Building a Mindful Society...

I managed to catch some of the "Creating a Mindful Society" town hall which was kindly streamed online.  Thanks to the thoughtfulness of Sounds True to make this available as a live stream to anyone.  

There where some great questions, please pardon my notes, paraphrasing and interpretation if they are not fully accurate and my lack of reference of the speakers:

Q. How is mindfulness different to meditation?

Mindfulness is a subset of mindfulness practice, mindfulness is generation of non-judgement fully attentive way of being.  Mindful works better with meditation because a formal meditation practice modifies internal state in a way that compliments mindfulness, both go hand in hand, like the left hand and right hand.  Mindfulness is moment by moment acceptance without judgement, (it involves awareness, but not necessarily thinking), which also happens in a formal meditation practice, both together come together in a form a perfect union. (I personally don't see much difference in them, although  with meditation you put some time aside, and focus on the meditation technique, I like to think that mindfulness integrates meditation into daily life)

Q. Positive Psychology vs Mindfulness

Happiness arrives in a spontaneous way with Mindfulness, its there, Positive Psychology although a step in the right direction, has lack of emphasis on specific paths to cultivate happiness, there is a difference between wholesomeness and (outwardly) happiness.  (Mindfulness lets you experience the whole range of your emotions, rather than denying them, accepting them as a teacher, learning from them.  Mindfulness, Meditation, Yoga, Qi Gong, Pranayama are all a laboratory to experiment and realize who you really are!).  A funny story was related when a Japanese scientist asked the Dalai Lama what was the most happiest time in your his life, the Dalai Lama replied saying "I think right now!"

Q3. There were several questions on how to make the mindful movement more prominent.

There were several answers, but the message was clearly that we don't want to create a false movement, better do just act in a mindful way, and to try to set up ways to practice and talk about it in your own circle.  Jon Kabat-Zinn indicated that if we unfold it in a conventional way then we may fall prey to conventional pitfalls as well.  Jon Kabat-Zinn said that one cannot put a center on awareness, and one cannot find the periphery of awareness.  He also said that we needed to be patient, and that a thousand year view of mindfulness unfolding could be taken, let us be patient and "lets not push the river", let us embody our own understanding, our own truths, and don't commoditize this, that would be a kiss of death.  Jon Kabat-Zinn said that we did not have to have a master plan of how it will unfold (otherwise it would be artificial, and there is already plenty of that in the world today!). 

One of the lady speakers mentioned on could start with places where we work, in our organisation, mindfulness training can help organisations, leaders today can make better change, every person can learn to put purposeful pause in before caught up in a knee jerk society tends to make.  Create communities, do it in your work space, create a drop in environment.  (I think this is the key personally, it is industry that create jobs, that create the economics to support the society and the environment.  It is the industries that need to think about the financial, social and environmental ecosystem of their communities and the planet!)   

Jon Kabat-Zinn said we can look at action itself as a meditation to be held in silence "What is next? Hold it in the silence of now, and be very aware of the impulse to act, and trust that whatever that is required of you will flower in its own time".  This is a political act, a gestational process, is what is required is trust that we have intelligence to do what is right, when the time is right, in something that looks a lot like doing nothing.  Don't fall into a dualistic view that I have to do something, take a stand sitting in silent, be very aware of impulse, and trust that it will flower in its own time.  This is fundamental in a more mindful unfolding of society and the world.

Jon Kabat-Zinn also said that one should not fall into a trap of  a new speak of love, kindness, or compassion, we could use the words as little as possible, and simply be loving, kind and compassionate. Be in the doing rather the talking.  Don't make it into a problem that you have to solve "trust your heart", your essence is already love and compassion "there is a reality that there is a aspect of our being that we can visit from time to time, that is beyond thought, have fidelity, authenticity, trust in our own hearts, practice it, enact it, embody it, be it failing over and over again, what's the big deal yourself if you fall on the ground, that's how these muscle are going to exercise us.

Saki Santorelli paused briefly and said Revolutions can create shallowness.  He then asked ourselves to ask the following questions of us:

What has been entrusted to you?

What have you been endowed with?

