With Marcello's compliments

"The faculty of voluntary bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the root of all judgement, character and will" William James (Principles of Psychology 1890)

"The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice" R.D.Laing

27 Sept 2008 - Meeting notes

This is meant to be a summary of what transpired during our meetings for the benefit of people who were unable to make it. It is difficult to capture the many many messages discussed but hopefully these notes can help to jog our memories or even inspire us to change our habits for the better. If I have misunderstood or left out anything, please let me know so that I can correct it. Also, feel free to comment!

Recap of the Three Wondrous Answers
1) What is the best time to do each thing?
2) Who are the most important people to work with?
3) What is the most important thing to do at all times?

This lead to how the story relates to mindfulness. We then discussed the following two questions:
1) What is mindfulness?
2) Why is mindfulness important?

The following notes are a distillation of the discussions we had:
What is mindfulness?
* Being aware (of yourself and your surroundings)
* Perception
* Observation
* "Being" in the moment - bring back your mind to the present
* Present moment, being, enjoying the moment, attending to the present moment

Why is mindfulness important?
* Awareness, understanding of people
* What you put out is what you get back
* Following your bliss
* Being emerged in your vision

====================================

Quotes we went through:

On life's journey
Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter
Wisdom is the light by day, and
Right mindfulness is the protection by night

-- Buddha

~~~~~~~

There is only one courage
and that is the courage
to go on dying to the past,
not to collect it,
not to accumulate it,
not to cling to it.

We all cling to the past,
and because we cling
to the past we become
unavailable
to the present.

-- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Walking in Zen, Sitting in Zen

~~~~~~~

Until
you can understand
that nothing can happen to you,
nothing can ever come to you
or be kept from you,
except in accord
with your state
of consciousness,
you do not have
the key to life.

-- Paul Twitchell. The Flute of God. ECKANKAR

~~~~~~~

You must begin
to trust yourself.

If you do not
then you will forever
be looking to others
to prove your own merit to you,
and you will never be satisfied.

You will always be asking
others what to do,
and at the same time
resenting those
from whom
you seek such aid.

-- Jane Roberts. The Nature of Personal Reality

More wisdom from cool people from the past

"People of the world don't look at themselves, and so they blame one another" Mevlana Rumi

"Retire into yourself as much as possible. Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those whom you are capable of improving. the process is a mutual one. People learn as they teach" Seneca

"A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner" Unknown

"A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some wisdom from cool people from the past

"Lack of self-knowledge is natural in other living creatures, but in humans it is a moral blemish" Boethius

"

Our Greatest Fear

This is from Marianne Williamson quoted by Nelson Mandela (in his 1994 inauguration speech as president of South Africa) and in a movie called "Coach Carter":

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Welcome to Philosophy@DP

Welcome everyone to the Philosophy@DP blog.

We meet Saturday mornings 10.30am-12.30pm in the Deakinprime boardroom, 6th floor 601 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Non Deakinprime employees may meet Jonathon at 10.20am in the foyer to be buzzed up to the 6th floor.

There is no cost attached to attending this course. Our CEO Kean has donated the facilities as a community service, and I as facilitator have also donated my time and expertise.

All I would request is that everyone treat each other with dignity, respect and tolerance. We have an abundance to explore and learn from each other, so come prepared to share your ideas!

Our 1st topic is "Mindfulness" weeks 1-4

Our 2nd topic is "Generosity" weeks 4-8

Our 3rd topic is "Gratitude" weeks 9-12

You may like to bring a pen and notepad with you to class - it's up to you.

I'd like to share with you this wisdom from the Buddha, and ask you to be mindful of this as we learn together as a group:

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is found in your religious books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and alanlysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to good and benefit of all, then accept it and live up to it."

look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning!