I created this for myself. Just as a reminder that life is simple, and that the best way to move through it is simply to be curious and to clearly recognise everything that is happening in each moment.
If you happen to find this interesting - here’s a wealth of knowledge and different teachers explaining concepts on this topic here.
It all starts with simply recognising all the things that are occurring right now: sights, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells, thoughts, emotions and that intuitive “gut” feeling. That’s easier said that done though; it can be so easy to lose yourself in experience - but most commonly, it can be so easy to become wrapped up in thought.
Mindfulness can be defined as the state of non-distraction. A state of mind whereby you clearly see all that is occurring in consciousness. The antithesis of mindfulness is self-identification with a thought, emotion or experience. In these moments the thought, emotion or experience is so captivating that everything else fades away - and in that moment you are identical with it, and nothing else exists.
Your mind is a product of all your past experiences. It reacts to situations as per it’s conditioning. Practicing mindfulness, otherwise known as meditation, is a way of adding new conditioning to your mind such you are able to react to situations differently, with wisdom. The goal is for your mind to react to situations with clarity, allowing you to be completely aware of everything that is happening in all moments.
Mindful states of mind don’t really last all that long for me. They come and go. I still get lost in thoughts and completely wrapped up in emotions. Yet through practice, I’ve noticed that the periods of mindfulness have become more frequent, and longer in duration.
What are my thoughts on thoughts? These strange things that appear out of nowhere and disappear back to nowhere. These illusive, intangible, formless veils that drift in like sea mist; obscuring all that is real. They are wonderful, yet more powerful that we give credit.
An amalgamation of thoughts, concepts and memories band together to form the ego. The story that the mind continuously tells itself to describe the person that you are. The ego shouldn’t be killed or quelled, it should just be clearly seen for what it is.
Knowing yourself should not be contingent on knowing the story of what you have done and where you have been. You are not your past, you are what is happening now; and all that is is a flow of reactions to the world. Your reactions are what shapes your story, and your reactions change over time. Knowing yourself is being self aware of what your reactions are in each moment. Mindfulness is the key to clearly seeing your reactions.
Then, once you begin to clearly see your reactions through a state of mindfulness. You will become aware of certain reactions that you don’t agree with, reactions that you do not want to continue. Slowly at first, but faster as mindfulness grows, your mind will sense these reactions about to occur and react differently. Be intentional about the kind of reactions that you wish to cultivate and congratulate your mind when it chooses them.
Don’t over-intellectualise it. Do not get tricked into thinking that you are aware of everything. Just try clearly see everything that is happening, forgive yourself when you don’t and enjoy the ride. It is such a wondrous thing to be alive as a human.
Just be 🐝
