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[Music]
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the cultivation of
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mindfulness of moment to moment
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non-judgmental
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awareness um is really it's sounds very
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simple but it's actually just about the
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hardest work in the world for human
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beings uh because we get so caught up in
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our conditioned states of mind and uh
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when we begin to cultivate
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awareness it's really important to bring
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a certain attitudinal approach to it so
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that we're not trying to force anything
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to happen or sit in a kind of ID posture
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or attain some special state that will
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you know that we sort of think Ah that's
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what it is I'll be enlightened or I'll
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just be permanently wise or I'll be this
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or I'll be that the problem isn't
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actually with the enlightenment or the
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permanently wise or anything like that
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the problem is with the personal
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pronouns I me and mine and they are very
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very problematic because who we think we
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are and who we actually are uh are very
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different and there's a huge separation
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who we think we are is very very small
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compared to who we actually are and so
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when we are cultivating mindfulness in
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mbsr or with people we encourage a
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certain kind of uh attitude that's
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brought to uh the formal and informal
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practices that you can keep in mind
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through your daily life as well and
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these uh attitudes there are seven of
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them that I put in full catastrophe
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living when when I was writing it uh
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because it really felt like if you bring
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uh if you start to cultivate acceptance
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if you start to cultivate non-striving
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if you start to cultivate letting go or
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letting be if you start to cultivate
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trust and patient that these qualities
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can be cultivated in everyday life with
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your children with your with your
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parents if with your um partner or
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spouse uh with your colleagues at work
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and so it's a way of reinforcing and
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deepening the actual formal and informal
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meditation
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[Music]
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practices beginner's mind is a lovely
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orientation to bring to the present
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moment uh this moment is always fresh
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always new we've never been in this one
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before before and yet we bring so many
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ideas and attitudes and uh desires to
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every moment uh that we can't actually
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allow ourselves much of the time to see
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things as if For the First Time Imagine
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bringing awareness to your children with
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beginner's mind so that you actually see
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them not through your lenses of ideas
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and opinions about your children but all
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fresh the miracle of them the amazing
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nature of them so uh this is something
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that we could bring to any moment uh it
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has the virtue of
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uh sometimes we're so expert that our
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minds are just full of uh you know uh uh
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e our expertise but it leaves us uh
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without any realm for uh novelty or new
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possibilities in the mind of the expert
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they say there are very few
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possibilities but in The Beginner's mind
