictions of the mind...so is this what we have reduce the spirit to? a slave? a slave of the mind which itself is a slave...Where is the freedom in all of this?

The mind has itself has forgotten about the spirit, and has itself identified itself with the mind, the ego, the emotions, the senses...In that lies the very fact, we are really zombies, being free to be controlled by a bombardment of external driven selfish and sometimes perverse programming that appeals to the palate, to the senses, to the ego...

Its akin to a person taking the hands off the steering wheel and expecting the car to drive itself...well maybe off the cliff or into the tree you will go, if you are lucky it will be fatal, otherwise it could be life of misery and pain from some serious injury...life is no different...the results from mindless action, is well mindless random results...

The mind, the emotions, the body are useful servants but bad masters...under the leadership of the soul...amazing things are possible...just from one person...just from one lifetime.

Meditation An In-Depth Guide

Just got this book "Meditation An In-Depth Guide" from Georgetown Library, they really have some fantastic books there. The authors are referencing places in Australia that I am very familiar with! Blue Mountain, Glebe, Melbourne...It makes me kind of homesick, but hey you never know where life takes you, and what you end up doing. That's the beauty of it all, wait for them waves, when they comes ride them like there is no tomorrow, if you get dunked relax, don't panic, move out of it, go out and ride another one!

Here's is a beautiful poetic verse from the first chapter of the book where Paul Bedson tells his story, it resonated so strongly with me that I had to read this many many times over, here it is:

Looking back, I see the path that has unfold on this meditation journey, the path that has brought me to this place, here today. My journey was navigated by the compass of grace, the guidance of many valued teachers and the good fortune to have listened to the "still, small voice" inside my heart --the voice of Spirit. This meditation journey has revealed an intimate love affair with the life within me, outside of me, and beyond, into the silent, nameless realms of awe and mystery. Like whispers echoing from a silent core.

Meditation has given me a deep reverence for the Divine, as it reveals itself in this ordinary life that we share. It has been a humbling process, learning to let go, learning when to trust and when to wait and see. Learning what I do not know, what I cannot know, and what I do not need to know. Basically how to "mind my own business"

And it has been an empowering process:learning that I have direct access to the source of creativity and goodness that sustains all life. I have learned that we are all One, that we are all connected, and therefore, my choices, my words and my deeds, my being, has an impact on all beings. This life does matter; I am important and special.

And you are important and special, and you can make a difference in your life, by paying attention to your choices, words, deeds, and your very being to impact yourself and all around you...

Peace,

Kirpal

The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness & Peace

I have almost finished reading this excellent book  "The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness & Peace" by Jack Kornfield.  I would love to meet Jack one day, his legendary book "A Path with Heart" was the first book that lead me to the path of independent thinking and investigation on matters of the spirit.

The book is a short read, divided into 3 sections on Forgivness, Lovingkindess & Peace. Each section has an excellent meditation to contemplate and develop these qualities. Although each meditation is only a few pages long, to practice it would take years, so it is with many important lessons in life.

If we must change then we must integrate what we are trying to learn, the first step is contemplation, the second step is action, the third result is joy, that comes about by the fruitful contemplation and action, much by itself.

 This definitely making it into the Guruhabit Bookshelf!

New Guruhabit Bookshelf Page

In the new Guruhabit Bookshelf Page I am keeping track of all the great books I am reading or have read.  I tend to read a good cross section of material, and shift out the really good books that resonate with me so I can revisit them again when needed.

These cover a broad range from spirituality, to fitness, to leadership and work, everything is really about one understanding oneself, to gain the courage to be oneself, to build the foundations required for the journey of life.

Zombies, Mindfulness & Karma

Picture "The Colors of the Soul" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney

We live in a world of the half dead, I say that because we aren't really living, we are existing, we aren't really thinking, we are caught up in the hurt of yesterday, and a fantasy dream about tomorrow. We are simply reacting and playing a script in auto-pilot that we have created for ourselves or one that has been created for us.

Today we will explore where this script is coming from, we will look at mindfulness as a technique which will allow you to undo this script and write a new script, one that will take you to the destination where you want to be, a destination of a less stressful life, richer relationships and better natural results!

Where is this script coming from?
We write this script everyday, consciously or unconsciously.

We are bombarded by advertising, social pressure, useless entertainment, less then perfect role models, with little time for solitude and self reflection.

It seems we are living everyone else's idea of what life should be except our own!

The script is your deep mental impressions or Sanskaras in Sanskrit.

Where does these deep mental impressions or Sanskaras come from?
These come from intent and action from the past and the present or karma, this life and many lives before.

The problem is that new scripts are being written by the momentum of previous negative scripts.

 

Albert Einstein once said “problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them”.

Imagine if you see things as they are, being able to truly listen, even if it is temporary, imagine if you could suspend yourself  long enough to reflect on it to determine the right response.  This technique is called mindfulness.

What is mindfulness?
As its simplest level, mindfulness is a matter of looking things as they are suspending judgment and thinking of any kind, be it temporary, however with all the attention and compassion we can give to it.

It involves non-doing, something that may be strange to the western world, how can the mind not being doing anything, truth is the mind needs an anchor to be focused on, doing one thing, and then the mind disappears into that one thing, thinking disappears, time disappears.

It requires you to be totally devoted to what you are doing there and then, focused totally on the activity at hand.  It could be a meeting at work, doing a toastmaster evaluation, doing homework with your kids. Use what you are doing to anchor yourself in the here and now, delaying self gratification, until the impulse to act is brought under control, and can be directed for a purpose.  Acting with purpose, builds new useful habits, a new useful script, it does not matter how small or big the act. A little positive change every day, builds a big positive change over time.

