Mindfulness Meditation

"Well, rather we acknowledge that things which we think we ought to get rid of are actually the clue to what we need to learn. But it's necessary to stay with these thoughts or emotions despite the difficulties to learn what is really going on. "David Bohm

Vipassana (Insight Meditation) is to see things as they really are. Gotama Buddha was taught this ancient art, in India, more than 2500 years ago. When we are mindful we see what happens exactly the way it happens, without judgement, projecting or falling into old thought patterns. If we are mindful when we are climbing we are not fighting, but we are practising in-the-moment climbing which means accepting the experiences, as they arise, for what they are. This acceptance and trust builds a strong foundation of confidence. Being mindful is experiencing a state of consciousness where there are no distractions or expectations. Mindfulness meditation begins with awareness of the breath. The breath anchors us to the present moment. You experience the breath as it is, you don't try and change it or control it. If a thought, feeling, emotion, image or sound comes into your consciousness you recognize it and then let it go. You don't follow the content of it, interfere, or attempt to understand it or hold onto it. You are the observer. After some practice you may find that you have thoughts or feelings that keep recurring and are automatic. For example the fear that a climber may have when leading a route often comes from imagining what might happen. Mindfulness allows us to become aware of these sorts of thought patterns or what triggers the fear, and create space to work with the emotion..

Activities have a psychology behind them. Every practice of any kind has a mental condition preceding........ Unless you know your mind, you cannot know the nature of the works that you have to do, and the purpose towards which the works are directed. Swami Krishnananda