Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition

All meditation procedures stress concentration of the mind, bringing the mind to rest on one item or one area of thought. Do it strongly and thoroughly enough, and you achieve a deep and blissful relaxation, called jhana.

MISCONCEPTION 11: A COUPLE OF WEEKS OF MEDITATION AND ALL MY PROBLEMS WILL GO AWAY.

PRACTICE

MISCONCEPTION 2: MEDITATION MEANS GOING INTO A TRANCE.

PROBLEM 7: FEAR

Mindfulness reminds you of what you are supposed to be doing

In vipassana meditation we cultivate this special way of seeing life. We train ourselves to see reality exactly as it is, and we call this special mode of perception mindfulness.

Vipassana meditation is not a game. Clear awareness is more than a pleasurable pastime. It is a road up and out of the quagmire in which we are all stuck, the swamp of our own desires and aversions. It is relatively easy to apply awareness to the nastier aspects of your existence. Once you have seen fear and depression evaporate under the hot, inte

You can learn to see the continuous flow of all conditioned things. You can. It is just a matter of time and training.