Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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mirco
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by mirco »

Kabouterke wrote:So, let me give an example of what this little method looks like. Example: Cooking
1. "(Posture)Standing...standing...(dominant activity)chopping...chopping...(Posture)Standing...standing...(dominant activity)chopping...chopping...(posture)walking to fridge....walking to fridge....(dominant activity)grabbing....grabbing...(Posture)Standing....Standing....(Activity)peeling....peeling...(posture)standing....standing....(activity)peeling....peeling...(posture)standing....standing....(activity)peeling....peeling...(posture)walking....standing.....(dominant activity)grabbing... putting in pot...(posture)standing....standing....(dominant activity)picking up spoon....stirring...(posture)standing....standing....(dominant activity)stirring...stirring...(posture)standing....standing....(dominant activity)stirring...stirring...etc.
Do you think all that?

I mean, do you think "standing" instead of being aware of it?


Warm Regards,
:-)
Spiny Norman
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by Spiny Norman »

khlawng wrote:...only with a quiet mind, can you be mindful.
A quiet mind certainly helps, but what about when our mind is busy? Surely we can be mindful of that too?
Buddha save me from new-agers!
Spiny Norman
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by Spiny Norman »

retrofuturist wrote: Remain cognizant of Right View.
Retro, could you briefly say what you mean by Right View in this context, and how you remain cognizant of it from a practical point of view?
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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khlawng
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by khlawng »

Spiny Norman wrote:... but what about when our mind is busy? Surely we can be mindful of that too?
thats a good question. how does one's mind come to a state of being busy?

surely the deliberate effort to try and note everything that one is doing will keep the mind busy. and on top of that, when there is any free moment, entertain all the other thoughts that are generated through your senses, memory, stray thoughts, thoughts planted by other beings.. how can anyone establish mindfulness this way? the mind is never naturally busy, it can only be deliberately busy. and whenever the mind is busy, there is no mindfulness to be experience. there is chaos. maybe focus or concentration depending on the activity being performed but that is just mundane mindfulness and that doesn't help our progress one bit.
PimonratC
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by PimonratC »

.


This is a great quote of mindfulness.



Image




This book is describe this quote really great in practicing and can be proven.
And this quote was from this book. A very good one.



Here it is. :meditate:
http://01.learndhamma.com/pramote/books ... 0eBook.pdf




.
asker
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by asker »

Kabouterke wrote: Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:19 pm Meditators are often just given the instructions "be mindful in daily life." But, as we all know, the vagueness of these instructions make being mindful in daily life sound deceptively easy. After five minutes, a number of obvious questions will arise in someone who is earnestly trying to be mindful: "...HOW?!...WHY?!... What's the point?" -- "What am I supposed to be mindful of... and what am I NOT supposed to be mindful of?" -- "What does 'being mindful' of something actually mean, anyway?" Sometimes you'll come across publications that try to go a little further into detail, but you usually just get even more vague instructions, like "when washing the dishes, just wash the dishes" which makes doing the dishes sound like it should be some sort of intimate, sensual experience where enlightment is just ready to pop out of every little bubble of soap that floats up from the sink.

So, at the end of the day, the meditator is left with the task of being mindful and is left to his own devices. My intention with this thread is to create a forum where we can share what works for us, the practical bits of advice that are not often included in Buddhist publications or taught by teachers. Hopefully, we can help anyone else who is struggling to figure out what this mindfulness thing is all about and keep any newcomers from losing heart and giving up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
My Technique

One technique that I recently created for myself is alternating between awareness of the four postures (sitting, standing, lying, walking) and switching back to being aware of the sensations that arise from the dominant activity that I am performing at that time. In daily activities, I have only been noting the posture twice (standing...standing...) before switching to the dominant activity, which I also note twice (reaching...reaching...). I have noticed that this quick oscillation between posture and the dominant activity can 1. keep up with the pace of everyday life without making me move as slow as an elderly turtle; 2. works within the framework of the Satipatthana Sutta (mindfulness of body); 3. Stops me from stressing about the tiny details that go under the radar "Oh! I should have been more mindful of the sound of that gnat hitting the windshield! Why oh why isn't my mindfulness strong enough :( ?!?!!?" With this method, you quickly learn what the term "the most dominant action" means when you've only got a split second to choose; and 4. It acts as a natural reminder to stay mindful by not allowing any gaps in your mindfulness: when you limit yourself to two notes per posture/activity, a natural rhythm and momentum builds up that can help us maintain mindfulness with long-lasting objects that we normally easily lose mindfulness of: "Seeing cloud....Seeing cloud... Seeing....Cloud... Clo--- ....OH, ICE CREAM TRUCK!!! :woohoo: "

So, let me give an example of what this little method looks like.
Example: Cooking
1. "(Posture)Standing...standing...(dominant activity)chopping...chopping...(Posture)Standing...standing...(dominant activity)chopping...chopping...(posture)walking to fridge....walking to fridge....(dominant activity)grabbing....grabbing...(Posture)Standing....Standing....(Activity)peeling....peeling...(posture)standing....standing....(activity)peeling....peeling...(posture)standing....standing....(activity)peeling....peeling...(posture)walking....standing.....(dominant activity)grabbing... putting in pot...(posture)standing....standing....(dominant activity)picking up spoon....stirring...(posture)standing....standing....(dominant activity)stirring...stirring...(posture)standing....standing....(dominant activity)stirring...stirring...etc.

