Mindfulness

 

As you make present-moment awareness and silence important goals, you find that mindfulness starts to increase and that you become shaper, more aware, and more able to see deeply into things. You are waking up. But it requires training. There are many tricks you can use. Ask yourself, 'Where am I?" "What am  I doing?" "What am I up to?" A good example of this technique is the way we used to do walking meditation at Wat Pah Pong in Thiland. Ajahn Chah always used to remind us at the start : Know that you are at this end of the path. When you reach the other end, know that you are at the far end of the path. Next, establish mindfulness at the beginning and end  of one particularsection of your walking path. Even if your mindfulness wanders off the middle of that section, at least you bring your mindback to the present moment at the beginning and the end. The next stage is to be mindfulness in every part of the walking meditation.

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It is wonderful to see yourself that by reducing activity and conversation and increasing meditation, you can sharpen your mindfulness, hour by hour, day by day.

 

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Not only do you see the problem, but you also see the solution : Restraint.  Mindfulness makes restraint possible.

 

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I have to do more mindfulness practice: I have to wake up and create a bit of joy. I have to get energy and focus silently in the moment.