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there are infinite possibilities because
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we come to it fresh so it's a a kind of
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a discipline to try to bring beginner's
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mind to every aspect of your life and
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not be so stuck in our ideas and
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opinions about how much we like this or
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don't like that or what the outcome of a
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particular situation might be and when
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we come to things with this freshness it
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actually again has tremendous
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transformative qualities of associated
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with it and when you bring it to other
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people and you're open and spacious with
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them and don't insist that they be the
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way they were half an hour ago or two
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years ago or whatever it is they feel
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seen and recognized and met in a way
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that uh they might not otherwise uh
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experience that benefits them and it
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also benefits
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us
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[Music]
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non-judging is a very important uh
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element of mindfulness practice and in
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fact is part of my working definition of
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mindfulness which is the awareness that
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arises through paying attention on
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purpose in the present moment
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non-judgmental
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and the non-judgmentally is the real
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challenge uh because when you start to
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pay attention to what's on your mind you
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very rapidly discover that we have ideas
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and opinions about everything just about
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everything and we're always uh judging
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things in terms of I like that I don't
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like that I want that I don't want that
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this is good that's bad and it's like um
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a steady stream of judging judging
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judging judging judging
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so when we speak of mindfulness as being
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non-judgmental awareness it doesn't mean
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that there won't be judgments it means
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that you're you will be aware of how
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judgmental we actually are and then not
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judge the judging and when we uh relate
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to it in that kind of a way then we
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begin to see
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that the our judging is very often black
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and white it's either this or that this
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or that good or bad like dislike want
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don't want uh and we get imprisoned by
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that kind of view but being
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non-judgmental doesn't mean that all of
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a sudden you get stupid and think well
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I'm not going to be judgmental so I'll
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just walk out in the street in front of
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an oncoming truck uh what difference
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does it make no it means that we will
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cultivate discernment this is the
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capacity to see what's actually
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unfolding but not to judge it but to
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recognize it and to understand
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understand it in relationship to our
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experience so um when we speak about
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non-judgmental awareness that's what
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we're talking about we're talking about
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a very fine degree of discernment of
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clarity of wisdom of understanding the
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interconnections between things and uh
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at the same time noticing the tendency
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to judge quite quickly like don't like
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want don't want and and to recognize
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that that actually creates a kind of
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veil or a filter in front of our eyes
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that doesn't allow us to thing see that
