|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Finding Peace: A Taste of Mindfulness
When we are ill and don't know it, we are in a state of ignorance or delusion. We don't view ourselves as sick, so we don't believe it's necessary to go to a doctor or take any medication. We fail to recognize our own need for care and support. The same is true of someone suffering from afflictions of the mind-ill will, ego, doubt, and frustration due to unfulfilled desires. We rarely recognize the symptoms, and if we do, we don't know how to change in order to live with greater harmony and personal power. In order to understand what is limiting us, we must learn how to see, isolate and intentionally respond to these mental obstacles. In Sri Lanka, people frequently talk about peace. For more than 21 years, our country has been struggling for peace in a process complicated by politics, religion, economics and ethnicity. We dream of living without conflict. We long for peace to bloom in our nation. But sometimes I feel this peace is only a dream. How can we overcome the tremendous obstacles in order to live in harmony here? During one of my spiritual travels in northeastern Sri Lanka, I happened to stop at a tiny rural village. While eating a simple meal, I met a very poor, innocent-looking girl. She was about 16, and had spent her entire life in this war-torn area of poverty and despair. In our conversation, it became clear that she had no concept of life without violence. She had lost her relatives, feared for her own life, and experienced the ravages of hunger and homelessness on a daily basis. I was struck by her suffering. Her appearance conveyed only a hint of what she had endured. She looked calm and peaceful, but underneath that serene countenance was a bubbling cauldron of pain, fear, hopelessness, and despair. Most striking of all was that she was completely unaware of the effects of her chronic mental anguish. She had not even a vague understanding that her suffering created such insurmountable obstacles to peace and harmony in her own mind. She knew nothing other than what her life had shown her, and was so completely immersed in her suffering that she could not see the toll it had taken. A few days later, I was in the bustling city of Colombo. I saw many people going about their business, and noticed that same innocent, eerily peaceful look that I'd first noticed about the young girl. I had to wonder what kind of suffering they were experiencing under their own smiling masks. We always sympathize with the unhappiness and sorrow of others. We help people all the time, and this is good and kind of us. But we fail to realize that we ourselves are suffering. Everything that happens in the world affects us all. The relentless desire for more of everything is a driving factor that leaves behind unhappiness and discontentment. We know this. We feel it in our hearts. In order to relieve ourselves of this suffering, we must first learn how to still our minds. There are many special mindfulness meditation techniques that have been practiced by thousands of people with tremendous benefits. The key is to remember that you are your own master. When you start practicing mindfulness, little by little you will be able to clear your mind of your continuous racing thoughts. You must attain this stillness in order to clearly see and understand your limiting thoughts and self-constructed obstacles to peace and harmony. With practice, you will be able to come to this still and clear state of mind and overcome your mental ailments completely. Here's a simple exercise that will give you a taste of mindfulness meditation, which is often called vipassana meditation. Find a peaceful place-your bedroom, veranda, garden, or even your office. Sit in a comfortable position keeping your spine erect so that you can breathe easily. Close your eyes if you like, or simply allow them to develop a soft, unfocused gaze. Now, breathe deeply and completely for a few minutes, focusing your mind on the flow of your breath. Allow your body to relax while keeping your back straight. Watch your breath as it goes in and out, in and out. As you concentrate on your breath, you will notice that your mind becomes more settled. Your breath will become smooth and even. Continue in this state for several minutes, and finish your meditation with several deep breaths. By practicing this simple exercise, you will train your mind to become still. Continuous sessions of mental calm will bring you deeper clarity and a greater understanding of the source of your mental suffering. See it. Recognize it. Focus on releasing it. Finding peace in your nation begins with finding peace in yourself. Let's work on peace as individuals, and create greater harmony together. We could all benefit from a taste of mindfulness. About The Author Deva Ratnakara has been teaching yoga and mindfuless for over 20 years. He lives in Sri Lanka where he is the head of a 500-member meditation group. To learn about his yoga and mindfulness retreat in Sri Lanka in February 2005, please visit http://truemindfulness.org.