These are not easy questions to answer, but let it lead you.

Saki Santorelli went on to say, lets us put one foot in front the other, and try to walk, to roll up sleeves and say here I am.  We each are entrusted with something, endowed with something, Do just that, Be just that .  World will not change if we don't act (if we don't contemplate).  Failures are a good thing , it serves a good purpose, helping each of us will find our own way.  We don't need to drumbeat about to announce it, just discover you own happiness, own sadness, own capacity to love, its all about being a human being.  Just get out your own way to be a human being.  Take responsibility in your own way.

There was some mention of some links and references, so I pulled together what I could while watching and family: Studies at NIH, Information overload CIO Google , mindful.org, Jon Kabat-Zinn & Google (video above), Indra's net.

I hope everyone gets a chance to see the recasting of some of the events, including me starting Oct 3 @ live.soundstrue.com, it may be available for 30 days free (Thank you once again soundstrue for your gracious and thoughtful actions to share this experience across the world).

This event fills me with hope, and gratitude that there are some really good people out there that can help people like us, help us change for the better and that  change in the world is possible, be it difficult as it seems now..

Peace,

Kirpal

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.

Toast Master Speech 6 - 3 Raisin Zen Reflections (The Illumination Rush)

Picture "Wet" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under CC

I look back on the speech I made this week.  It's quite amazing the rush that you get from speaking.

The Illumination Rush

I was reading "Quiet Leadership" by David Rock, and he indicated that when there is an insight into anything (illumination) the whole brain lights up at a Gamma frequency, firing at a very high speed (40 Hz oscillation), and it is an immensely powerful experience.  Imagine a room with 20 odd people all having this experience, you can imagine what it was like.

Here is the section from David's book:

"Being in the illumination phase brings on a rush of energy...Even small illuminations pack an energetic punch.  Think for a moment about the buzz you get watching a whodunit police show or a great movie, when right at the end the mystery falls into place.  This rush is being driven by nothing more than a set of new connection in our brain.  And we get the same rush when we solve a dilemma at work for ourselves, too.

Right at the moment of insight, neurotransmitters such as adrenline are released...Having an insight is one of life's most pleasant moments

The very moment an insight occur, the brain gives off strong gamma-band waves.  Gamma-band waves are the only frequency found in all parts of the brain, and are seen where the brain simultaneously process information from different regions"

On the speech itself, it was a simple mindfulness exercise using only 3 raisins, and a simple Zen story, with some definitions.  I wanted to talk about mindfulness but also wanted everyone to raise their awareness of it.  I was happy I could deliver what I planned.

Speech Reflections

Here are some of my reflections:

- I did not really think that the speech was funny, but people were laughing left right and center :), probably at the absurdity of the actions, hearing the raisin, smelling it :)

- I was able to use the floor space better this time round

- I liked that I was able to put in a small spontaneousness encouragement comment to reinforce the learning

- The following process has worked really well for this and the last speech:

   1. As soon as I finish one speech, I started planning the next one

   2. Write it out weeks before

   3. Practice it the day before at least 3 times, I find that I usually have to make some changes, and cut out at least a quarter to half of the content

   4. Sleep over it, and practice it again before your real speech, I usually make more corrections, and I find that sleeping over it helps me prepare for it in some way

   5. Once I have an updated script of about 1-2 pages, I take it along just for backup, I have found that you don't really need to read once you have done the above.  I have to thank the president of the club, who "stretched" me by indicating asking me why I needed the notes, and letting me know in one of the speeches, I lost her while I was shuffling through my notes.

Feedback is a gift

A education instructor once told me that "Feedback is a gift".  I truly believe this and I encourage my readers to give me feedback, it is a valuable learning opportunity for me, in the same vein I can also not ask for gifts :)

Here are some of the things I picked up on which  I need to improve:

- I never knew that I talked in a monotone, its actually come up a two different evaluation in different ways

- There was an instant where there was a person next too me that needed a raisin, who left it at the other side of the views, I could have given her mine, I did think about it but I didn't carry through.  A big lesson that I am  being taught is the importance of listening and acting to that small voice inside you.