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doesn't allow us to see things as they
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are but to only see them through the
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lenses of our own ideas and opinions and
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likes and dislikes which is practically
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blinding to
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us so there this is a wonderful
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discipline the cultivation of awareness
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of judging and the uh cultivation of uh
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being gently non-judgmental or not
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judging the judging that we do discover
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in ourselves and over days weeks months
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and years uh we can begin to actually
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find a way to navigate through our
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judging in such a way that uh it no
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longer uh dominates our lives in quite
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the same way and we recognize when it
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comes up that it's actually in some
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sense toxic and the more we challenge it
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and the more we rest in discernment and
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in pure awareness the more we can uh
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live life authentically in the present
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moment without getting caught by our own
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habits of mind uh unhealthy if you will
00:08:46
habits of
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[Music]
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mind
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acceptance is a very active
00:09:05
process there's nothing passive about it
00:09:08
it's not passive resignation but it's an
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act of recognition that things are
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actually the way they are sometimes
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they're not the way we want them to be
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so acceptance doesn't mean that we can't
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work to change the world or to change
00:09:26
circumstances of one kind or another but
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it means that unless we accept things as
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they are we will try to force things to
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be as they are not and that can create
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an enormous amount of difficulty uh if
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we recognize the actuality of things
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then we have the potential to apply uh
00:09:47
wisdom in that situation to actually uh
00:09:52
shift our own relationship to what is
00:09:55
occurring in ways that might be
00:09:57
profoundly healing and transformative
00:09:59
but without acceptance of one's
00:10:01
situation then it's very difficult to
00:10:04
know where to stand and without knowing
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where to stand it's very difficult to
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take the first
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step so some things are very hard to
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accept like uh when something uh when
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you experience
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uh uh pain for instance and you don't in
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your body and you don't know what it's
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from it's very very difficult to accept
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it because
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uh we first we want to know what it's
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coming from and if we don't have any
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answer for what is causing the pain then
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it can be very very difficult to accept
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it but what we find working with chronic
00:10:45
pain patients is that before you can
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actually work with pain and suffering
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you need to actually put out the welcome
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that for it and accept it as it is
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because uh whatever has been done
00:10:59
medically uh that could be done has been
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done and you're still living with a
00:11:04
certain degree of pain what are people
00:11:07
with chronic pain who come to our Clinic
00:11:09
experience is that there's a lot of
00:11:12
different ways to actually work with
00:11:13
pain but the first step is to actually
00:11:15
put out the welcome mat for it which is
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very hard to do when you're suffering
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but it's actually a Gateway into uh
00:11:23
freedom from suffering so that's one of
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the most powerful ways in which uh uh
00:11:29
acceptance can be brought to bear uh on
00:11:33
uh healing and and uh transforming one's
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life and is a very very powerful uh
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Factor um and is a very very powerful
00:11:45
attitude in the cultivation of
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[Music]
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mindfulness letting go uh
00:12:00
we could think of as the opposite of
00:12:01
clinging or grasping there's a certain
00:12:05
