14/10/2017

Good Morning. “Well, if I had a penny for every time someone told me about their
mindfulness moments” - is a line which could be the start of a boring novel. Don’t get me
wrong, I love a bit of mindfulness. I’ve given lectures on the topic and have seen some of the wonderful benefits it can bring to people's lives. But I do bemoan how the practice has been so wholly divorced from its Buddhist roots.

In Indian culture meditation has always been a valued practice, whether in Buddhism,
Hinduism, Jainism, or Sikhism. We think meditation is something for yogis but we do it
everyday. One of the finest examples of meditation is a kiss. I know it’s early in the morning,
and I don’t want to frighten the horses, but how we kiss is wonderful in its mindfulness.
We focus all our attention on our lips, all our senses, save touch, dim. We even close our
eyes. Our mind is completely in the moment of the kiss. Mindfulness at its best - easy-pezy.
But that's not the whole story because, linking meditation back to its heritage, we find that
Hinduism and Buddhism are very concerned that our mindful moment is not mindless. They
question what our mind might be full of, and how does that helps our quality of life, our
contribution to the world, and our happiness.

The original purpose of such meditation is to control our minds. Our minds are full of
impressions from the affection of a mother to the effects of violence, all of which influence
our decisions and actions. It’s said that the mind is a good servant but a terrible master.
Inviting the influences which make us a better person gives us a good start in life. Making it
a practice forms good habits, and puts us in the driving seat.

Dear Lord, It may be that the tyranny we should really be afraid of is that of the mind, that
our freedom is to be found in control of ourselves, and that our minds should be filled with
a playlist of beautiful, inspiring, and peaceful experiences. Hare Krishna.