w*********r
发帖数: 2192 | 1 What is Mindfulness?
"paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment,
and non-judgmentally."
# Paying attention"
* How much of the time are you really paying attention to what's
happening in your life – as opposed to thinking about something else,
remembering things, imagining possible futures, and acting out habitual
patterns or, more accurately, reacting to people and situations based on old
habits of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and behaving?
# "On purpose"
* It takes a conscious decision, and effort by one's mind and brain, to
pay attention to what's happening in the present. In fact, such choices and
efforts are required over and over again, since we are continually pulled
back into habitual ways of processing information and responding to things.
# "In the present moment"
* Most of us, most of the time, are absorbed in memories of the past or
visions and plans for the future.
* Particularly when strong emotions arise, people often respond not to
situations as they are, but to reactive perceptions and thoughts based on
painful experiences in the past. In the most extreme instances, one may not
be "here" in the present, but "back there," reliving the past through
responses to present situations.
# "Non-judgmentally"
* This is one of the hardest things to achieve. We so often react
intensely to our experiences, particularly unwanted experiences, and to our
initial responses to them.
* In contrast, the non-judgmental quality of mindfulness brings great
freedom – to see things more clearly, to evaluate situations with some
distance from our habitual emotional reactions and impulses, to observe
emotions and impulses as they arise without either trying to escape them or
letting them carry us away.
* And for those who are vulnerable to remembering and reliving painful
experiences from the past, to strong waves of emotion, to intense self-
criticism – the cultivation of non-judgmental mindfulness can bring
tremendous relief and freedom from old patterns. | w*********r
发帖数: 2192 | 2 Concepts and skills associated with the cultivation of mindfulness.
Bare attention - Attending to sensory experiences that arise with an
object of attention, without distraction or cognitive elaboration.
Labeling - Mentally applying a word or brief phrase to a particular
content of experience.
Acceptance - Accepting the reality of one's current experience.
Non-reactivity - Responding to experiences, including emotions and
impulses, without getting carried away by them or trying to suppress them.
Curiosity - An attitude of interest in learning about the nature of one'
s experience and mind.
Patience - Accepting a slow pace of change; bearing unwanted, difficult
or painful experiences with calmness.
Thoughts and feelings as events, not facts
Attending to process vs. attending to content
| w*********r
发帖数: 2192 | 3 there are many practices designed to weave mindfulness and kindness into one
's daily life. Some examples include:
* Attending whole-heartedly to an activity that you perform every day
but don't actually pay attention to, like brushing your teeth or washing the
dishes. Just doing such an activity every day for a week without getting
lost in thoughts about the past and future gives one a taste of what
mindfulness is like, and how it can be present during basic activities of
one's daily life.
* Using simple but common everyday experiences as reminders to be
mindful. For example, instead of automatically answering a phone, you can
use the first ring as an opportunity to check in with your current level of
stress and mindfulness, and the next ring as an opportunity to take a breath
and become more mindful before answering.
* Reading the examples above, you might think, "Come on, that's silly.
How can little things like that make any difference?" But if it's all about
reconditioning your mind and brain, then every time you tap into the inner
resource of mindfulness, you've conditioned your mind and brain in that
moment, which shapes the conditions of the next moment, and increases the
probability that mindfulness will arise when you need it in the future...
* Using driving as an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness in daily life
. For many people, driving typically involves not just driving but listening
to the radio, talking on the phone, getting lost in memories and plans, etc
. Especially if you are in a rush, driving can create stress and even result
in anger and aggression toward other drivers. But driving can be an
opportunity to whole-heartedly pay attention to the experience of driving,
including how you react to the behavior of other drivers. When used as an
opportunity to practice mindfulness and kindness (e.g., thinking toward
other drivers, even aggressive ones, "may you be happy, may you be free of
stress"), driving can be an opportunity to neutralize bad habits, cultivate
helpful skills, and arrive at your destination more mindful, calm, and kind
than when you got into your car. Again, though some this may sound corny at
first, with the right motivation and some discipline, you really can begin
changing the way your mind and brain act in response to things that would
normally stress you out and stir up negative emotions and memories.
* There are many practices designed to transform experiences of negative
emotions into opportunities to experience and cultivate mindfulness,
lovingkindness and compassion. For example, in Pema Chodron's books and
tapes (see the section, "Recommended Books, CDs/Tapes, and Articles"), she
teaches practices that work with imagination and breathing to transform
experiences of sadness, helplessness or anger into experiences of empathy
for yourself – and the millions of other people around the world who are
experiencing that same feeling at that same moment. Maybe that sounds far-
fetched right now. But with a foundation of mindfulness practice and a
disciplined effort to remember such practices when you most need them, in
your daily life and relationships, it really is possible to use unwanted and
painful experiences to cultivate greater kindness toward yourself and
others. | S**U
发帖数: 7025 | 4 Mark.
old
【在 w*********r 的大作中提到】
: What is Mindfulness?
: "paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment,
: and non-judgmentally."
: # Paying attention"
: * How much of the time are you really paying attention to what's
: happening in your life – as opposed to thinking about something else,
: remembering things, imagining possible futures, and acting out habitual
: patterns or, more accurately, reacting to people and situations based on old
: habits of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and behaving?
:
| J******s
发帖数: 7538 | | S**U
发帖数: 7025 | 6 Jim Hopper is influenced by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed the
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of
Massachusetts Medical Center
http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php
I know a dharma friend who learned MBSR and transferred the knowledge to a
Buddhist organization in Taiwan this year.
【在 J******s 的大作中提到】
: http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/
|
|
