Are Thoughts the Mind, or Just a Product of it?

In the book “Zen and the Brain,” author James Austin, MD, writes: “Meditators discover a surprising fact when they finally arrive at moments of “no-thought”: they do not have to think to be conscious. For consciousness starts with being aware. The awareness has a receptive flavor, its normal landscape is not a level plateau. Instead, it rises and falls as a series of peaks and valleys.”[i] (To read an interview done with Dr. Austin by MIT Press, check out this link:  http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/auszp/austin/interview.html) As we work with our mind and begin to develop insight into its dynamics, we’ll come to realize—even [...]

2013-11-08T16:12:34-07:00By |Meditation|2 Comments
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Using Thoughts During Meditation as the Object of Meditation

Meditation Can Be Using Your Thoughts as the Object of Your Meditation For many of us, when we begin to meditate, instead of sinking into a blissful space of quietude and relaxation, we find the exact opposite. We encounter a torrent of thoughts, distractions, and just about anything else that we wouldn't want to be thinking when we're supposed to be taming our mind. But, isn't meditation supposed to free us from our thoughts? That's what I assumed when I first began meditating. After all, I'd seen enough photos of robed figures seated, motionless, in peaceful settings, undisturbed by the [...]

2015-01-20T15:19:36-07:00By |Meditation|4 Comments
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Mindfulness, Meditation, Compassion and Nursing – The Perfect Fit!!

I'm stuck in Washington at Dulles Airport, “G” Terminal with several hundred other souls crammed into the boarding area. Outside, flashes of lightning illuminate the cloud-darkened sky; the loud thunder-clap strikes come alarmingly close to this small, overcrowded weigh-station. As we watch the Departure Boards, one flight after another posts “CANCELED,” and a tide of anxious and angry passengers washes over the customer service desk, employees frightened for their well-being. How appropriate it is then that I am on my way back from teaching a class on mindfulness and meditation to a group of health-care practitioners in Seattle. What a [...]

2014-09-08T23:33:54-06:00By |Nursing|6 Comments
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