- I mentioned 4 months in 12 years rather than 12 months in 1 year

I have 3 more speeches to go till I attain my Effective Communication Certificate.   

To finish, I hope you got an understanding of the relationship between illumination and energy, the value of feedback, and the value of being stretched by someone else, and something about listening to your inner voice.

Peace, 

Kirpal

Toast Master Speech 6 - 3 Raisin Zen

Picture "Monk" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney

Hear the speech here (please adjust the volume when the speech starts):
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16196980/SoundNote/01E6BF86-9488-4E0B-88BC-EE152E7AAAED.soundnote/01E6BF86-9488-4E0B-88BC-EE152E7AAAED_0.m4a

Please also read my reflections on the speech here.

My original written speech follows which I used for preparation:

Introduction

A student asked his Zen Master:

"Master, how do you put enlightenment into action?  How do you practice it in everyday life?"
"By eating and sleeping," replied the master.
"But Master, everybody sleeps and everybody eats."
"But not everybody eats when they eat, and not everybody sleeps when they sleep."

Today we are going to explore what the Zen master meant, with that I would like you to eat the first raisin.

What the Zen master was referring to was mindfulness, and we are going to practice it today.

Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a state of awareness, that one embraces the current moment, and nothing else.

It is a state of being where one observes what is happening around themselves good or bad without judgment, just observing the facts as they are without trying to change anything.

Underneath all this is humility, kindness and compassion for yourself.

Without humility, kindness and compassion mindfulness is not possible.

Did you know how your number one critic is? David Rock CEO of Results Coaching indicated people judge themselves critically and negatively from anywhere between 500 to 2000 hours a day.

The first raisin you ate was done mindlessly.  We are now going to eat the second raisin mindfully with our attention fully engaged, without any judgment.

The second raisin
1. Pick up the second raisin, look at it as if you never seen a raisin, don’t judge the raisin, don’t judge the raisin, don’t judge me!
2. Bring the raisin to your ear, rub it, what do you hear
3. Bring the raisin to your nose, what do you smell
4. Bring the raisin to your mouth, don't eat it yet, notice what is happening to your mouth, is saliva forming
5. Put it in your mouth but don't chew it, feel it in your mouth
6. Take the first bite, observe what is happening
7. Start to chew slowly your attention being only on the raisin
8. Once you are done, relax, and let go

Take a step back and reflect how different the two experiences where, which one did you enjoy better, how you feel after the second raisin. Chances are you feel a lot more at ease, a lot more relaxed, a lot more at peace.

This is because you have switched of the negative filters on your mind, by bringing in focus on the present, without trying to engage thinking; you have engaged your consciousness.

Thinking is not consciousness, it stems from it, like a wave rising from the ocean, you have used the ocean. Why be a wave when you can be the ocean.

Closing - The third raisin

Can we now understand what the Zen master meant when he said “Eat when you eat, sleep when you sleep”

The last raisin, I would like to take away and reflect on it.

The raisin is a symbol of any moment that happens in your life, it can be good, it can be bad.  Try to practice the exercise with every moment that you have.

With that I would like to finish with a poem I wrote a while ago:

Just for today, practice being in the present moment
Just for today, accept it for what it is without trying to change it
Just for today, see it with the eye of your soul
Just for today, accept it whatever comes your way, good or bad
Just for today, give it you fullest attention without judgment
Just for today, embrace it with gratitude, and be kind to yourself, for you never know when it will be your last moment

Peace

Kirpal

If only everything in life could be bought!

Picture "Zen Ox" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under CC

The attention starved world is to busy to notice what is happening
Information and technology overflow do nothing more than confuse us
They are much more clever than us, they know more about how our minds work, than we do our own
Happiness is sold out of a bottle, mental endurance from caffeine
Health out of a pill, corpses packaged as food
All but poison in disguise but who cares, everyone line up in droves
Even spirituality is sold as a service
If only everything in life could be bought!
Millionaires would live forever in bliss, instead they suffer as much or more than the common man

Open your eyes to what is happening
Everything you need is already there with you, right here, right now
The creator is not so ignorant as to one's needs
The present deserves your attention, more than any wishful scheme
Simplify your your life, desires, thoughts and actions and be in peace with yourself

Kirpal

ZenManager - Transparency, your ally at work... .. .