way in which uh when we want something
00:12:09
we grasp it we cling to it even if it's
00:12:12
an idea and very often we get very
00:12:15
fixated in that kind of a way letting go
00:12:18
is reminding us that it's possible to
00:12:21
actually not get involved in grasping
00:12:25
and clinging to what we want and trying
00:12:28
to push away
00:12:29
what it is that we don't want because
00:12:32
it's inevitable that things will arise
00:12:34
that are unpleasant and we'll want to
00:12:36
push those away and that other things
00:12:39
will arise and they'll be pleasant we'll
00:12:40
want to hold on to them so letting go
00:12:43
really means letting be it means
00:12:46
allowing things to be as they are and
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not but be too caught up in uh having to
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have them be a certain way when the
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evidence is they already are not that
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way so therefore not forcing
00:12:59
it of course goes with not striving as
00:13:02
well allowing things to be as they are
00:13:05
in India they sometimes uh use a
00:13:08
particular way of trapping monkeys where
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they uh they take a coconut and they cut
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a small hole in one end and then they
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tie the coconut with a wire to the base
00:13:20
of a tree and they put a banana inside
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the coconut and then the monkeys come
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down from the trees and and they put the
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hand in the Coconut but the whole is
00:13:33
crafted so that uh if you grasp the
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banana you can't get your hand out of
00:13:39
the hole the fist is too big so you have
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to let go of the banana to actually
00:13:46
release your hand so the monkeys don't
00:13:49
want to let go and that's how they're
00:13:51
trapped so letting go or letting things
00:13:56
be as they are means allowing
00:13:59
um the recognition that when you are
00:14:03
caught by your own uh Desire by your own
00:14:09
attachment to things being a certain way
00:14:12
that that's
00:14:14
painful but that the letting
00:14:16
go is actually the doorway to
00:14:20
freedom and it's something that you
00:14:22
don't do once it's something that you
00:14:24
practice over and over and over again
00:14:27
Moment by Moment by moment every
00:14:30
time excuse me every time you catch
00:14:34
yourself clinging to something you
00:14:36
remind yourself it's possible to just
00:14:39
let it be and to just let it go the
00:14:42
breath can remind us of that too because
00:14:44
every time we take a deep uh we I'm
00:14:48
sorry because the breath can remind us
00:14:50
of that because every time we take a
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breath
00:14:53
in we have to let it
00:14:58
go because otherwise there's no room for
00:15:00
the next breath so it's a natural part
00:15:03
of life to receive and then release
00:15:07
receive and let
00:15:13
[Music]
00:15:20
go trust is a wonderful attitude to
00:15:24
cultivate uh because there are so many
00:15:28
different aspects of Our Lives that um
00:15:31
we're kind of strangers too and as we
00:15:33
cultivate intimacy with ourselves we
00:15:36
also cultivate a deep sense of
00:15:39
trustworthiness and trust and uh a good
00:15:43
place to start is with ourselves and
00:15:45
with our body so um can we actually come
00:15:51
to trust the natural wisdom of the body
00:15:54
and uh how beautifully the body supports
00:15:58
our
00:15:59
life uh we very often take it totally
00:16:04
for granted until something UNT happens
00:16:07
but noticing that you know in general we
00:16:11
can trust that the breath will take care
00:16:13
of itself luckily because if we had to
00:16:17
worry about the breath we would die a
00:16:19
long time ago um so we trust that the
00:16:22
breath comes in we trust that the breath
00:16:24
goes out we trust that the ears can
00:16:27
actually hear we trust that that the
00:16:29
eyes will actually see we trust that uh
00:16:33
our organs take care of all of the
00:16:35
metabolism and biology of being alive
00:16:39
there's a wisdom to the body that can
00:16:42
remind us that uh we ourselves are
00:16:45
trustworthy and if there are so many
00:16:47
beautiful things and so complex that are
00:16:50
unfolding so uh so um
00:16:55
beautifully in the body well why should
00:16:59
the mind be any different why should the
00:17:01
heart be any different so the more we
00:17:03
can learn to bring trust to ourselves
00:17:06
the more we can actually learn to bring
00:17:09
trust to our relationships and to other
00:17:12
people and to Nature and to uh the
00:17:15
various challenges that we face in life
00:17:17
so that uh we can actually uh reside in
00:17:21
our own
00:17:24
um confidence in our own ability to uh
00:17:28
meet whatever comes towards us in ways
00:17:31
that can be effective it's all based on
00:17:33
trusting ourselves and that's something
00:17:36
that be can be cultivated by practice so
00:17:39
every time we don't trust ourselves we
00:17:41
can bring awareness to it and uh and
00:17:44
remind ourselves that maybe this is a
00:17:47
good opportunity to shift from really
00:17:50
feeling like we're not able to trust
00:17:53
something to actually trusting it when
00:17:55
it's in ourselves when it involves other
00:17:57
people it gets a little a bit more
00:17:59
complicated because you don't want to
00:18:01
trust naively but other wisdom factors
00:18:04
will help us to uh take care of
00:18:16
[Music]
00:18:25
that I don't know if uh you've noticed
00:18:28
this but uh a lot of times I find that
00:18:32
I'm impatient to get to the next
00:18:35
important thing happening and uh so
00:18:39
missing of the present moment because of
00:18:41
my impatience so to actually
00:18:44
intentionally cultivate patience and a
00:18:47
kind of recognition that things unfold
00:18:50
in their own way and that in some uh
00:18:55
profound uh way things cannot be hurried
00:18:59
so when we're always rushing to get
00:19:01
someplace else the byproduct of that is
00:19:05
that we're never where we actually are
00:19:07
which is a tremendous sadness and a
00:19:09
tremendous
00:19:10
loss sometimes we're impatient with
00:19:13
