Mindfulness is present-time awareness. It takes place in the here and now.
It is the observance of what is happening right now, in the present moment.
It stays forever in the present, perpetually on the crest of the ongoing
wave
of passing time.
If you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is memory.
When you then become aware that you are remembering your second-grade
teacher, that is mindfulness.
If you then conceptualize that process and say to yourself, "Oh, I am
remembering" ,
that is thinking.
~ Henepola Gunaratana
6 comments:
Using reading as an example:
Like when reading this post...
There is reading it.
There is being aware that one is reading it.
And there is saying to oneself, "I am reading."
Right?
It would almost seem an achievement to remember to be aware, but it seems like balancing oneself on a tightrope because there is that tendency to think one is being aware of reading. I sometimes fall into that trap.
When you are watching the mind thinking, you are Aware.. You are Consciousness.. You are in control of your thoughts and actions..When you are reading of Knowledge and Truth, your ego is absent..You have become One with Truth.. You have returned to You.. The trap is thinking that you have acquired Knowledge that you do not understand.........namaste, thomas
In this post that you and I (we) are talking about, I think the part that caused me to think of the trap is when Gunaratana said, "Oh, I am remembering," and called it "thinking". Is thinking one is remembering going in the wrong direction? Doesn't thinking cloud the moment?
Like if I were watching a movie. Normally we get lost in the movie - we are unaware. But when we become aware that we're watching a movie, that's mindfulness. However, if I go beyond that point and say to myself, "I'm aware I'm watching a movie," isn't that clouding the mindfulness?
I believe that the concept that the Author is trying to relate is that mindfulness is thinking, because thinking is the present moment.. But, most people think without awareness.. I think that mindfulness is being aware that we are separate from the mind that is thinking and we are watching the mind think..I think that this is the highest point of mindfulness, as we are existing in the present moment and fully aware of our Consciousness-Mind connection.. I don't believe that this clouds mindfulness, I believe that it enhances it.........namaste, thomas
Hi. Thanks for helping to clear that bit up.
When you practice this awareness of your thoughts, are you also able to be totally aware of your surroundings? While I've been watching my thoughts I sometimes find myself very focused on them at the cost of awareness of surroundings. I guess there is a balance that must be achieved. Or that practice makes perfect.
Is this Consciousness the same as the concept of Cosmic Consciousness?
After watching your thoughts and disciplining your thoughts to accept only the thoughts that are of Love and Selflessness, you will rarely have to watch your thoughts again.. This takes time and patience.. This is a reprograming of the sub-conscious mind.. the sub-conscious mind is your direct link to Universal Mind.. your thoughts that are of the ego or non Love will immediately sound an alarm to warn you of your error.. therefore, you do not have to constantly watch your thoughts anymore... Consciousness is the same as Cosmic Consciousness..........namaste, thomas
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