Picture "Protected" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under CC

If there is anything I have learnt at work in the last 12 years of leadership related roles, it is the value of transparency.


There has been many times which I have been tempted not to be transparent, that is usually a signal for me to consider using the direct opposite instead to counteract the fear.  I took the following from my one of my posts:

Why invent things in your mind because of fear?

When the truth can be your best teacher and ally...

I use transparency to escalate issues, to share risk, and as a general communication tool to my customers to set expectations, to establish rapport, its application is endless, of course common sense and compassion is required to determine when transparency would be harmful, or the situation is too heated.

Read more here on the Zenmanager Blogspot... .. .

Peace,

Kirpal

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:

Every moment is priceless

Brilliant Picture "Beauty of Time" by kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under CC

Every moment is priceless, it is a gift, as well as a test,
Like a sculptor sculpting oneself,
Holding beautiful thoughts and intentions, and living by them
What else can result but a beautiful person?

Peace,

Kirpal

Accept the moment

Picture "Focus of Attention" kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under CC

Accept the moment for what it is
There is wisdom in the moment
Humble yourself to listen to it, to what it is telling you
Life is like a mirror, look at it, ponder it deeply
Change what needs to be changed, accept what you cannot change
Value the moment you have
For it is priceless... .. .


Peace,

Kirpal

Toast Master - The Real Secret Speech

I reflect on the speech I did today.  I hit my goals of doing the speech without notes, as well as having a minute to spare.  What was very interesting was that 4 out of the 5 speeches was all about the same related topics, one of the speeches, I thought was basically talking about the same thing but based on applying the lessons learnt from running!  Talk about synchronicity!

Improvements Required:
I got some constructive feedback which I would like to capture here for next time:
- Uneven Eye Contact: Although I had eye contact, I needed to establish eye contact with everyone in the audience.
- I was using the word "So" too many times.

I asked my daughter in year 5 what connectives I could use instead, she came up with so many: Thus, Therefore, Alas, she then when on and said there are "Time Connectives" that I could use as well: Finally, Initially, Thereafter...She then explained me there is the VCOP concept she is being taught at school Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers, Punctuation...It just goes to show that the answers to the questions you need are closer than you think they are!

Listen to the Real Secret Here

Employee Engagement & Mindfulness

Brilliant Photo by my favourite flicker photographer h.koppdelaney

I intuit, that engagement is really just mindfulness in the workplace. To explain mindfullness, I would like you to use this visualization in your mind that you may be able to relate to:

Imagine you are with your best friend having lunch, there is no stress, there is no need to keep up any airs or any self image, yet you are totally attentive to what is being said, listening deeply, respectfully, absorbing what is being said, and offering advice on an impromptu basis without thinking about it too much on all sorts of issues, even surprising yourself occasionally .  Here you are being mindful, in the present, relaxed, focused, alert, switching off excessive thoughts, just being present, enjoying the company of your friend, not to say accessing the innate intelligence of your core spiritual being.

Read article @ zenmanager.blogspot.com

The Real Secret

Picture of the Great Seal kindly provided by TW Collins under Creative Commons

The Secret
Most people would have heard or read the book "The Secret"...It basically says in not so many words you can "materialize anything you want by visualizing it repeatedly".

There is however a system of belief that the current moment holds the key to all that you need, and all that you are able to learn and assimilate from at this point in time.  

Exerting our will to materialize something implies that we always know what is best for us...well given a choice my son would eat chocolate morning, day and night, using this analogy, our awareness is too limited to see what is really the best for our own self growth...

Only in hindsight if we reflect deep enough we may be able to see what has happened that has lead us to the current moment.  Each moment, each disappointment is a chance for us to learn the real lessons in life, those of humility, love and compassion.

The Real Secret
While there is some insight on how the mind works in "The Secret", I would like to present my own very personal view of "The Real Secret".

Assuming you have the following formula:

Input + Process = Output

If we focus on just materializing the output, we will go to all ends to achieve it, the mind will do it but it will work out whatever way it can to get there sort of like a GPS in your car.

