Remembering To Remember To Be Mindful

We’re all aware of a beautiful sunset when we’re out at the beach, watching. We may even know that our eyes are seeing, as the sun dips below the horizon, that our ears are hearing, as the waves crash on the shore, that the sand in our hands is cold, or warm, or damp.

But are we aware of the deeper dimensions of mind? Are we aware of that small voice that says, “I should do this more often. I should rent a place at the beach. I should move to the beach.”

Transcript

Hey everyone,

It's Judy Cohen and this is Wake Up Call 384.

We are exploring the seven factors of awakening and just looking at awakening in the way Christina Feldman of Gaia House defines it.

And I really like this as emerging from a habit-driven compulsive life into a life where we flourish,

Where we're creative and engaged,

And where we are free.

So the seven factors are mindfulness,

Investigation,

Energy,

Joy,

Tranquility,

Concentration,

And equanimity.

And just remembering from last week that these factors are already present and what we're doing is we are illuminating them and cultivating them.

So starting with mindfulness,

We all know what that is,

Right?

I mean,

I would have said yes.

And then I just noticed that the longer I practice,

The less I feel like I know what mindfulness is.

So I wanted to start there with what is mindfulness.

And the Oxford English Dictionary,

It's cool that the OED has a definition,

Right?

Defines mindfulness as the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

And a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's thoughts,

Emotions,

And bodily sensations used as a therapeutic technique.

So I think that's not a bad definition,

Although I'm not sure about the therapeutic technique part because to me it points towards self-improvement,

Which is something I want to talk about.

But anyway,

For sure mindfulness is used in some therapeutic modalities.

Here's another one.

How about having your mind on what you're doing?

And that's from a site called kidshealth.

Org.

So for kids,

Great place to start,

Maybe for me too.

Mindful.

Org defines mindfulness as the basic human ability to be fully present,

Aware of where we are and what we're doing and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us.

And that seems closer.

It's close to Jon Kabat-Zinn's what's now his classical secular definition of paying attention on purpose without judgment.

And then I really like what Wikipedia does.

Wiki goes farther.

It says mindfulness in part,

It says,

Is the practice of purposefully bringing one's attention to present moment experience without evaluation.

So very similar to Jon's definition.

A skill one develops through meditation or other training and which derives from sati,

Which everybody probably remembers is the Pali word that means to recollect or to remember,

To recollect or remember to be present or to come back to the present moment when the mind has wandered.

And then the Wiki article also says mindfulness is about seeing how past,

Present and future moments arise and cease as momentary sense impressions and mental phenomenon.

So that's really good.

And then you've all heard me talk about mindfulness as intentional moment to moment awareness with courage and grace and without wishing things were other than they are.

And I use that because I think of intentional and that's expressed or it's implied in all of the other definitions intentional because,

Because otherwise we're just lucky to have been paying attention in any given moment.

Whereas mindfulness is intentional cultivation and courage because when we do pay attention intentionally not every moment is pleasant and it can be hard to be with or certainly to stay with the difficult moments,

At least for me.

And also because when we do that,

When we are intentionally present,

We start to see how past,

Present and future moments arise and cease as momentary sense impressions and mental phenomenon.

And that means really we're getting a taste of the truth of impermanence.

And there,

I have certainly needed some courage to really see that.

And then grace,

Which is,

I think very much like not overly reacting or being overwhelmed by what's going on around us.

And those are pointing in equanimity,

The ability to be with whatever is happening,

Even when it's upsetting or when it's just a lot,

Like how it is practicing law.

And then not wishing things were other than they are.

For me,

That's about remembering that everything is impermanent,

Including ourselves,

That we aren't fixed,

We're always changing.

And because of that,

We can always be cultivating our loving kindness,

Our compassion.

And what I like about that is that it points to the liberating aspects of impermanence and emptiness and suffering.

But the definition or the explanation maybe is better of mindfulness that I like best right now,

And it's an old one,

Is the one that Joseph Goldstein talks about in his talk,

What mindfulness is and isn't.

What mindfulness is and isn't.

And you can get that talk on dharmaseed.

Org,

Or you can also grab the Dharmaseed app,

And it's free,

And look it up by its title.

You can look talks up by their title.

So what mindfulness is and isn't.

And I'm going to do my best and probably not do a very good job at all of summarizing what Joseph says.

But he makes these two main points.

