Is it Possible to Cultivate Permanent Mindfulness?

Can mindfulness be permanent and everlasting?  The answer is yes because mindfulness is the present moment and the present moment is always permanent no matter what.  Think of it - the only thing that is permanent is the present moment.  Everything else is unstable and impermanent.  The earth, the stars, everything in the universe is changing.  But right now, at this very moment, there is complete and absolute stability.  Don't you see? 

The only reason you don't stay in the present moment is because of the mind.  Your body is in the present moment but your mind wanders from the past to future.  When you keep your mind with your body, you, the total you, will be in the present moment.  Try it. 

When you are in the present moment there is no past and no future - only Now.  And the present moment is unchanging, therefore it is permanent.  There is no permanence, however, when you compare past and present, present and future, or past and future. Also, there is no permanence when you dwell in the past and/or the future.

Simply through the act of thinking, you alter, influence, and even create your own world.  Werner Heisenberg showed this to be true in the1920's with quantum physics.  Your reality depends upon what you have decided it to be.  What you experience and subjectively think about the event with which you observed and possible interacted creates your reality.  You as the observer of your experience, choose how the experience is experienced.  For example, if you see someone you know down the isle in a grocery store, wave at them and they look away, you might create any number of thoughts: (1) "He didn't see me," (2) "He doesn't like me," (3) "It was somebody else," (4) He's a snob."  The more times the same event happens, the stronger the belief and therefore the stronger the reality.
Thoughts and beliefs determine how you see the world.  If you believe that all millionaires are greedy, then all millionaires are greedy. If you believe the world is in a terrible situation, the world is in a terrible situation.  My point is, thinking and believing are what make your own reality.  And thinking is usually focused on the past and the future.  "The world used to be that way, now it's this way and in the future it's going to be that way."  You are comparing the past with the future so there is no permanence. 

By stilling the mind and focusing on the present moment, impermanence immediately disappears.  You can remain in the moment and mindful even if you are deciding what to wear at a party tomorrow night as long as you understand that you are thinking and acting in the present moment.  The chore comes with staying in the present moment.
Remember, everything is already in the present moment except for the out-of-moment mind.  With practice, patience, and persistence the thinking mind will stay longer and longer in mindfulness.  Only a few people will ever achieve the ever-present mind but that doesn't mean you cannot.  Those who give up will never be permanently mindful - only those who persivere.

                                                                      NAMASTE'

Being mindful in dire situations

It's easier to be mindful in less stressful situations than it is in more stressful situations.  That's a stupid statement, but it's true? If you are going to be mindful what is going to prevent you from being mindful when the "chips are down," like when you are confronted by a madman pointing a gun at you or having to kill someone in combat?

Mindfulness is supposed to be living in the moment, accepting what is, having empathy, compassion and being non-aggressive.  When we are confronted with life threatening situations the primal instinct of fight or flight takes over automatically.  It's as natural as farting.  Our body's central nervous system slips into the sympathetic modus operandi under the most dire of situations. We can be in a state of harmony with body and nature and all of a sudden a snake falls out of a tree and lands on our shoulder.  We go from being at peace with the world to panic in a fraction of a second.  It doesn't take much to press the buttons, sound the alarm and jump three feet straight up yelling and screaming.

Although it has been shown that the practice of mindfulness can actually change the structure of the brain (neuroplasticity), it is virtually impossible to override the instinctive reaction of fight or flight. 
It has taken humans thousands of years to get where we are and we aren't about to change overnight.  We are not going to change overnight but we can practice mindfulness and it can become a feature in our everyday life.
Let's say you have been practicing mindfulness for quite a while and you are pretty good at staying in the moment under adverse situations.  When that person cut you off in traffic, the doctor kept you waiting in the examining room for two hours, your spouse yelled at you for no good reason and the bills piled up, you were able to remain cool, calm, and collected.  You stayed in the moment and let the experience occur without becoming agitated, disturbed or frustrated.  But what would you do if you had to go to war and kill the enemy?
When I was in Vietnam there were guys that had ears of the enemy hanging from their belts.  There was no compassion, love or empathy for the people they killed.  After days and days of close, bloody combat they quickly learned that it was either "me or them."  In fact they learned to hate the enemy so much they didn't see them as real people but as objects - "scum", "gooks", "VC".

They wanted them not only dead but blown up, mangled and shredded.

A soldier could go into war and be mindful but it would take lots of mindful practice.  It would take months of practice and would cost the government billions of dollars.  It would take a mindful, understanding and compassionate government to undertake such a program. Since soldiers are seen as expendable that, most likely, will never happen.  But, it would be possible.

You are facing the enemy and see them as humans fighting for their country just like you are.  They come at you with all they've got.  They are running with their bayonets, yelling and screaming with fire in their eyes.  You point your weapon at them and say to yourself, "I'm sorry friend" and pull the trigger.  He goes down and you have sympathy for him.  You point your weapon at another one and kill him too. After the battle you and your buddies gather the dead and say a prayer for them, put them in body bags to be taken back to their country for a proper burial. 