other people sometimes we're impatient
00:19:15
at work sometimes we're impatient to get
00:19:18
things done uh but this wisdom of
00:19:21
patience is something that is also
00:19:24
profoundly healing and restorative and
00:19:27
is akin to um
00:19:29
uh recognizing as some children don't
00:19:32
when they for instance try to make the
00:19:34
butterfly come out before its time from
00:19:37
the Chrysalis that uh certain things
00:19:41
can't be hurried but things do unfold in
00:19:44
their own time so if we actually learn
00:19:47
to be patient with ourselves then we're
00:19:49
inhabiting the present moment in ways
00:19:52
that uh have great comfort and great
00:19:55
profundity of uh of uh both acceptance
00:19:59
and wisdom associated with
00:20:08
[Music]
00:20:16
them in the cultivation of uh meditative
00:20:20
awareness or mindful
00:20:22
awareness um we take the unusual
00:20:26
position for West wers to actually not
00:20:30
try to get anywhere else this is what we
00:20:33
call non-striving or even
00:20:36
non-doing to uh actually allow things to
00:20:39
be held in Awareness without having to
00:20:42
operate on them without having to make
00:20:45
anything happen or try to experience
00:20:48
some special state of either Rel
00:20:50
relaxation or wellbeing or anything but
00:20:54
to Simply Be with the unfolding of life
00:20:57
from moment to moment
00:20:59
without any agenda whatsoever it turns
00:21:02
out this is tremendously healing
00:21:04
tremendously restorative for us too
00:21:07
because we have so many agendas and
00:21:09
we're always on the way to some better
00:21:11
moment in the future or trying to escape
00:21:13
from something in the past but to
00:21:15
actually be in a place where we're
00:21:19
practicing non-striving and non-doing
00:21:22
where we just let things be as they are
00:21:24
is as I said tremendously uh nurturing
00:21:28
and and
00:21:29
healing not easy to do because we have
00:21:32
so many different uh you know such so
00:21:35
many different items on our to-do list
00:21:38
so the longer your to-do list the longer
00:21:41
we should uh give ourselves some time to
00:21:44
practice non-doing alog together and
00:21:46
non-striving
00:21:47
realizing that whatever is already here
00:21:51
is good
00:21:52
enough even if it's not pleasant In This
00:21:55
Moment it's enough and we don't need to
00:21:57
try to escape from it it or fix it or
00:22:00
make anything happen it's a tremendous
00:22:02
discipline a tremendous attitude to
00:22:04
bring to life and it doesn't mean you
00:22:06
won't get things done on the contrary it
00:22:09
means that whatever doing you do do will
00:22:12
wind up coming out of being and
00:22:14
therefore much greater wisdom and much
00:22:17
greater appropriateness to the
00:22:22
[Music]
00:22:26
situation now people often asked me well
00:22:29
why did you stop at 700 and I say I
00:22:30
don't know I mean I just uh stopped at
00:22:33
700 but I left out a few that I really
00:22:36
probably I'm going to put in the next
00:22:38
Edition uh and one of them would be uh
00:22:43
gratitude to bring gratitude to the
00:22:47
present moment because well say for one
00:22:50
thing just we're alive we take that so
00:22:54
much for granted a little gratitude wow
00:22:57
the body is working I'm breathing in I'm
00:22:59
breathing out my eyes work my feet work
00:23:02
if you know the the liver is working the
00:23:05
kidneys are working I mean we take so
00:23:07
much for granted so in that sense
00:23:10
[Music]
00:23:14
um the the seven attitudes are a way to
00:23:17
uh remind us of that and
00:23:20
gratitude uh really should be in that
00:23:22
list uh another one would be
00:23:26
generosity uh a sense of like
00:23:28
uh how powerful it is when you give
00:23:31
yourself over to life and uh that you
00:23:35
give other people what would make them
00:23:38
happy not for yourself not so that you
00:23:41
can pat yourself on the back and say I
00:23:43
am a generous person but because it
00:23:46
gives joy to others it it enhances
00:23:50
interconnectedness uh you demonstrate
00:23:53
that you care and that you are actually
00:23:55
giving some time and attention and
00:23:57
thought to someone other than yourself
00:24:00
so um both gratitude and generosity uh I
00:24:04
think should be included in that list I
00:24:07
could go on but I think that uh nine
00:24:09
would be enough it's hard to keep more
00:24:11
than nine things in mind at any one time
00:24:14
and of course they're all completely
00:24:15
interconnected so you don't have to
00:24:17
actually remember any of it if you are
00:24:20
practicing non-striving then uh
00:24:23
everything else is embedded in that
00:24:25
except is em is embedded in I'm sorry
00:24:28
acceptance is embedded in that
00:24:30
generosity is embedded in that uh
00:24:34
gratitude is embedded in that trust is
00:24:37
embedded in that and so forth so any one
00:24:40
of these uh attitudes is the door into
00:24:43
all of them and that's why they really
00:24:45
are forming in some sense just uh
00:24:49
different uh ways of understanding what
00:24:52
mindfulness is really about and I
00:24:54
probably should say that in all Asian
00:24:58
langu languages the word for mind and
00:25:00
the word for heart are the same word so
00:25:02
in English when you hear the word
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mindfulness if you're not hearing the
00:25:06
word
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heartfulness uh you're really not
00:25:10
understanding it fully and so that those
00:25:14
attitudes are are really part of the
00:25:17
heartfulness element of it um whether
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it's seeing things as they actually are
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the most profound thing you can see is
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the interconnectedness of all all things
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as soon as you see that then emotions
00:25:32
like anger for instance are very
00:25:34
different because uh or fear for that
00:25:38
matter are really transformed in some
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way because of uh our uh
00:25:43
interconnectedness so so it's a way of
00:25:46
seeing other people as they really are
00:25:48
and not necessarily seeing them as
00:25:50
threats and then being able to find some
00:25:53
domain of commonality that comes out of
00:25:55
the heart that comes out of the head
00:25:57
that comes out of the body that comes
00:25:59
out of life as one completely integrated
00:26:07
[Music]
00:26:26
whole
