Insight & Mindfulness (As opposed to Insight OR Mindfulness)

 

12.17.2021 INSIGHT & MINDFULNESS (AS OPPOSED TO INSIGHT OR MINDFULNESS) The teachings of the modern “mindfulness movement” are of course greatly derived from the Buddha’s teachings on mindfulness. And yet there’s a commonly held impression that we have an either/or choice: either we’re practicing secular mindfulness, and eschewing the spiritual side of things in favor of a practical, scientific approach, or, we’re practicing as Buddhists, through a primarily “religious” lens. As though the two are exclusive by nature. The reality is that if we care about and practice only one of these approaches, we may well be missing something. That’s the thinking behind our new online course, Insight & Mindfulness: to bring together experts steeped in both Buddhist Insight meditation and secular mindfulness training, so that each can illuminate the other and help us deepen our practice. (And if we’re mindfulness teachers, so that both can illuminate and deepen our teaching!) In short: why should we settle for “either/or” when we can have “both/and”? Insight & Mindfulness is a chance not just to work with the classical techniques behind mindfulness practice, but to investigate and integrate Buddhist teachings on ethical behavior, compassion, and more so that we can bring these to bear in our lives.Hosted by InsightLA founder Trudy Goodman (who leads the opening teaching and practice session, too), it also features teachings and guided meditations and practices from Alisa Dennis, Sharon Salzberg, Gullu Singh, Jack Kornfield, Noliwe Alexander, Zayda Vallejo, and Christiane Wolf. The course is launching in just a couple of days and I couldn’t be more pleased about how it’s come out. I hope you’ll consider registering for Insight & Mindfulness; it’s got a uniquely informative, but with a friendly, even joyful feel. To get you into its spirit, here are three pieces from the Lion’s Roar archives that illustrate the value of mindfulness for us all, whether we’d call ourselves “Buddhist” or not. May they serve you well. —Rod Meade Sperry, Editorial Director, Lion’s Roar Digital

All You Need Is Breath The Buddha taught mindfulness of breathing as a complete approach to awakening. Buddhist teacher Shaila Catherine outlines his 16-step breath practice that guides us to liberation. The Buddha’s practice of mindfulness of the breath does not require extraordinary zeal or physical strength, nor does one need advanced education or ritual blessing. It is recommended for both beginners and accomplished meditators. By skillfully utilizing the natural breath, any person, monastic or lay, can realize the fruit of awakening. The broad appeal and availability of this practice is breathtaking!

Teaching Mindfulness to Young People Musician and meditation teacher Born I (Ofosu Jones-Quartey) on how he brings mindfulness to life for his students. When I was young, I never had the experience of looking at my mind—much less dealing with the myriad arisings of pleasure, pain, and neutrality that come when we observe ourselves. So my early years of meditation practice were difficult. When we get older, the prospect of observing the mind and body and their processes can become daunting, so there’s real value in sharing the Buddha’s four foundations of mindfulness with people when they’re younger. I have been teaching mindfulness meditation to people between the ages of two and twenty for more than a decade, and these are some techniques that I’ve found work.

Doing the Buddha’s Practice Mindfulness/awareness was the meditation the Buddha practiced and taught—it was his basic prescription for human suffering. Looking at life with an open and nonjudgmental attention, we see our confusion and develop insight. This is the basis of all Buddhist practice and the key to liberation. Jack Kornfield explains. When people initially come to a meditation class to train in mindfulness, they hope to become calm and peaceful. Usually they are in for a big shock. The first hour of mindfulness meditation reveals its opposite, bringing an unseen stream of evaluation and judgment into stark relief. In the first hour many feel bored and dislike the boredom. We can hear a door slam and wish for quiet. Our knees hurt and we try to avoid the pain. We wish we had a better cushion. We can’t feel our breath and we get frustrated. We notice our mind won’t stop planning and we feel like a failure. Then we remember someone we’re angry at and get upset, and if we notice how many judgments there are, we feel proud of ourself for noticing. But we can put aside these weapons of judgment. We can become mindful. When we are mindful, it is as if we can bow to our experience without judgment or expectation. “Mindfulness,” declared the Buddha, “is all helpful.”

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