ED: I think most if not all of us in the Zen Forum are grateful to the moderators, Bill and Edgar, for creating a space for expressing alternative perspectives, experiences and understandings - notwithstanding that most or all of us may feel that our own perceptions and understandings are 'right'.
--- In [email protected], Maria Lopez <flordeloto@...> wrote: > Mayka: "Mindfulness Affirmation" comes to say that the person who is putting into practice and having as a direct experience the meaning of mindfulness under the different descriptive situations given. There is not other way of knowing, having a real taste of mindfulness. There is no visualisation of any kind here but a direct experience with what is in front of one, with what arises in the here and the now. ED: IMO, a person who claims complete actualization of the (printed) affirmations in the video is deluding himself, even if he claims to have realized Buddha Mind. In particular I am referring to highlighted statements below. "I am open to the experience of the present moment." "I pay attention to the psycho-social conditioning behind my actions." "I see my mistakes and difficulties without judging them." "I feel fully connected to my experience in the here and now." Mayka: This are the statements made by a person who is putting mindfulness into practice right in the here and and the now and the experience that person is having. There is no visualization or anything delusional about the experience the person is having. But if you don't believe me you just have to have a go on yourself and you'll see that your experience will be very alike. Mindfulness is a way of living life. The mind is trained into mindfulness in order to reach that 24 hours of full attention. This is not easy for lay people and this is why one could play mindfulness for a short time during the day to start with. There are instructions for that. For a monk or nun mindfulness is like never leave the zazen cushion and bring with one wherever one goes, activity does. The same is sitting down, sleeping, evacuating in the toilette, working.... --- On Tue, 1/3/11, ED <seacrofter001@...> wrote: From: ED <seacrofter001@...> Subject: Re: [Zen] News: Mindfulness and death -- who wins? To: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, 1 March, 2011, 16:28 Excellent video! I view 'affirmations' as being Tantric in the sense that one makes believe (visualizes) that one is already what one wants to be. In Tibetan Tantra, one follows the visualization with a short meditation in which one dissolves the visualization into emptiness. The reason given for this is to preclude the possibility that one may begin to actually believe the visualization to be reality and become arrogant and conceited. IMO, a person who claims complete actualization of the (printed) affirmations in the video is deluding himself, even if he claims to have realized Buddha Mind. In particular I am referring to highlighted statements below. "I am open to the experience of the present moment." "I pay attention to the psycho-social conditioning behind my actions." "I see my mistakes and difficulties without judging them." "I feel fully connected to my experience in the here and now." --ED --- In [email protected], Maria Lopez <flordeloto@...> wrote: > Hi Edgar: I didn't get through all the reading from your article but I can certainly confirm out of (and in and off) practise and personal experience of mindfulness that is one of the greatest, practical, effective and shortcut tools given to lead one to what Bill calls "Shi....." And here it goes a practical video that can be of inspiration towards mindfulness. The song is from one of the Sisters in the TNH tradition. The cd is with the tittle: "A basket of Plums". And as for the show it was created first in the power point by one of my friends. Then someone else took the powerpoint show and a song from that cd and created this straight forward to the point of mindfulness affirmation or in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbwZ_fe623E <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbwZ_fe623E> Thanks Edgar Mayka