In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna says to the warrior Arjuna, "If you fail to wage war of sacred duty, you will abandon your own duty and fame only to gain evil," II-33.  Krishna is telling Arjuna that as an honorable warrior he must kill his enemy, but it must be with compassion ("sacred duty").  If it is not not with compassion then you will be eaten up with hatred, hostility, animosity, and antipathy. This is why so many warriors come home mentally broken. Their lack of compassion for their enemy turns into nightmares that haunt them for the rest of their lives.  Too many combat veterans come home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), hatred, insomnia, chronic fatigue, lack of will to live, inability to function in society and even love their spouses. 

If soldiers could learn how to be mindful they would not come home with evil embedded in their souls.  They would come home with compassion and love and there would be no need to spend billions of dollars on the back-end trying to mend broken soldiers.  Why not teach them mindfulness on the front-end, before they go to war?  Treat the enemy as honorable warriors as they deserve to be treated.

Some people like Edward O Wilson, in his new book - The Social Conquest of Earth, views war as a permanent manifestation of human nature.  Then there is John Horgan, director of the Stevens Institute of Technology who declares in his new book, The End of War, that war is not a biological curse but a cultural innovation, an especially vicious, persistent meme, which culture can help us transcend.  Whatever the case, I contend that war is a limiting factor in populations much like social grievances, political and religious values, competition, territoriality, fecundity, food, water and parasites.  Competition can lead to war and war is competition. 

In the next blog - Can you cultivate permanent mindfulness?

What is Mindfulness?

What does it mean to be mindful?  What are you to be mindful of?  Does mindfulness mean to be mindful of the mind, of thoughts, of yourself, of others, or what?  And, how does one go about being mindful? 

To be mindful means to live in the moment.  That's it, nothing more.  Be in the moment and enjoy the experience of what is happening right now within and without.  It is being aware of thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and what's going on around you, right now this very moment.  Sounds easy?  Check it out and see for yourself. . . Not easy.  The mechanical mind won't let you.  Thoughts of judging, thoughts of the past, the future, random thoughts, troubling thoughts, and "What if?" thoughts.  All kind of thoughts invade the mind and won't leave you alone for very long.  So, how do you cultivate mindfulness?

Cultivating mindfulness begins with meditation.  Not just any old meditation but mindful meditation.  Sit quietly observing and feeling your breathing - the expansion and contraction of the rib cage and the flow of air in and out. Once you have that mastered you can go to the next step -watching your thoughts come and go as if they were words and pictures floating by.  Don't get caught up in the thoughts but just let them pass in and out of view without giving them a second thought.  These are the first steps in cultivating mindfulness.  This is inward mindfulness.  It is looking inward and noticing the breath, the thoughts, emotions, reactions in the body, discomforts and whatever else is happening in the body.

Next is outward mindfulness - going beyond the body and into more of an awakening to what is happening outside the body.  Being aware of sounds, people, things, smells, and all of your sensory receptions to the immediate environment will broaden your mindfulness.  Practice some loving kindness, turning more toward compassion and consideration for all beings.

Sitting in inward and outward mindfulness is a formal practice that you should practice daily until they become meshed as one experience.  Your informal practice will blossom when you can be mindful during your everyday living.  Being both inward and outward in mindfulness will bring a new meaning to living in this world.

Mindfulness is being aware and open to your experiences.  It is not necessarily about improvement or change but more about becoming more of what you already are.  Being mindful allows you to get away from the mechanical mind and see things as they truly are, seeing each event as if it is occurring for the very first time - living in the moment and realizing everyone is in the same boat.

In a situation that is unnerving, uncomfortable, upsetting or even chaotic see if you can observe the experience without reacting to it.  Reflect on your thoughts and emotions in the moment.  Stop, look, and listen to yourself and what is going on around you.  For example, let's say you are sitting on a park bench when all of a sudden some children start chasing one another around your bench.  They begin shouting and screaming at the top of their lungs.  You feel yourself becoming annoyed and agitated.  But you have remembered to be mindful.  You observe the children and you observe your emotions.  You reflect on your thoughts.  You become the witness of the experience and embrace the situation.  You are right here in the moment witnessing a brand new experience.  You are mindful, at peace and you enjoy the experience.

What would you do if you were confronted with a life or death situation?  In the next post I will discuss the role of mindfulness in dangerous and hostile circumstances.









                                                 

Buzzards

Early this morning my two Westie pups were barking their heads off.  I got up from bed to see what was the matter.  And to my surprise there was a bunch of buzzards on top of my neighbor's house.  I ran back into the house and grabbed my camera and took these pictures.

I counted 18 buzzards.  I couldn't believe it so I counted again.  A sure enough total of 18 buzzards looking for a meal.  I called my good friend (the neighbor) who wasn't up yet so I left a message.  I said, "Jim, are you okay?  Are you feeling well?  There are 18 buzzards on top of your house."  About and hour later the phone rang and it was Jim.  He said, "Are you sure there were 18 buzzards on my roof?"  I said, "For certain.  I counted them twice.  Eighteen is what there were."  He then he asked, "How many points are there on the self Mandala?"  He was referring to chapter 6 in my book on pure awareness.  I said, "Oh my god - there are 18 points."  And he said, "And they all point back to the fear of death."   