So first he says mindfulness is not what he calls black lab consciousness.

And he's talking about a black Labrador.

And he says,

If you watch a black lab,

You can see that when they're sniffing,

They are fully sniffing,

100,

000% present in the moment.

But at least as far as we can tell,

They're not aware that they're sniffing.

Or if they are,

We can't see that.

And it doesn't look like that because,

I mean,

I don't know about your dog,

If you have one,

But mine would sniff her way right off a cliff.

So mindfulness is not only being 100,

000% attentive to sniffing,

But it's also being aware that smelling is happening.

And right now you could ask yourself,

Are you hearing my voice or seeing the slide?

And if so,

Are you also aware that hearing or seeing is happening?

Then you're almost there for this piece,

This first piece,

According to Joseph.

And then the final step of this piece of what mindfulness is,

And it's really taking one step back from there,

Is being aware of awareness.

So being aware of the slide,

Aware that seeing is happening,

And then aware that awareness is happening or is present.

And I've heard another teacher call that awarenessing.

And then Joseph says there's the second piece and it's the filters.

So for example,

I may be aware that I'm smelling chocolate chip cookies baking,

Or that I'm feeling stressed about a matter I'm working on.

So smelling is happening,

And I'm aware that it's happening.

And maybe I'm aware that awareness is present,

Or stress is happening and I'm aware that I'm experiencing it in my body.

Maybe I feel it as a tightness.

And maybe I'm even aware that awareness is at play,

Is working,

Is happening.

But Joseph says,

What's the filter?

The filter is the key.

Smelling the cookies,

I know for sure my filter is wanting,

Grasping,

Yearning.

I want one,

Then I want another one.

And before I know it,

I've had four.

Not aware that the filter of wanting is driving me.

Or feeling stress,

I know for sure my filter is going to be not wanting,

Not wanting more stress in my life.

Frustration that I have it.

Wanting things to be different.

And maybe I have a glass of wine,

Or two,

Or three,

Before I'm aware that the filter of not wanting is driving me.

So seeing the filters is the second piece of mindfulness,

According to Joseph.

All of our lives,

Every moment of experience,

He says,

Is filtered.

And our task is to see the filters,

And the classic filters,

Big buckets,

Greed,

Aversion,

And delusion,

And then all of their progeny.

Because when we can be mindful of the filters,

Then we can focus our awareness on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting our thoughts,

Emotions,

And bodily sensations,

As the OED says.

Or as mindful.

Org says,

We can be fully present and aware of where we are and what we're doing,

And not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us,

Even in the middle of a really hairy day.

And so for me,

That's why we need courage and grace.

Because as we become more and more aware of the filters,

The greed,

The aversion,

The delusion,

We need courage so we don't judge ourselves.

And we need grace so that we can be with whatever dismay,

Or frustration,

Or pride that arises when we see the filters.

And also when we see how we get caught,

And also when we see how we get free.

Okay,

So let's sit.

So finding whatever posture would be most supportive for you right now,

And letting go of the words,

Knowing that if there was anything useful,

It's in there,

You got it.

So just letting go of the words and finding your ground,

Sensing into the body sitting on the chair,

Or maybe you're standing,

So the feet on the floor,

Or maybe you're lying down,

The body on the couch or in the bed.

Just the sense of the body connecting to the floor,

The chair,

The couch,

The earth.

And then the sense of the body breathing,

The breath in the body.

And just beginning to pay attention to the experience of just sitting in a different way.

What is the filter of this moment with whatever's present,

Sensations,

Thoughts,

Emotions,

Sounds,

Smells,

Tastes,

Sight,

If your eyes are open,

Even if they're not?

Is there wanting?

Is there not wanting?

Is there not caring?

And is it possible to see the filters and not worry too much about that they're there?

When I see a lot of not wanting,

Sometimes I feel frustration with myself,

But can we let that go and just see not wanting or aversion for what it is?

It's just a filter.

Or even with a sense of humor,

Or at least bemusement,

Oh,

Here it is again.

Wanting,

Not wanting,

Not caring.

So interesting,

So amazing,

These minds and this remarkable faculty of mindfulness.

Thanks everyone for being on the wake up call today.

Great to see you all.

Have a good Thursday.

Be safe out there.

Have a good holiday weekend if you're celebrating President's Weekend.

Take care.

Thank you.