A few notes:
1. For the music geeks out there, I've been noting at the rate of 60-70 beats per minute.
2. I don't say the objects in my head (carrot, pot, etc.), but I had to illustrate it somehow.
3. Also, your mindfulness should be energetic, bright and bouncy and should "jump" and cover all of the sensations in the legs (muscle tension, pressure from pushing up against counter with thighs) and the feet (pressure, heat, etc). Same with peeling: we obviously know what were doing, there's no need to remind ourselves that we're peeling a carrot.
4. You should not have any mental images or mental concepts of yourself doing the action. The mindfulness should be firmly connected to the sensation of the vibrations felt when peeling the carrot, the feeling of the little bits of cold juice that splash onto the skin, the feeling of your muscles pulling the peeler down, the resistance, etc.
4. For complex activities, (reading, studying, thinking) I've dropped the switching and the noting completely and simply focused on using "bare mindfulness" to wholeheartedly focus on the task at hand.

This little method just came to me one day, and I soon found out that doing this method meant the difference between being able to maintain mindfulness in little intermittent bursts of a few seconds to being able to do it for hours on end (with the occasional gap, of course... I'm human, after all. :P ). As my mindfulness and concentration develop, I can see how I might drop switching between the posture and the activity and just stay with one or the other, or start incorporating smaller details than I am currently incapable of being aware of. I could also start noting 3, 4, 5 times until my "bare mindfulness" is strong enough to stay with the object without the crutch of the mental noting.

Does anyone else have any "best practices" that you've developed? I hope this thread proves to be useful to us all!
Great Posts! I will add my best practices shortly.
Laurens
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by Laurens »

At home I have 3 Buddha statues. Some might be inclined to put them all in a single shrine area, however I decided to put one on my shrine, one that I can see from my desk, and one that I see when I am making a cup of tea, or cooking dinner. I find the Buddha image a very powerful reminder to be mindful. If you have any spare Buddha statues consider putting them in places that you will likely glance at often. You could even print out and frame Buddha images and images of your beloved teachers to place around for the same purpose.

Outside of home, I find it a bit more tricky. I have often used mantrams in the past in order to give my mind something to focus on. Buddho is the only one I can think of that is widely used in the Theravada tradition. It can be useful for people with particularly busy minds to make a habit of reciting a mantra. There can be a danger that it becomes mindless repetition though.

Personally I tend to just bring my attention back to some point of focus whenever I remember to do so. Generally I use the body. I find that breath is too difficult to keep track of whilst talking, whereas its quite possible to talk whilst maintaining bodily awareness. I either just use a general full body awareness, or if there is a particular sensation such as my back resting on a seat then I will take that as my focus.
"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
buddho99
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by buddho99 »

bodom wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:19 pm I have always found these suggestions from Bhante G. very helful:

Chapter 15

Meditation In Everyday Life


...
:anjali:
There is quite a lot of solid content in this book for "beginners". Thank you for quoting this passage, it was a much appreciated reminder.
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bodom
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by bodom »

buddho99 wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:49 pm
bodom wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:19 pm I have always found these suggestions from Bhante G. very helful:

Chapter 15

Meditation In Everyday Life


...
:anjali:
There is quite a lot of solid content in this book for "beginners". Thank you for quoting this passage, it was a much appreciated reminder.
You're welcome!

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
bodhifollower
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Re: Mindfulness in daily life: 'Best practices'

Post by bodhifollower »

Did you read the mahasatipatthana sutta? Buddha explains sati quite plainly no offense. I don't see where you've gone wrong. In the section covering mindfulness in the body, he states, (note the word is to know, not to think) when he's walking, he knows he's walking, when he's standing, he knows he's standing, when he's sitting, he knows he's sitting, when he's lying, he knows he's lying. Or the monk knows whatever posture he is in. He keeps this mindfulness, he develops it. This means you try to be aware of what position your body is in. This can be known through seeing, or touch. You know you're standing for instance because even when you close your eyes, you can feel what posture your body is in, and you can feel the pressure on your feet.

Further more, when going forwards and backwards he knows he's going forwards and backwards. When looking forward and turning the head he knows he's looking forward and he knows when he turns his head. When bending over and extending limbs he knows he's bending over and extending his limbs. When clothing he knows he's clothing. When eating food and drinking liquid he knows he is eating food and drinking liquid. When cleaning the body he knows he is cleaning the body. When urinating and defecating he knows he is urinating and defecating.

When reaching for the door knob you know are aware of the intention and feeling in your arm moving towards to door knob, you look at it clearly, you are clearly aware of turning the handle and clearly aware of opening the door. You are feeling your body moving and you watching the process happen before your eyes. You know you were correctly mindful because you can remember it very clearly after you've done it.

This practice is about bring your mind into your body through bringing your awareness to it every moment so you are always in the present moment. As well, it reduces random and useless thoughts that may disturb or bewilder you because your energy is spent focusing on your body, and not focusing on thinking. Because your mind is in your body, this leads to clear understanding of how your life works.

Don't just be aware that you are closing your fingers or grabbing, be aware that you are reaching with your arm. To see you're not living in a computer simulation, whatever you bring to "you" you are really using your body to bring something closer to your body, so that you can experience with your body. Everything you experiences through the senses is because you have a body. Look closer and you'll see it. For instance, if you close your eyes and you won't see anything. When you turn your head, it to move your eyes towards something in order to see it. Or so you can pin point the position of a sound with your ears.

This is to wake you up, so you are not living like you are sleepwalking.
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