mindfulness

As I started with mindfulness I have studied Buddhism more seriously than before. And I have found that there are different types of Buddhism. Not only Hinayana and Mahayana. Perhaps there are the same amount of Buddhism as there are Buddhists - it´s a question of personality... But the practise of mindfulness becomes very superficial if you don't consider it´s ground; Buddhism.... I have found the form of Buddhism that Thich Nath Hanh stands for to be very sympathetic. He follows the Mahayana zen- form of Buddhism. It's also named engaged Buddhism, because it's engaged in social things. He has said that he sometimes has problems with voices from the Buddhistic hierarki. But I think his teachings are very near the initial teachings from Buddha himself. The teachings are very radical and not so easy to understand if you not have meditated. Words like "emptiness", "interrelation",  "nonattachment" and "nonself...

At the university of California they study, do research on and practise mindfulness. On their site you even can find exercises to listen to or download;

 We are made of sunlight, particles, water and so on. Of course we are also made of the food we eat, our parents, our friends and our experiences. Like the weather, we constantly change. Sometimes it´s winter inside and our thoughts are cold and unfriendly, but the thoughts will melt down and new one will rise... New experiences will start new habits - some parts of you are still a small child, but as an adult you can take care of that inner child. But, like a flower, it's good to have a rich soil and a lot of sun sunlight and water - because we ARE that sunlight and that water, and we ARE the oxygen hat we inhale produces bye the plants. We have a name and an personal history, and it's good to have that and sometimes tell the memories to other people, because, that's our identity. But in a deeper sense, we are not our name and history - we are more like the flower in my window; radiated by light - the light has for a while manifested itself as a flower together with...

Life is built by contrast; black and white, sorrow and happiness, long and short, right and left, and so on. And of course, the contrasts are dependent of each other. Thich Nath Hanh use to give an example bye a piece of paper; if the right side of the paper has not been there, the left could not exist. And happiness, symbolised bye the white colour could not be seen without the dark colours. So don not be afraid of the dark times, they are needed for the coming happiness. But be prepared to change. Sorrow i a sign for that something is wrong. Perhaps a belief that no longer is needed. For the times are really changing, and you better follow it or turn to a stone. Religious doctrines and fundamentalism are really old age, so are the belief that we are the masters of the earth. The earth will be all right some thousands of years after we have polluted it too much - but probably we will not ...