zen mindful 2

7/25/2019 Zen Mindful 2

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Koan #3

When walking - walk. When sitting - sit. But don't wobble!

When asked how he disciplined himself in Zen, a master replied, "Whenhungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep."

The questioner responded in a surprise, "But that is what everyone does""!ot at all," replied the master, "ost people are constantly distractedfrom what they are doing."

We should try to live and appreciate every moment in complete awareness. Zen is not

#trying# to follow a certain way, it is $ust %eing what you are and doing what you do

according to your true nature.

How much do we know our mind? We should ask ourselves this question before we are in trouble or confusion. To knowthe mind is a great thing to do as it can help us out of ignorance. Without ignorance, no matter whether the flag or themind is moving, the mind is still calm and clear. The calm and clear mind has no problem, but only peace.

indfu lness

What is it?&ontinuous, clear awareness of the present moment. 'lwaysreturning, whether from an en$oya%le fantasy, an emotional out%urst or amelancholy remem%rance( always returning to this moment. Beingfully here, present)moment after present)moment. This is mindfulness.It*s not a%out having your +mind)full of something, it*s actually theopposite - it*s the setting aside of your mental and emotional %aggage,resulting in a clarity and a uidity that lets thoughts, feelings and

perceptions ow smoothly through your awareness without sticking.

How do we get it?indfulness is something you do rather than get.But, as you /nd as soon as you start trying, it can %e quite di0cult tosimply pay attention to what is happening right in front of you. If you*relike most people, you*ve trained yourself over many years to spend yourenergy following your inner narratives. 1o, as soon as you*ve set yourawareness on something, it %ounces away to interpretations,speculations and pro$ections, and often ends up in a swirl of emotion. Tochange this you have to re)train your mind.

2 s teps

The Three 1tep method is a roadmap to the mindful life. 3ooted in ZenBuddhism, its new approach %egins with viewing our states of mind asphysical places that we visit. We e4plore the landscape of each one anddiscover its main characteristics so that we can pinpoint our position onthe roadmap at any time. 's we do this we learn to move %etween thesemindstates at will. 5ltimately we see how to integrate and %alance thesestates, moving from one to the other to live our life in a dynamic way

directly inspired %y the living moment rather than %eing unconsciouslydriven %y our fears, worries and fantasies. When we*re emotionally


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overwhelmed, we*ll recogni6e that we*re in that +place and know whichmind)state to move to in order to regain equanimity. When we need totake resolute action, we*ll know which state is %est suited to the task.The end result is a self)perpetuating mindfulness7 when practicing thetechniques the mind %ecomes calm and clear, which in turn makes the

process itself more e8ective.

9ow can I learn i t:

The Three 1teps to indfulness method is now availa%le online as thethird section of theZen indfulness &loud%ook.

9 indfulness !itualsto ake "our #ay$etter

%&mile, breathe and go slowly.' - Thich Nhat Hanh,en Buddhist onk

(ost written by ;eo Ba%auta.

)re you simply moving through your day, without fully living?

* did this for many years. *t was as if life were +ust passing by, and

* was waiting for something to happen. * always felt like * was

preparing for something later.

$ut today isnt preparation for tomorrow. Todays the main event.-ully live today by being mindful. * realie this is easier said than

done / mindfulness is a habit thats not easily picked up. )nd so

*ve decided to share with you some of my favorite mindfulness

rituals to help you appreciate every moment.

"ou dont need to do all of these, but give a few of them a try to

see if they make your day better.
http://www.zenmindfulness.com/cloudbook.phphttp://leobabauta.com/http://leobabauta.com/http://www.zenmindfulness.com/cloudbook.php


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indfulness !ituals!itual isnt about doing a routine mindlessly. *ts a way of

building something good into your life, so that you dont forgetwhats important. #one mindfully, a ritual can remind you to be

conscious. #one mindlessly, a ritual is meaningless.

Here are a few of my favorites0

". it in the o$ning. When you wake up, in the quiet of the

morning, perhaps as your coffee is brewing, get a small cushion

and sit on the floor. * will often use this opportunity to stretch, as

* am very infle1ible. * feel every muscle in my body, and it is like *am slowly awakening to the day. *ll also +ust sit, and focus on my

breathing going in and out. *m an absolute beginner when it

comes to meditation, but this always starts my day right.

%. B$ush &ou$ teeth. * assume we all brush our teeth, but

often we do it while thinking of other things. Try fully

concentrating on the action of brushing, on each stroke of each

tooth, going from one side of the mouth to the other. "ou end up

doing a better +ob, and it helps you realie how much we do onautopilot.

3. at ind(ull&. Turn off the T2, put away the computer and

mobile devices, even put away the book or newspaper. *f you eat

with any of these things 3most people do4, eating without them

will seem boring. )nd yet, unless you do this, you are not truly

appreciating your food. * like eating my oats 3with nuts and

berries / see my diet4 mindfully, paying attention to each bite. *tmakes the food taste better, and * eat slowly and with

gratefulness.

). Wash &ou$ bowl. When youre done eating, wash your dish

immediately. #o it while paying full attention to your washing, to

the water and suds.3ead more.

*. +$ink tea. Theres something ancient about the tea

ceremony / and when you drink tea as a mindfulness ritual,

youre connecting with millions of others who have done so over
http://zenhabits.net/diet/http://mnmlist.com/wash-your-bowl/http://zenhabits.net/diet/http://mnmlist.com/wash-your-bowl/


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the centuries. ake your own tea ceremony / prepare the tea

carefully and mindfully, pour it slowly, sip it with thoughtfulness.

&ee if you can set aside one time each day to do this, and it will

transform your day.. Walk slowl&. * like to take breaks from work, and go outside

for a little walk. Walk slowly, each step a practice in awareness.

(ay attention to your breathing, to everything around you, to the

sounds and light and te1ture of ob+ects.

. ead in silence. -ind a quiet time 3mornings or evenings

are great for me4, and a quiet spot, and read a good novel. Have

no television or computers on nearby, and +ust immerse yourself

in the world of the novel. *t might seem contradictory to let yourmind move from the present into the time of the novel, but its a

great practice in focus. )lso, * love a good novel more than almost

anything else.

/. 0ook at soeone g$ate(ull&. 5ach day, find someone

you care about. *nstead of +ust seeing what you always see, really

look at the person. Try not to do it creepily. &ee this person for the

miracle that she is, and be grateful for her e1istence. *f youre

feeling generous, tell that person how thankful you are for her.

1. Wo$k with (ocus. &tart your workday by choosing one task

that will make a big difference in your work, and clearing

everything else away. 6ust do that one task, and dont switch to

other tasks. &ingle7tasking is a great way to find focus. *ncrease

your onk ind.

These rituals arent the only time you should be mindful, but

theyre great reminders. Today, try a few of them to fully live and

fully appreciate this wonderful day.
http://zenhabits.net/focus/http://zenhabits.net/focus/

zen mindful 2

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