Once we get the output we desired, eventually we find out that it wasn't so great, and then we find another output, and so this goes on in a never ending cycle plummeting us into a life of misery.  My neighbour in Australia, went from relationship to relationship in this manner, he even left his wonderful wife and kids for a another woman, and did the same cycle again with her.  I am not sure how many kids he has now!

Corporations know this secret and how to manipulate people into thinking that their products (inputs) will lead to happiness in their advertisement brainwashing.  They dull a persons intelligence by clever bombarding and programming.  
Look at Coke - Open Happiness (How is happiness linked to drinking caffeinated sugar laden beverage)
Look at how MacDonald targets children and builds addiction from young
Look at the pharmaceutic companies that build drugs that have side affects that could kill you, they negate the mandatory warnings by showing happy contented people visually.
It seems everyone knows this except us.

What is the Output that Everyone Really Wants?
It is not a sense of Wholeness; a sense of Gratitude; a sense of Peace; a sense of Purpose and Meaning; a sense of Compassion; to Love and to be Loved and a sense of Contentment that we all want.  Yes, a million dollars would be nice, but my view is with an undisciplined mind (bad inputs & processes) this will still lead to nothing but suffering.

The irony is that we cannot get the above by focusing solely on the outputs.  If we look at the above, they are all positive outputs.  To get positive outputs you must have positive inputs and have a process to generate the Positive Output.

We can't get happiness from Coke!  

We can't buy health from a pill! 

We can't really get deeper relationships from Viagra!

Positive Inputs
Positive input includes right sensory input (images, sounds, thoughts), right environment, right values, right company,  compassionate diet, right purpose and right exercise.

This is like planting the right seeds on the fertile lands.  If we plant the seed of love, compassion, and truth, we will get fruits of happiness.  Positive values lead to positive actions which results in wholeness and positive results.  We can only get suffering from seeds of negative values such as Anger, Lust, Greed, Attachment, Pride, Ignorance and Sloth etc.

The Process
While the inputs are like seeds, or seedling planted.  The process is like daily maintainence of them, weeding them, watering and nourishing them.  There are some key aspects to the Process:
- Filter out the Non-Sense
- Be Mindful of the Present
- Breathe Deeply and Uniformly
- Build Positive Rituals to Focus the Mind

Filter out the Non-Sense

A good analogy is the three monkeys - "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil".

Stop putting crap into your system, leave it out, don't buy crap, don't watch crap, don't listen to crap, don' participate in crap, don't eat crap.

Be Mindful of the Present

The present is all that is needed of you.  Time is a artificial construct.  There is only the present moment, nothing more nothing less, you could drop dead any time without warning, so make it count.

Breathe Deeply and Uniformly

Breathing has a direct correlation to emotions, deep uniform breathing engages the frontal lobe of your brain, making thinking possible in pressure situations.  You can control your responses simply by taking timeout to focus on your breathing.

Build Positive Rituals to Focus the Mind

Unless you are a Zen Master you will need daily rituals to help focus your mind, and recharge frequently during the day.  Build in rituals that help you set intentions for the day, connect to people, recharge during the day, and reflect on the day.

Closing

The real secret is that we need to forget about the what we want (outputs), and focus only on what goes into our system (inputs) and exercising our innate intelligence and mindfulness (process), all good things comes automatically  from this.  It will also be a much more enjoyable and a less stressful experience, and others will respect you for that.

Enjoy the journey, stop to smell the roses, the results happens automatically determined by the quality of your input and process.

Peace,

Kirpal

Greatness is not a function of circumstance.  Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.  Jim Collins

Guru Habit 4 - Mindfulness

Photo tai chi kindly provided by Ken Seghers under Creative Commons

I am reading The Leaders Guide to Radical Management, in here it talks extensively about the failure of management in today's organisation. As I read through the book I know what the problem is, there is no presence of mind, its just a machine churning.

What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness means having the full presence of mind in whatever you are engaged in. It means being present in the current moment, with all your mind, body and senses engaged, locked on like a lazer in whatever you are doing, giving full attention, relaxed, attentive to all aspects of the situation including doing the right thing.

