The Social Media Generation
How aware are you about why you are using social media?
Posts tagged ‘awareness’
Oct 8
How the mind can heal the heart
Tara Bennett-Goleman and Daniel Goleman explain the science behind “mind whispering”—a technique for overcoming self-defeating habits of mind.
The Wise Investigator
An interview with Sayadaw U Tejaniya in Tricycle Magazine. In this interview the Sayadaw explains how taking an interest in life as it is can lead to liberation.
How to Focus A Wandering Mind
Very interesting article based on some new research that reveals what happens in a wandering mind—and that sheds light on the cognitive and emotional benefits of increased focus.
If you’re not much of a reader, then there’s a cute 2min video to check out.
Attention as an Art Form
A wonderful article from an author with the rather interesting name of Viral Metha. The article talks about the four key aspects of attention – awareness, choice, engagement and flow.
Click link for full article: Attention as an Art Form
Viral Mehta is the co-founder of ServiceSpace.org. ServiceSpace is a fully volunteer-run organization that has delivered millions of dollars of web-related services to the nonprofit world for free, and now creatively leverages web technologies for collaborative and transformational giving. ServiceSpace’s 300K members incubate compassionate action in a multitude of ways, with its inspiration portals receiving 100M hits a year.
Viral also conducts courses in Vipassana meditation as an assistant teacher of S.N. Goenka. For more information, visit dhamma.org.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Focus: Mindfulness and Wisdom.
I’ll never forget the Sayadaw’s constant reminders that a yogi’s job is:
- To have right view of the experience.
- To have awareness
- To maintain awareness
Sayadaw repeated these roles frequently, I can still hear his voice stressing these points.
Improving Awareness
Below are some learning’s I found to be particularly helpful in relation to awareness and dealing with the mind.
Three key tips:
- Just be in the moment
- Continually ask ‘Who am I?’
- Question the mind. Be curious.
If you find it difficult to recognize awareness at work, you need more practice. Ask yourself often: “What is the mind aware of now?” In this way you will gradually learn to see the mind more clearly and to know what awareness feels like.
Awareness needs a state of non-judgment. Any form of judgment excludes awareness.
Awareness is critical as the mind is very sneaky. It helps to fill your mind with good thoughts. To have the right view, to take right action and to speak right words. If you do this you leave no space for the defilements. The mind loves to fill itself with defilements. It will do this while you are not watching. Try to allow no space for any negative thoughts.
Recommended Books
Dhamma Everywhere by Sayadaw U Tejaniya
A collection of Ashin Tejaniya’s teachings produced for yogis practicing at the Shwe Oo Min Center. It is an excellent overview of the Sayadaw’s teachings, and a helpful guide to see if his teachings are for you. It includes a wide range of material that is useful for both beginner yogi’s and those with more experience. This book can be found on the Sayadaw’s website for free – http://www.sayadawutejaniya.org
A Map of the Journey by Sayadaw U Jotika
Sayadaw U Jotika is a very famous teacher in Myanmar. His books are easy to read and full of examples of his own experience.
Quotation from the Sayadaw
I am trying to give in simple language, a very clear explanation of what insight means and what enlightenment means, so that you can understand it. That is why I also give some Pali quotations, which are the Buddha’s words. These are the criterion. You can test it.
Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
At his death in 1987, Joseph Campbell left a significant body of published work that explored his lifetime passion, the complex of universal myths and symbols that he called ‘Mankind’s one great story.” This book is built from a series of some 25 talks on mythology delivered in New York City between 1958 and 1971.
EMOTIONS: Freedom from Anger, Jealousy and Fear OSHO
I am going to copy the start of the introduction section of the book, as I think this is a very nice summary and includes a quote from OSHO.
The title of this little book might give readers the idea that they have found another ‘how to’ book. Not at all – this book will provide you with a different dimension, where all the questions about ‘how’ are dissolved into a direct perception of your own, hidden reality.
Osho says
“We reduce everything into a how. There is a great how-to-ism all over the world, and every person, particularly the modern contemporary mind, has become a how-to-er: how to do this, how to do that, how to grow rich, how be successful, how to influence people and win friends, how to meditate, even how to love. The day is not far off when some stupid guy is going to ask how to breathe. It is not a question of how at all. Don’t reduce life into technology. Life reduced into technology loses all flavour of joy.”
Next time you feel lonely OSHO
“You cannot fight with darkness directly, with loneliness directly, with the fear of isolation directly. The reason is that all these things do not exist; they are simply absences of something, just as darkness is an absence of light.”
The end of your world: Uncensored straight talk on the nature of enlightenment by Adyashanti
One of the very few resources available for people who have had an initial experience of spiritual awakening and want to understand how the process continues and unfolds. As mentioned by the editor “may this book be a helpful guide and further catalyst for this greatest of adventures.”
