When we realize we are confronted with something we can’t control or change, most of us have the wisdom to know that it may be best to accept it, instead of fighting it or feeling frustrated by it. But acceptance is often easier said than done. So why is acceptance so hard? What’s the secretContinue reading “What is the Secret to Acceptance?”
Tag Archives: nonjudgment
What is Mindfulness of Breath?
In mindfulness practice, we are always bringing our attention to our breath. In this practice of returning to the present moment, the breath is a helpful anchor, because it is always here. It is already here. We don’t have to do anything special with our breath. We don’t have to do anything special to ourContinue reading “What is Mindfulness of Breath?”
What is the Place of No Thought?
Zen Master Dahui talked about the place “where the road of words and speech ends” (言語道斷) and “where the domain of mental activity disappears” (心行處滅). Meditation is connecting with that place through immediate experience – What’s right in front you, right now? Mindfulness is letting go of thinking and judgment, and returning to the mindContinue reading “What is the Place of No Thought?”
What Can Mindfulness Add to My Life?
In our busy lives, we have to prioritize our time so that we don’t spread ourselves too thin over the many tasks and responsibilities that seem to keep piling up. So it’s understandable to ask, when we consider devoting time to an activity, what this pursuit will add to our life. Given the commitment ofContinue reading “What Can Mindfulness Add to My Life?”
How Do I Work with Procrastination?
Procrastination is a very common human experience and tendency. With small things or big things, we can at times not want to deal with it at the moment, and defer to a future time instead. It’s good to have that flexibility, but when we keep putting things off that need to be done, anxiety canContinue reading “How Do I Work with Procrastination?”
How Do I Develop Acceptance?
Human beings have likes and dislikes. When confronted with an experience that we dislike, we often do what we can to prevent, avoid, or minimize it. Whether it is an internal experience like emotions/sensations or an external experience like social interaction, if it makes us uncomfortable, we have countless ways to avoid it. What happensContinue reading “How Do I Develop Acceptance?”
Why Can’t I Get Meditation Right?
Once upon a time, a young fish in a pond asked an elderly fish: “Where can I find the water? I’ve been looking all around for the water, and I just can’t find it.” The elderly fish laughed and said, “You are already in the water! You are surrounded by water, and always have been.”Continue reading “Why Can’t I Get Meditation Right?”
How Do I Practice with Restlessness?
On some days when we sit down to meditate, we feel anything but mindful or still. Indeed, there are days when we feel quite restless. Sometimes the restlessness may have a emotional or psychological flavor, but sometimes it can also have a physical component, where we literally have difficulty keeping our body still. Perhaps whenContinue reading “How Do I Practice with Restlessness?”
How Do I Work With Uncertainty?
What is the feeling of uncertainty? We all have experienced uncertainty and grappled with the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing. Not knowing the answer. Not knowing how things will unfold. There is a lot of uncertainty in the state of the world right now, and in our personal lives there may be some uncertainties asContinue reading “How Do I Work With Uncertainty?”
How Do I Work with Situations I Can’t Control?
There is probably nothing more stressful and scary than the feeling of not having control. Most of us have reacted in some way (anger, sadness, anxiety) when we felt that we did not have control over a situation, others, and/or ourselves. The need for control is so deeply conditioned within us that we may notContinue reading “How Do I Work with Situations I Can’t Control?”
Mindfulness FAQ 