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Searching For Your Calling ? Quest or Curse? Judging by the extraordinarily positive reader response to Po Bronson's What Should I Do With My Life?, people are aching for a sympathetic outlook on their stories of career dissatisfaction. They tend to be their own harshest critics, often riddled with self-doubt and embarrassment about not getting this "career thing" right. Maintaining a constructive attitude is challenging. In spite of contrary statistics - such as, the average American changes jobs eight times over the course of his/her lifetime - we still tend to harbor the expectation that we "should" decide by our late 20's/early 30's what we want to do and follow that thread for the remainder of our working lives. As T. puts it, "My search for work I'm passionate about is regarded by my friends like a child's drawing that's put up on the refrigerator?isn't that cute!" The Executive Coaching Contract Having found a coach you feel comfortable and excited about working with, the next step is to discuss and sign the coaching contract or agreement. This is vital to ensure that both coach and client are clear from the outset about what is expected. Courage and the Agony of Coaching Employees Coaching employees on sensitive and personal topics like performance or contribution to the organization can be as difficult and agonizing as telling a young son or daughter about sex for the first time. You end up playing the same mental games in your head over and over again: "What should they be told? How much do they already know? (Or how much do they want me to think they know?) How much detail should I go into?" If you are unable to answer any of these penetrating questions, you tend to put the task off for another six months. Eventually, you discover the harsh reality that there is very little they are unaware of, but a lot they don't know. 3 Secrets to Developing Superior People Skills 1. If What You Are Doing Is Not Working Change Your Approach Great Advice It never ceases to amaze me that every time I give a speech, do a seminar, or talk with people one-on-one, I get inundated with questions seeking the almighty answers to all that ails them. However, when I press them to come up with an answer to their own situation, they usually respond by offering their own solution right back to me. Tripping On Mindfulness One of the ironies of mindfulness is that it's still possible to be forgetful, klutzy, or even distracted while doing our best to pay attention. Top 10 Ways to Coach Yourself to Total Success! Coaching is about being your best. It's about performance, about "staying the course" and, in the end, about creating and living the life you really want. Many people use coaches to make more money, win the gold prize or do something dramatic. That's fun, and when it's right, it's wonderful! Do You Really Need A Home Business Mentor? Having a mentor can mean the difference between success and failure if you want to have a successful Internet home business. Enhancing Life for a Lifetime Do you often feel lonely, anxious, or even depressed? Is a mid-life or quarter-life crisis threatening your confidence, self-esteem and well-being? Do you yearn for practical advice on enhancing, balancing and bringing new joy to your personal and professional life? Six Steps for Creating Work-Life Balance Today an increasing number of us are experiencing burnout, low productivity, insomnia, and stress related illnesses?undoubtedly due to a lack of balance between our work and personal lives. It's time to look at how we can create greater balance in our work and personal lives. What looks like balance to one person may differ for another because individuals have different goals, values and definitions of success. However, there are some common definitions of balance that include: The Story ?From the Chicken Coop?? Many years ago my grandfather, had a small farm andchickens. One morning he sent me out to the chicken coop tocollect fresh eggs. He became concerned when I didn't returnafter a shot interval. When he came looking for me I jumpedwith joy, but he saw tears in my eyes and noticed that I was inan adjacent empty chicken coop, which could be entered onlythrough the same door as the occupied coop. How Empathy Can Reduce Your Anger Jim, a 42-year old engineer was teaching his eight-year-old son how to fly a radio-controlled airplane. As the airplane was taking off, Jim instructed his son to push the control stick on the radio to the right. He did and the airplane turned to the right. Plug in Your Systems for Success Have you ever noticed that so many of us who work diligently and ethically rarely achieve our objectives? And, why is it that those who-seemingly-work half as hard and half as long experience one success after another? Boost Your Self-Esteem What Is Self-Esteem? How to Optimize the Awesome Power of Thoughts and Imagination Have you encountered a time when you were in a traffic jam and was running late for an important meeting? Did you stay calmand focused? Or did your mind wander into the dark side ofthe impending consequences that may occur? Buyer Beware: Choose A Business Coach Carefully To Get The Results You Want Consider this scenario. A colleague suggests you get a business coach. Via the Internet, you find one close-by. The woman says she'd love to help. She charges $300 a month for two 30-minute calls. It seems like a good deal, so you eagerly sign on the dotted line. Parts that Make the Whole? or Not There are many parts that make up you. Home For The Holidays In my husband's family, family members send Christmas cards to other family members (parents to children, brothers and sisters to one another, etc.) even though the family always spends time together at Christmas for a meal and gift exchange. Attitude What makes attitude so important? Why not just learn some "seductiontechniques" to get the girl? The answer is simple: learning techniques (orhaving expensive clothing and cars) without improving your attitude is likewrapping a cheap gift in expensive wrapping paper. It still looks expensiveon the outside, but when the girl "unwraps" you, she'll find out that youwere faking it all along. This might work for a one-night stand, but if youwant anything more, you'll need to change both on the "inside" and"outside". The Need to Feel Special From the time Jennifer was a little child, she was demanding of attention, especially from her mother, Sarah. With two older brothers, Jennifer had a "special" place in the family as the baby and the only girl. She made sure to establish a "special" relationship with her mother, who relished the connection since she didn't have much of a relationship with her emotionally distant husband.
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |