Thank you Jonathon and Loraine

Thanks again to Jonathon and Loraine for preparing and facilitating the class in my absence last week. The feedback that I have received has been very positive and I am grateful for the time and care you put into the preparation and devlivery of the material. When we were discussing it here at DP I was confident that the material was good, and their wisdom and insights that they were planning to share seemed congruent with the teachings.

I look forward to discussing more about the concept of generosity on Saturday morning.

Hi fellow philosophers...

I know that we are now on the topic of giving and generosity - but I have a
question regarding being mindful.

My question is - what is the distinction between being thoughtful and being
mindful?

My only answer is that to be mindful is to be aware of ourselves and of our
thoughts, whereas being thoughtful doesn't necessaraly translate into being
mindful

Confusing? I welcome your own thoughts

Regards to all, Marcello

Practice and cultivation

I found this on a Daily Meditation quote of the day. Enjoy!

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

~ Buddha

Humanity's delusion

My wife sent me an email that had this quote. When I read it, I just knew it had to be shared here.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.
-Yasutani Roshi, Zen master (1885-1973)

For more on this Zen master, view an article about him in Wikipedia.

Giving and Generosity

Discussing the topic of giving and
generosity (G&G) is not as straight
forward as I thought...

For example, can someone be
too G&G? To answer that question,
I would need to tie it in with being
mindful and being wise

I would say that giving blindly is not
always a good thing. However, it is what
we should always value in ourselves

Is it also possible that by being
too G&G, you prevent others from
being generous and giving to you?

So what is it that we give? Well,
it's not just objects, money or our
treasured possessions. It is also
the giving of ourselves...

Each of us have special gifts and
it is the sharing of these gifts to
others which makes giving and
generosity important

Marcello

Generosity # 1

The teachings and reflection this week focussed our attention on the topic of giving and generosity.

The group looked at the poetry of Kahlil Gribran, specifically a work entitled "The Prophet" and the section pertaining to the rich man asking the prophet on 'giving'.

there was robust discussion on the mindfulness of giving and whether our giving can harm or benefit those around us.

We also explored our personal talents and gifts and what we have been given and how we can share those talents and gifts with others. A theme emerged during reflection and it tied in surprisingly with the powerpoint presentation that was viewed.

Next session the theme of giving and generosity is further explored. The group values all sharing of knowledge and experience and we welcome new members to join us to share our growth in wisdom.

Turn up the volume!

Hi peeps,

When you've got some time, watch this clip:
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2377080.htm


I think it was only 10-15mins off the top of my head.
It's quite interesting! And there's a book called The Science of Happiness which provides some very interesting scientific backing to being happy and how active your brain becomes when imaged.

Anyway, just my short little addition that I've been meaning to do for the last two weeks.... time to get back to my essay!

Ciao!
Yee Ping

A little gift

Click to enlarge

When I found out that the theme for the following weeks revolves around generosity, I thought of painting the flowers we had in class last week as a gift to you all. I hope you like it.

The REAL flowers themselves, of course, were a "gift" to us as well from Marcello - who created his first posting below! Huzzah! 

See you all on Saturday!

EDIT: I completed the shadows and reflections/refractions. Also signed it so now it's finito!

Hi philosophers...

Hello all...

I hope you're all well. This is my first blog posting, so do bear with me.
Where do I begin? Well, the philosophy classes have been really great.
There is so much that I take away with me and lots to think about

My primary thoughts have been focused on what it means to "live a good life"
It's quite an interesting question and no doubt, there are so many answers

I refer to Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor and philosopher) and his writings.
Marcus continually points to living in the present and living in harmony
with nature

For me, they are the two most important aspects to living a good life.
I also include self-awareness through self-examination as an important part
to leading a fulfilling life.

Only by knowing ones-self are you able to know others and how to relate
with them.

I also point out the distinction between self-examination and self-absortion
where the latter referes to looking inwards only

Anyway, I have only just scratched the surface and I welcome other thoughts
on this question

Many thanks and regards
Marcello

Mindfulness Session #4

This week's session wrapped up our reflections on the concept of Mindfulness.

The group explored some of the teachings of the Roman Emperor/Philosopher Marcus Aurelius and how they tied in with Socrates observation that "An unexamined life is not worth living".

There was also the opportunity for the participants to reflect on how the teachings and exploration of the topic "Mindfulness" had made a difference in their lives, and whether they found it useful.

The next four weeks will be devoted to reflection on the concept of generosity. Please join us in the sharing of knowledge and wisdom on this valuable topic.

Ann

Conditions

The conditions for fire are heat, fuel, and oxygen.
The conditions for a gravitational force are the masses between objects.

Indeed, with the technological advances of today, we have congratulated ourselves with being able to fly in the air, dive deep into the ocean, communicate almost instantaneously over great distances, send people to the moon, perform amazing surgery, and much more.

Yet, we do not know the conditions for our current standard of living, our current health, our current state of mind, our time of death, or where we go after that (if we go anywhere at all). There has been many theories with varying degrees of success when tested over time and space (geography). By the scientific method, this suggests that none of these theories are the true conditions. If we do not know the conditions for these, then are we not at the mercy of ignorance?

Have we reduced ourselves to mindlessly chasing wealth, prestige, recognition, and status? What use are these if we don't know how to determine our lives?

For how long have we lived in ignorance? For how long will we continue to live in ignorance? When will we all awaken?

Meditation, mindfulness, and the breath

The word "meditation" is often associated with mindfulness and focus on breathing, and I would like to pose some questions and share my understanding on this topic.

Firstly, what is meditation? Why is it important? What is its purpose? What is its relationship with mindfulness? What is so special about focusing on the breath (as was touched on at our last group discussion)? Is it relevant to us in our modern times?

I think there are a lot of thoughts and ideas about what meditation is and isn't and it may mean different things from person to person. Is it simply a way to relax, to chill out from our hectic lives? Is it a religious thing that is only truly available to monks or nuns? Or is it just the latest fad thing that people do?

To me, meditation is a tool. I use it primarily to help me cultivate a pure, empty mind (and I have a long way to go). I will write later about the importance of this quality of the mind in a later blog.

I consider mindfulness to be the state of mind that is consciously in the present moment. Here. Now. It is that state of mind that does not give rise to wandering thoughts into the past of what has been, could've been, should've been, would've been if only, and so on. It is that state of mind that does not give rise to wandering thoughts into the future of what if, what could be, or some fantasy that we can find ourselves in. It is also the state of mind that does not have any "noise" in it, like a tune we're playing in our heads or rapid switching of thoughts.

The relationship between mindfulness and meditation is profound. Mindfulness is needed for proper meditation because being able to maintain a state of mind that is conscious of the present moment is the very first step to effective meditation. At the same time, meditation helps to cultivate mindfulness, amongst other qualities. The effect is compounding.

So why do we beginners find it so hard to meditate? May be we don't know why we're even meditating. May be we don't know how to meditate. I can only speak for myself why I meditate, but as for how, my first step is cultivating mindfulness. The present moment is here and now! And that means being conscious of my every thought, speech, and actions now.

So often I have tried to focus on my breath when meditating only to find that on most days it's a hard battle uphill. Then upon closer reflection, when I tried to focus on the present moment, I had the same struggles! Why is that so?  I then realised that mindfulness does not take a form.

It is what pro athletes call "being in the zone". It is what allows musicians to create the way they do, and I know it feels very refreshing when being in that state. The trouble is we are using a physical object or activity to accomplish a state of mind. When the object or activity stops, so does our mindfulness eventually stop.  I did not find this helpful in the long run!

Unlike objects or activities, the breathe is something that is always with us while we're alive so it's something for our minds to focus on to cultivate mindfulness.  However, I'm not a monk nor do I necessarily have the luxury of time to set aside for prolonged periods of time.  I am finding that a great way of cultivating mindfulness is to wholeheartedly and sincerely put forth my best effort in what ever I do without expectations of benefit. From the most routine such as washing dishes, walking, and opening a door, to more involved activities such as socialising. What works the best for me are the routine activities because of their simplicity.

What is wrong with same-old? Why is it so boring? It is because we lack mindfulness. I know that when I lack mindfulness even something as engaging as playing badminton can become boring. This is because interest and boredom are states of mind, not some activity!

But what about repetition? We've done the ironing many times before, and there's nothing new to keep it interesting. Well, the present moment is instantaneous. It is always a new moment. Our minds are always experiencing a new moment, and the reason why something repetitive becomes boring is because our state of mind is not synchronised with the change in moments.

When I was around 14, I used to find playing the piano scales incredibly boring and tedious. It was only until I let go of my restless mind and put my heart into playing the scales that I found it was actually very captivating. I could actually practice scales for 1 hour without getting bored of them.

I used to find getting up in the morning and preparing for work a really boring routine. Again, when I let go of my restless and wandering mind, every morning is a very enjoyable experience. Practicing in this way, I am finding that this way of cultivating mindfulness helps a lot in meditation.

It is quite literally, Zen.

This is very relevant today as we all at some stage feel the pressures of time and commitments. It is very easy to simply let the days slide by, and then a week, and then a year, and then a decade. I have been guilty of putting things off until I have more time, or until a certain project is over, or until certain situations have been handled. But I wasn't learning my lessons and so the same situations kept coming up.

What does that have to do with mindfulness and meditation? As I alluded to in the beginning, that's what a future blog is going to be about. So rather than pondering what it might be about, be mindful! Here. Now. That's the first step.

Jon =D

Meeting Notes October 4

Mindfulness session# 3

This week we looked more closely at some exercises which will asssist in understanding mindfulness. The exercises focussed on routine activities, but with a focus on the breathing. there was a range of exercises that were offered, and the group was encouraged to explore ones that they felt could be useful.

Discussion also ensued about mindfulness of the self, and whether being mindful of ourselves can benefit others as the Buddhas' story shows.

There was discussion on the tangible and intangible aspects of mindfulness in looking after oneself.

A hand out given for reflection during the week which containes a quote from Socrates: "An unexamined life is not worth living" which will form part of the discussion as we wrap up our reflection on Mindfulness on Saturday 11th October.

I look forward to the pleasure of your company!!