The Miracle of Mindfulness summary

The term mindfulness means ensuring your consciousness is focused on the present moment at any given time, instead of looking to the future or dwelling on the past. Although many of us seek to be mindful as we go about our daily lives, distractions inevitably come thick and fast. Instead of being free to focus on the simple satisfactions of washing dishes, we’re often bombarded with a constant stream of personal projects, family matters and work commitments. So in this hectic world, how can we engage in a state of mindfulness and simply live in the moment?

Incredibly, the way in which we breathe can really help with this goal.

In an ideal world, one would be mindful for each hour of every day. Unfortunately, our lives are filled with commitments, and mindfulness as an everyday reality is not easy. That’s why Thich Nhat Hanh recommends that you set aside at least one day a week to devote to mindfulness.

Although it might seem indulgent to have one whole day a week entirely dedicated to your own well-being, remember that everyone deserves a day like this. Additionally, without carving out this time for yourself, you’ll eventually lose your life to a whirlwind of stress.

If you ever met a Buddhist monk, you might have noticed how they’re radiating fearlessness and compassion. They seem to be completely in tune with their surroundings. How did they get there? Well, a big part of the answer is that they regularly contemplate the fact that everything is connected.

In the Western world, people tend to view the world as being full of separated entities. A table, for example, is just a table, having nothing to do with the “non-table world”. A Buddhist, however, might have a completely different view here. After all, this one table came out of the world it’s surrounded by. Without the tree it’s made of, the sun and rain that nourished this tree, the carpenter who shaped it, the tool maker who built the carpenter’s saw, and even the carpenter’s parents, this particular table wouldn’t exist. All of these tiny contributions are inherent to this table. And that makes it a shining example of how everything in the world is interdependent.

When we sit down in a state of mindfulness, our minds and bodies may be completely relaxed and totally at peace. But don’t mistake this state of affairs for something it’s not. This sort of relaxation is very different from the sort of half-conscious, lackadaisical state of mind that arises from napping or resting.

Simply resting or dozing has nothing at all in common with mindfulness. Why? Because when we rest, our mind enters a dim cave, albeit a relaxing one. However, when we are mindful, we are restful but also fully alert and wide awake.

When it comes to meditation, there is a wealth of different exercises and techniques you can use to help you on your way to mindfulness. Though these exercises are quite simple, they are the basics that you must master before moving on to more advanced approaches.

The first exercise is known as the pebble.