Greater Good Science Center
Jon Kabat-Zinn discusses what mindfulness and meditation are really about: presence of heart. This was part of a talk put on by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu
Source
Jon Kabat-Zinn: What is Mindfulness?
How can you cultivate a present heart?
Dudes name is right out of a Superman comic.
Diluted Buddhism for gullible western minds.
If focusing on breathing brings on panic attacks is it possible to focus on something else?
Present heart makes much more sense than mindfulness since emotion and spatial awareness are tied to the same sense.
Great to hear Hindu ideas, taken straight out of yoga sutras reiterated here. Shame to see the total negation of Hinduism by not even an iota of a reference or acknowledgement of that fact. The Let’s go to China instead approach. When even the Chinese and Japanese Masters will tell you it came out of India. Is Bodhidharma, Daruma, known in those countries? Give credit where credit is due. Don’t nick ideas out of cultures and stick your own stamp worse still your own name on them. Europeans are very good at this.
"The Sage observes the world, but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go, he prefers what is within to what is without"
"Meditation is about paying attention in a systematic way" says mr. Kabat-Zinn, which is the complete opposite as for example Jiddu Krishnamurti among other says. What is meditation? What does it mean? First of all the word meditation is invented by human beings which are 99% genetic identical with the monkeys. Keep that in mind.
Also many words changes their meaning during history: God, Religion, Meditation, Miracle, Holy etc. "God" comes from "To shout". "Religion" comes from "Beyond thought / Gathering energy / total energy"…
What about meditation? The word comes from "To measure", and not comparing yourself with anybody on a daily life basis.
Therefore doing Zazen or sitting with your legs crossed and pay attention to your breathing is not meditation. It is a fysical and mental exercise. Mindfulness is not meditation.
Whenever we use our brain it is a mental exercise.
I can sit under a tree for one hour and observe my thoughts (and write them down) but it is a mental exercise. It is not meditation. I can realise that I have a lot of automatic repetetive negative thoughts and no positive thoughts, but to know this want help me. If my life is not in balance, we are attacked by our own thoughts. It is a warning sign. Problems in family and social problems and loneliness is a root cause of this. What causes the unbalance? Ask yourself.
What silences the mind and what makes the mind quiet? Fysical exercise, a good relationship (s), being in the nature, good planning, good friends and family, massage, healthy good food, doing something you enjoy, a good sleep. The list goes on and people study happiness (how to get the life in balance) in universities now.
Meditation has become a fancy word, a word people uses to make money and get attention. The same with the words "awakening", "Spirit" and "angel".
Fysical exercise is one of the best things human beings (animals) can do to quiet the mind. 1/2 hours jogging will do more miracels than sit and observe your breath in 1 hour. But of course, Mr. Kabat-Zinn don't make money telling people this.
Give your girlfriend or boyfriend a massage and ask for one back :-). Take a walk in the mountains, go to the gym, take a little break from the books, see a comedy. And, most of all be fysical active and eat good and healthy food and get a social life. Poco a poco the life get in balance. We can't ask for more than a life in balance. We are animals. 99% genetic with the monkeys. We can't ask for more than a life in balance.
Just fun fact, the Chinese character is 念。have 今（present）on the top and 心（heart） at the bottom. 🙂
Where can we see the rest of this talk?
“It may be that we are puppets –puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation."(Milgram,1974)
good video honestly
but the calligraphy was a little.. incorrect :/
Conscious mind is like the tip of an iceberg. Ego is an Illusion and cause of suffering, you are not your ego. Look within and ask yourself '"who am I ?" deep below the surface of thoughts and into the realm of the subconscious, no form, no attachment, no desire, no fear, nothing but pure awarness
Nothing is real, everything is permitted.
Love this idea. Love your life, and live in your life now, not for the future!