Mindfulness is "dhrana" of Patanjali's eight-fold path of Yoga, which is the focus of the mind on the task at hand. There is a natural impulse of the mind to be distracted in anything one does, but its our role to bring it back to the present moment, and it starts with self awareness that the mind is wandering off.

Mindfulness is kind of like always keeping your hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road, you might take a stretch or look at the beautiful scenery while driving, but never take your focus off the road and what is happening.

Same with our lives. We are too accustomed to doing too many thing at once, when was the last time we were fully present, there is always a tendency to be anywhere but the present. Mindfulness is more than just a nice thing to do, its critical to having a meaningful existence and "living" instead of "existing".  It allows to be sensitive to the inner and external world, and act in the best possible manner most beneficial for our self growth and aligned with our own internal values.

It also implies thoughtfulness, considering the far reaching impacts of our actions.  It separates a vegan from a carnivore.  A vegan knows that meat causes suffering for animals, and the environment, and chooses not to engage in creating such a demand.  It can be as simple as turning off lights that are not used, or re-cycling instead of just throwing something in the garbage bin.  It is our Earth after all.

It also implies sensitivity, and ability to be in tune with what is happening in the current moment, so that appropriate fine tuning can be made.  It means knowing when to back off with your partner, or adjust your approach in a work situation.  Today I was in a "coffee break" with a Division Chief by passing all "chain of command" communication to get to the heart of an important change being implemented in the organisation, I was able to adjust myself accordingly leaving a positive impression, still able to voice my concerns, some turned out to be valid, others not.

It also implies acting with integrity. Acting in a mindless way will never give any satisfaction to anyone or any organisation.  It is dangerous and self-sabotaging, and not to say the obvious, mindless!  There is no human spirit in being mindfully absent, and it always shows.

How do I develop Mindfulness?

One can never stop the mind from ceasing activity. However it is possible to direct the mind to always give full attention to the current situation by having clear goals and purpose, whether it be with family, or in a work situation or in a Yoga Class or Meditation. Most meditation technique have a way to direct the mind into stillness. That requires mindfulness.  Set yourself Goals and Purpose so that you can keep yourself on track, for example "I will enjoy the richness of my family, by doing whatever they are engaged with."

Iyengar often used to show different yoga poses one with being mindfully present, the other not, and there was always a significant difference between the two. We can do it too, think about the first date, how totally attentive you were. You have engaged this habit automatically, although you did not realize it. So its not something we cannot do. It something we have to engage and practice.

Practice with small things, so that it becomes a habit. The more you practice it the more masterful you get at it. It is not something that can be intellectually acquired, it is realized through practice, and the benefits are many.

Yoga and Qi Gong is a great way to practice mindfulness in a controlled environment, also at the same time reaping much health benefits.  In Qi Gong, slow hand movements are done around the bodies energy fields, and the mind is on the the hand movements and actively engaged in some sort of visualization.  It is a like a lazer smoothing away irregularities in the subtle energy fields and breath.  Yoga and Qi Gong also take away the stress that is stored in our bodies due to daily work and restore the bodies health so that the mind is not affected by the weakness of the physical body.  One cannot be mindfully present in pain or a stressful environment without such aid.  Yoga & Qi Gong is meditation in motion.  Looking back if it wasn't for meditation, I don't know how I would have got through the challenges I had in the last 15 years.

It is worth mentioning that one needs to be able to regulate ones breathing sometimes to be able to fully engage the mind, body and spirit. By practicing some form of breathing technique, Pranayama or Qi Gong, one can control breathing to be more conducive to having a relaxed state of mind rather than an agitated one. Athletes, Actors, Singers, Dancers, Yogis & Martial Arts all use mindful awareness and direction of breathing patterns to achieve ones goal.

To finish, I would like to say that Mindfulness is very much a desirable Guru Habit, and it is within our reach to practice and internalize.  Recognize it, practice it in small situations every day especially in Yoga or Qi Gong, so that it becomes a habit, and reap the full benefits of a mindful presence.

