Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or recieving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
Interpretation
Mindfulness involves fully accepting the present moment without judgment, whether it's positive or negative.
This quote by Sylvia Boorstein emphasizes the principle of mindfulness as a simple yet profound practice of being fully present in the moment. It teaches us to accept our current experiences, whether they bring joy or discomfort, without trying to cling to them or push them away, fostering a balanced and open approach to life.
In practice
In a meditation workshop, this quote can inspire participants to focus on acceptance of the present moment.
Heir to your own karma doesn't mean 'You get what you deserve.' I think it means 'You get what you get.' Bad things happen to good people. My happiness depending on my action means, to me, that it depends on my action of choosing compassion--for myself as well as for everyone else--rather than contention. [p.61]
If you take a deep breath and look around, 'Look what's happening to me!' can become 'Look what's happening!' And what's happening? The incredible drama of life is happening. And we're in it!
The path of compassion leads to the development of insight. But it doesn't work to say, "Ready, set, go! Be compassionate!" Beginning any practice depends on intention. Intention depends on intuiting-at least a little bit-the suffering inherent in the human condition and the pain we feel, and cause, when we act out of confusion. It also depends on trusting-at least a little bit-in the possibility of a contented, satisfied mind.
Mindfulness is attentiveness, moment to moment. What's happening right now and what's coming up in me in response to what's happening right now. Importantly, this is in the service of being able to choose wisely so that I avoid complicating my own life and the lives of others.
Suffering is the demand that experience be different from what it is.
If we can keep at least a bit of the mind clear about temporality, we can mange complicated, even difficult, times with grace.
When you sing that this country was founded on freedom, don't forget the duet of shackles dragging against the ground my entire life.
You just have to have a simple faith.
Long is the road from conception to completion.
Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.
Consequence is no coincidence.
The most powerful moral influence is example.
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