The 18 points are: Unique, Special, Importance, Belonging, Acceptance, Intimacy, Achievement, Competence, Control, Aesthetics, Stimulation, Novelty, Relaxation, Security, Peace of Mind, Loneliness, Nothingness, and Helplessness.  From these 18 points you can pick which ones are meaningful for you to form you own personal mandala.  The mandala then becomes your description of your self - the person you refer to as "me" or "myself" or "I". As long as you cling to the self you will always have a fear of death.  The fear of death lingers in the background - the the back of the mind, so to speak.  The fear is always there as long as you identify with your small self.

These 18 buzzards were a coincidence to have landed on his house and for me to see them and report them to Jim.  I simply saw them as a coincidence but Jim saw them as a sign for remembering - to remember the self.

Cosmic Consciousness

Cosmic consciousness is the realization that infinity is both within and without. This realization can link you with the cosmic awareness that goes beyond space, time and your mind.  It will allow you to experience something that the five senses can never do.  See if you can go about your daily activities while in cosmic consciousness.  Click on the link below to get an understanding of what I'm talking about:

http://htwins.net/scale2/scale2.swf?bordercolor=white

Free Yourself from Thoughts and Time

For this practice you will need a yoga mat.  The practice is called the R.O.B.E. (Relax, OM, Back, Expansion).

 Relax

To begin this practice it's very important to be able to relax your body and mind. All sensations must be focused on two things: the body and the breath. The body and the breath are interconnected in such a way so when you focus on them at the same time thoughts cease almost immediately.
 Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it for five seconds and breathe out slowly.  As you breathe out focus on your chest and rib cage as they contract. This action of  slowly exhaling while focusing on the body engages the parasympathetic nervous system which in turn decreases the production of stress hormones such as cortisone and norepinephrine. The result is deep relaxation. Do five or six deep, slow breaths feeling the expansion and contraction of your rib cage and chest cavity.   You should be able to feel tension in your body melt away


 OM

While still sitting, chant OM several times using a deep resonating voice.  Focus on the vibrations in the body.

Back

Tuck your knees into your chest and gently roll onto your back.  Roll around on your back for a while feeling various pressure points on your spine and back muscles.

Expansion

Lie on your back, spread your feet apart as wide as the mat, and extend your arms straight out from your shoulders.  Breathe allowing prana (life force) to move into your body, down your legs, out your arms and fingers, up and out your head.  As prana moves through your body you may feel as though your body is expanding.  It may seem like your legs, arms and neck are getting longer.  You may feel as if all the molecules and atoms in your body are expanding out into space. Simply allow any and all feelings to occur without judgment.

This practice allows the robe of awareness to cover your body.  When you get up from the practice try continue wearing the robe day and night. You have moved beyond thought and time.  You are as close to enlightenment as one can get.

See when you look.
Listen when you hear.
Taste what you eat.
Feel when you touch.
Sense what you smell.



      

Going deeper into no thoughts and further beyond time

Acknowledging the fact that you have difficulty letting go of thoughts and that you are obsessed with time is the first step for going beyond thoughts and time.  The second step is developing the witness so you can self-observe.  Going beyond thoughts and time is a no brainer - pardon the pun, but, it is true, once you can observe the self, it takes no effort and it takes no thought.

To go deeper into no thoughts and further beyond time is not a case of dissociation from them but a conscious choice to be aware of them.  Thoughts, especially negative ones, usually bring about automatic responses such as wanting to separate the self from the thoughts or get them out of the mind.  Refusal to acknowledge thoughts, such as anger and hate, doesn't work, it makes them worse and produces emotional complications.  The same goes for time.  Once you are locked in the time continuum it's difficult to get out. Thinking everything is associated with time makes you a slave to time. The ability to observe past, present, and future, frees you from its constraints and allows you to see time for what it is - an illusion. 

When you experience a traumatic event such as a heated argument, a car wreck, death of a loved one or loss of a job; feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and hate can immediately take over any thoughts of peace and love you may have once had.  Usually responses to traumatic experiences are automatic and immediately lead toward labeling, judging, physical violence, mental and emotional outbursts and even complete dissociation with the event and people associated with it.  People who have been physically and sexually abused as children have been known to completely lock any memory of the trauma out of their minds. 

Instead of reacting automatically, the better choice is self-observation.  Self-observation is a conscious choice, not an automatic reaction.  It is being aware of thoughts, feelings, and emotions.   Self-observation allows you to be free of judgments and free to experience what is within your mind and body without being attached to thoughts and time.

So, how does one go about learning how to self-observe? The answer lies in traditional yoga.  By doing asanas (twists & bends) along with meditation you can learn to free yourself from unwanted thoughts and the constraints of time.  Getting in touch with your body, sensing your breathing and watching your thoughts while doing yoga teaches you about self-awareness.  And the more you do it, the better you get.

In the next post I will give you a yoga routine for freeing you from thoughts and time.