Regards

Kirpal
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. 
William Blake

Self - Alignment, the Zen Moment

Bonsai Moon kindly provided by h.koppdelaney under Creative Commons

It seems we are always playing an internal game of tug of war.  The senses of the Body are pulling in one direction, the Ego the other.  All these are pulling against higher facilities of the Mind, of Reason and Discrimination  and the intelligence of the Spirit.

Take for example, when I was in the Gym the other day, I looked around, and on the exercise machines around me, one person was reading a newspaper, the other person was bopping to music, the other person watching television, all of this happening while they are exercising on the machines.  Its like the mind is always somewhere else and the body is somewhere else.

Imagine four wheels of a car, each wheel representing the following Personal Dimension (Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, Physical), each on turning to a different direction, moving at a different speed, the car is not going to get very far.  The Spritual wheel always has its own direction and speed (Love, Compassion, Integrity), its a question whether the others are going to line up with this.

The internal tug of war is real, being pulled in all direction leaves you in a conflicted, confused and a stressful state (consciously or unconsciously) , a less than an optimal way of living.  Imagine the opposite, doing everything in line with your deepest values, being present in the current situation, with Mind (including Emotions), Body and Spirit all engaged, imagine how much more satisfying it is to be in that state, how much more effective that state is....

What we are talking about is the alignment of Mind, Body and Spirit, that alignment is a "Zen" moment, a Yogic moment, expansion of ourselves from the confines of our limited sense of  self and Ego.  This alignment when expressed is beautiful to watch, we are all in search of it, we want it, but we don't know its what we are looking for, we know its beautiful when we see it, we see it in personal triumphs of epic proportions, in music, art, poetry that seem to touch our very soul.

Only a person who has fully aligned herself can bring this out due to her own self mastery and seek to express it, so others can seek comfort in it "like shade under the tree under a hot summers day", and to inspire others to do so themselves in their own unique way.

What we have is a de-fragmented sense of Self, where the Mind is always somewhere, the Body is somewhere else, and the poor Spirit does not even seem to exist.  Yet it is the Spirit that gives us life, that powers our Mind.  Further more add narcotics, alcohol, drugs and a mindless diet, and no spiritual mentors, what do you get? An ordinary awareness the size of an apple...

We are but slaves, for the Mind is a slave to the Senses and the Ego and holds the Spirit a prisoner, we don't have any idea of freedom.  True freedom lies in being free from the whims and attachments of the Mind, Ego and Senses, it lies in the full expression of the Spirit within us, letting it go to actualize the inherit goodness, compassion and wisdom in all of us.  It lies within yourself like a diamond waiting to be discovered, we have to peel layer upon layer of our existence to discover it.

The Eightfold Path of Yoga (totally universal, not specific to any religion) is the key I believe.  I will attempt to explain it in a few lines:

Eliminate unwanted stress by doing the right thing (yama & niyama) , through your postures (asanas) enable yourself to withstand all sort of physical, emotional and mental stress, through the practice of mindful breathing (pranayama), gather the energy to manage your emotions and achieve clear thinking, next exercise control over your senses and actions with self moderation  (pratyahara).  Once you have this you are in a position to sit for meditation effectively, achieve concentration (dhyana), and reach beyond your mind to your Spirit (Samadhi)

Wishing you the mindfulness to align all your Mental, Physical and Spritual resources to get the most out of your life. 

Kirpal

Understanding The Zen Mind

To understand the Zen Mind, one needs to understand the concept of the physical, the mental and whats beyond the mental.

Most people understand the physical, they don't see the pervasiveness of the mental, and the infinite wisdom beyond the mental.

Qi or Prana is at the mental level, what powers the Qi or Prana is beyond the mental. To see beyond the mental is the zen mind, one may call it no mind, but that is simplifying it to a Nth Degree! One can do this by only by meditation.

Meditation is focusing the mental thoughts in a relaxed manner much like a lazer focusing light to cut through anything. Focused thoughts are very, very powerful!

Enjoy the great video, and I hope this explanation draws some clarity on it.

Wishing you Love, Truth and Compassion,

Kirpal


This work by Kirpal Chauhan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License