It can also reduce stress gently and naturally, and is the basis of a formal method used successfully for that purpose called MBSR.  Stress is the number one killer according the American Medical Association, causing at least 80% of all disease.

It asks for us to be present here and now, not in the past or the future but the now.  There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says “If you want to know your past – look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future – look into your present actions.”   There is another biblical reference that says the same thing "As you sow so shall you reap".  The results of tomorrow will depend on the quality of your choices today plain and simple.

Imagine if you could write a new script that reflected who you really want to be:
Would it not help you become a better human being? 
Would it not benefit those around you? 
Would it not benefit your community, and maybe even the planet?

We talked about why we are in Zombie mode, its because of our deep mental impressions or script that are created every day.

We need to be able to rewrite our script so that it takes us to where we want to be, a more happier, peaceful and rewarding life.

We can use mindfulness as a tool to interrupt ourselves just long enough to establish a new script that will let us focus on the present, establish deeper relationships and make the most of the opportunities of learning that come every day of our life.

It all starts by being mindfully present today, now :)

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln

Peace,

Kirpal

 

For further reading on mindfulness I highly recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn's book "Wherever you go there you are" which discusses mindfulness in a great amount of detail.

Book Review - Calming your Anxious Mind (using MBSR)

Picture "Buddha's Eagle" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under CC

Looking through the public library in Georgetown, the book "Calming your Anxious Mind" by Jeffrey Brantley, MD caught my eye, I had an intention of reading a good book on mindfulness, and I finally found one.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Techniques (MBTR)
The book focuses on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Techniques used for treating anxiety related afflictions.  One does not need to have any deep seated anxiety to benefit from the book, although, I could argue, this is a natural state of affair in today's "highly strung" world. It is difficult to find content that distills mindfulness techniques in such a concentrated form and combines it with scientific application. This is a great book for Beginners, "Zen Masters", and anyone in the middle.

Seeing that mindfulness cannot really be taught in theory, only experienced, a number of mindful exercises are presented, as well as distilled concepts that explain how to apply it with a non-religious context.  I tend to avoid discussions on religion, because it tends to creates so much division, and intolerance, one of the reasons why mindfulness, meditation, spirituality, and yoga appeals to me so much, because it unites without dividing. Religion is not always spirituality, spirituality is not always religion.

Seven Essential Mindfulness Attitudes 

I really liked the seven essential attitudes to mindfulness from the book . These are attitudes of non-judging, patience, beginner's mind, trust, non striving, acceptance and letting go. On each of this a real case study example of normal everyday people applying the techniques is presented.  I like this, because it shows that we all have these innate abilities, we just need to "Switch Channels".  Also in the book there is a very interesting mindful eating exercise using raisins!

Non-judging
I notice I tend to judge people to quickly, solutions to problems too soon, make purchasing decisions too soon, this also closes me off too soon from seeing things from a wider and deeper point of view.  I need to practice "reserving judgement" until I am ready to act from a deeper awareness.

I saw this once in some reality cooking show where a bunch of chefs were competing the make a wedding cake for the couple, one chef took a photo, and got out within a few minutes out of the limousine to get the ball rolling.  Not surprisingly the couple that spent the most time in the limousine won!  They reserved judgement, and stayed present to understand.

Patience
I see this all the time in road rage all the time, people all in the hurry of getting somewhere (or no-where) in a hurry. Once a sense of time kicks in about something, all sense of compassion seems to fly out the window!

Focus on the present moment now, forget about everything else, plan out your day so you can do this.  Cut short the activity or stay in the activity fully, don't be half-half.

Beginner's mind
Anyone seen someone with a  "who knows it all" attitude. If you know it all, then your cup is full, why bother telling you anything!  This quality is about approaching everything for the first time, allowing natural curiosity to flow through.  It involves humility as you consider other peoples points of view.  It opens you up for a valuable window of learning from anyone, even your kids.  I have asked my kids in primary school questions on English concepts!


Trust
Trust in the intelligence in yourself, there is no need to go running after people who are better actors than you are.


Non striving
Don't try to hard, its usually the sign of ego and competition.  Just do your best and let it be.

Your energy is better conserved for the quality of your work and the depth of your relationships rather than showmanship.

>

Acceptance
Why waste energy on things that are difficult to change, just focus your attention on those things in your control instead, even that once you do your best let it go and accept the results

Letting go
Once you have expended the effort, don't dwell on it, good or bad, let it go, let it go, let it go.  Dwelling on things good or bad traps your energies.

Closing - Mindfulness works wonders

Mindfulness works wonders in day to day life:
Colors of the flowers are brighter,
The chill of the rain is refreshing,
The songs of the bird are engaging,
The warmth of the sun is soothing,
The breeze of the wind almost makes you sway from side to side,
The tiny drops on your face from the rain totally absorbs you
The smile from loved ones are so re-assuring

Focusing your mind on your emotions and letting it be, tames the emotions and engages clear thinking, anger subsides, sadness gives way to reflection, love is amplified...

Just for one moment, you forget about yourself, time and space lose their meaning, you are freed from yourself.

Why give this all up for cheap imitations of technology and the negative afflictions of the mind... .. .

Peace,

Kirpal

Follows is a sample from the book for your convience:

Daily Meditation for Calming your Anxious Mind