Learning meditation and mindfulness - the challenges

Basically I was disturbed because I was not practicing mindfulnessand awareness as I went through the day the way I would have liked.I did some thinking and the following are the thoughts that came tome as I was practicing and learning meditation.

Those of you who are interested in practicing awareness in your dayto day life may find this useful. Practicing awareness takes us outof the mind and our habits of compulsive thinking; it helps usexperience life more intensely; takes us out of the ego with itspain and problems and helps us to be sane. This is the connection between mindfulness and mental health.

Others can just read it anyway. You might find it interesting. This is I think essential in practicing and learning meditation in daily life.

Here then are my thoughts:

First one of the quotes by Confucius. This is one of the Confuciusquotations that I have found most useful and inspiring.

"From the age of fifteen on I have been intent on learning, fromthirty on I have established myself; from forty on I have not beenconfused; from fifty on I have known the mandate of heaven; fromsixty on my ear has been attuned; from seventy on I have followedmy heart's desire without transgressing what is right."

It took Confucius 70 years of effort before he could follow hisheart's desire without breaking the precepts.

Now some reflections on why I am finding it difficult to be aware,to be mindful.

I have had 40 years of being distracted, 40 years of being lost inthe mind, 40 years of too much thinking and going in the wrongdirection completely.

The past three years I have taken an interest in EasternPhilosophy. In this time I practiced Vipassana regularly for about6 months. I was also regular in my mindfulness practice for a shortperiod of time. So I havw been practing and learning meditation only for a short period of time.

I have a feeling of condemnation or judgment about myself because Iam not being aware and mindful or not attempting to do so for amajor part of the day. It is best to be aware of this feeling ofcondemnation and be free of it. This is a skillful means toencourage mindfulness for beginners.

Another reason why it is difficult to avoid being caught up inthoughts is that I am up face to face with unpleasant memories, myfeeling of condemnation and pain when I stop my compulsivethinking. But it is necessary to face this. The art of mindfulness,the path to awareness lies through this.

Aim for 5 seconds of mindfulness. For those 5 seconds you will havedropped the mind, for those 5 seconds you will have lived. The art of mindfulness requires repeated efforts to be aware after you cactch yourself being

distracted.

Right now I am looking at and remembering the times that I am notbeing aware and condemning myself for it. Instead of that shiftyour focus and congratulate yourself for the times that you areaware. Osho also recommends this.

Aim for 5 seconds of mindfulness and keep repeating every time youcatch yourself being distracted.

It will need an effort but if you are free from your feeling ofcondemnation and do not feed it and distract yourself from it thenit will become easier.

This is the way to practice mindfulness in daily life. You will beaware and be practicing mindfulness. Relaxation will also follow as you are not beingcaught up in the mind and the ego. Beginning mindfulness isdifficult as you are learning a new skill. As you develop the skillit will become easier.

Confucius said that it took his continuous efforts over a lifetimebefore he could follow his heart's desire and not break theprecepts. And he started young. And he was Confucius.

This again goes to show that it is not at all surprising that youshould be lost in your mind so frequently and for so long.

It will take a long time. Deal with the condemnation and startagain when you suffer a relapse and find yourself distracted. Dothis without getting discouraged. Focus on your successes and noton your failures. Expect to fail and start again repeatedly. This is the key to learning meditation in daily life.

You may never reach a point where you can follow your heart'sdesire without breaking the precepts (that is being aware withouteffort). You may never reach your goal (of being aware all throughthe day every moment of the day).

But the journey is important and you will be living while you areon that journey. Every moment, every second that you are mindfulis a moment that you have lived and lived well. Be happy with that,think of that congratulate yourself for that. It is not that youwill start living only after having achieved the goal.

Concentrate on the journey. You may never achieve the goal. It tookConfucius 70 years. And he was Confucius.

So this is what is required in practicing and learning meditation and mindfulness in daily life.

This ends my thoughts and reflections. I hope you will find itinteresting and useful.

Learning meditation
Meditation