There is a lot of talk lately about “Mindfulness Training”.
It seems to be a new buzz word, and sports trainers are teaching it to football
players. Vipasana (Pronounced Vipashna), or insight meditation, consists of
bringing one’s attention to the here and now. The heart of T’ai Chi, of Zen
Meditation, of many spiritual practices, is this practice of mindfulness, of
“Being present”. Most of the time, we live in our heads and are “Too Busy” to
really “Be Here”. This is an excuse,
because it can seem easier to “Run our mental tapes”, like watching a TV show
in our heads, than to actually pay attention to what is right in front of us.
Zen meditation: (Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki,
1970), Zazen, or sitting meditation, consists of just sitting quietly and
paying attention to our breathing. Our breath can be viewed as a swinging door,
swinging in, then out, then in, then out. We don’t try to control our breath,
but watching it brings our attention into the present. Our breath is always
here and now. If we try to control our thoughts we are again “Being busy”, and
not being mindful. If we just watch, the ripples on the pond that is our mind
begin to settle out, and our minds become quiet. We start to attend to the
present moment. This is Mindfulness.
Our T’ai Chi practice is just such an exercise in
Mindfulness. As we practice, we come more fully into the present, and the tapes
we run in our heads to fill the space and entertain ourselves drop away.
Making Things Better
Everything you bring to a work should add something. It’s
not worth adding items unless they bring something that makes the work, room,
writing, etc. better. If something doesn’t increase the effectiveness, value, aesthetic
quality, etc., then one doesn’t add it to the work.
“Forgive and be
Forgiven” (-Sara Watkins, Take Up Your
Spade, 2012)
To err is human, to forgive is divine, because when we
forgive others, we also forgive ourselves. This is about moving forward,
letting go of the past, and learning from it. When we do this we are moving to
break ground and plant seeds for the future. In T’ai Chi terms, this is a way to
get rid of some of our emotional extra movement, and simplify our form.
Thanks to All,
Daniel
