Jon Kabat-Zinn takes the reader to a place where consciousness transcends to awareness. In this book, he instructs the reader on how to go so fully into your meditation that you become so aware of your surroundings, a place where heart and mind come together, where the reader can learn to step out of time through his teachings on achieving mindfulness. His teaching is to be fully present in the moment. To notice things so many others don’t pay attention to and neither do we normally, but through being in the moment and noticing your breathing, giving freedom to your thoughts – let them go where they will then ease them back to what it is you are focusing on. He doesn’t tell the reader to clear your mind, or focus only on one thing, Kabat-Zinn says if you try to stop your thoughts you will only get a headache, it is o.k. to let your thoughts fly where they will for a time then slowly bring them back to concentrating on your breathing then to the subject you are meditating on. Creative thoughts are often delivered to you in this way. While letting your thoughts dwell on climbing Kilamanjaro when you started out meditating on the obstacle in your path, perhaps in your pursuit of climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro the answer will be delivered to you as to what you should be doing to rise in your career path or how to overcome the obstacles along the way to get there (someone who is jealous who is trying to block your path, or your need to learn certain skills that are currently not in your skill-set but which you could learn by taking some classes that would teach you what you need to know to even the playing field. Being in the moment, taking the quiet time to concentrate to use your Beginner’s Mind allowing it to be free of distractions so it show you what it is you seek and what it is you need to know. In this way you are resting in not knowing what we don’t know. He teaches that Buddhist Monks take each moment as fresh. Often starting their talks with, “I know nothing.” It is not a false modesty Kabat-Zinn says, they really do see each moment as fresh in practicing mindfulness or being fully in the moment letting their breath, the life force flow into and out of even through their bodies as they befriend mind and heart thereby touching awareness – full awareness of self within each breath within each heartbeat. Just sitting silently in your awareness of all that is and your place therein allowing the chi or lifeforce surround you and become a part of you as you take it into yourself. This experience will take you outside of time and outside yourself merging or becoming one with the universe. Like an empty mirror you know the quality of awareness that gives you a whole other dimensionality to live in and a calm you didn’t have before you learned this technique to become one with the universe, and gain this deeper understanding of spirituality and your place within those separate concepts now joined into one. Our thoughts are liberated and begin to heal us by connecting to what is going on in our lives then through our awareness tap into what is going on and what we can do to heal the situation and make our lives better by providing the insight which provide answers offering instruction into clear and reliable solutions when we seek shifting what is to what we want the outcome to be in the way that is best for us providing a loving connection with ourselves and the world. He teaches mindful meditations on breathing, eating, focusing on your body, focusing on objects, he also teaches what he calls are the Attitudinal Foundations of Mindfulness on Non-Judging, Patiene, the Beginners Mind, Trust, Non-Strife, Acceptance and Letting Go. His basic premise is: Mindfulness Meditation is letting the doing come out of the being right now in this moment. He says that the word mindfulness in all Asian languages is the same word for mind and heart. He says that meditation is about awareness and that wisdom is knowing reality without being caught up in our own value systems. Discernment is clear seeing, openness, kindness, paying attention, caring or our heart’s intrinsic compassion – not what we have but what we are, your sense of where you are in time. He notes that we should be good listeners to all around us and that often sounds draw us back in our pasts. Lots of interesting concepts shared here in getting to that oneness with awareness, in being mindful in the moment and curing whatever we are up against and tuning in to what our subconscious wants to bring to our attention. Good book. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to de-stress and gain control of their lives focusing on the simplicity of the moment and who would like to tap into their inner consciousness for guidance.
- Shirley J.
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