h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Mindfulness - A746336
Author: Zarquon's Singing Fish! (ACE) (Scout) Minister for Rigidly Defined Areas of Doubt and Uncertainty - U182827

This entry was inspired by acgBen's one on prayer and affirmation. Thanks Ben!

Comments please.

Hi

This is good Zarq, I enjoyed reading it. (And it reminded me that I am letting all the crap surround me at work, and not taking time to ground myself properly).

One typo - in the footnote about Thich Nhat Hanh - nominatef

I am not sure about having such a large section on anger. Mind you, that may just be because I don't actually feel anger a lot.

One thing which I find mindfulness does do for me is create spaces between stimulus and response. A side effect of meditating is to create spaces around my reactions in everyday life.

Question: Mindfulness is easy enough (ha ha!) in relation to the physical. I am not good at the mindfulness of breathing, but I can manage it after a fashion. Likewise walking meditations. I also quite often make a practice of driving mindfully. (It is interesting how many people assume that this is dangerous, a-n-d m-e-a-n-s y-o-u m-u-s-t b-e d-r-i-v-i-n-g v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. Not so, but there you go).

But how do you write html mindfully? Or write reports? Or read process documents? Or create process diagrams? In other words, how do you *think* mindfully?

Or does that begin to come when you have been practicing physical mindfulness for a few lifetimes?

Anyways, this is good. And good luck with it.

Ben

Typo corrected, Ben. Thanks.

I'm going to sleep on the entry. You may be right about too much emphasis on dealing with anger. I've a lot of it around me at work recently and it seems to me that mindfulness is a good way of dealing with it and remembering not to water the seeds.

Ben,

I've thought about the bit about anger. I'm going to keep in in as is. I think there's a need for it. If other researchers disagree, let me know.

I completely agree with you about being able to be mindful when doing something that needs quick responses, like driving. That was why I chose the example of mindless driving and included the quote at the end.

I'll have a look at the entry to see if I need to make it clearer about the creating spaces between stimulus and response.

Your question (which I entirely failed to answer in my previous posting) - how to *think* mindfully.

Like you, I think it is a question of practice and perseverence. The Buddhists have a 'mindfulness bell' which is rung at regular intervals.

I suspect that few people are able to think mindfully at all times. The Dalai Lama, perhaps and his ilk, but even he doesn't claim it (modest person that he is).

Do you think I should say more about this in the entry?

Yes, put that other Dalai Lama quote in!

The 'anger' section is essential because it's *then* when you need mindful thinking.

As to writing a letter.. I was expecting to read '... when you're done, use a lighter and burn it in a ceremony'. I gather that your point is to actually send it, right?

typo: 'bring you attention' -> your



great piece

Hi Bossel!

Thanks for the comments.

I don't have another Dalai Lama quote, just the one that's already there (although if I come across a suitable one, I could put it in.

Yes, the idea is to send the letter. This is in the case where you wouldn't be able to say what you needed to say - either because you would use poor tonality or you are afraid of losing your cool. So you need to spend time getting it right.

There are practices where you write a letter and then symbolically burn them. Often, the sort of thing you put in the letter, you would not want to post, or it may not be appropriate to send it, eg to an ex-partner who has remarried or to a father who has died.

I've corrected the typo. I had to read it three times through to see it, though. And guess what, the last time, I slowed down my breathing, so I could be more mindful.

Thanks.

I saw this too!

Do you mean you spotted the same typo, or is there another, Whoami?

I mean, I recommended it!

Don't know if it'll be accepted, but I hope so...

Thanks, Whoami! Fingers crossed.

It struck me that that was what you might have meant about two seconds after I posted my last message.

I see you have taken your bonus, plus one of Strider's?

No - I haven't taken any bonus picks - I didn't manage to complete my last ones due to exams, so I'm catching up...

Whoami?

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