Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition

Meditation teaches you how to disentangle yourself from the thought process. It is the mental art of stepping out of your own way, and that’s a pretty useful skill in everyday life.

Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha’s original discourse on mindfulness,

There are three integral factors in Buddhist meditation—morality, concentration, and wisdom.

The Tipitaka is comprised of the Vinaya, the code of discipline for monks, nuns, and lay people; the Suttas, public discourses attributed to the Buddha; and the Abhidhamma, a set of deep psycho-philosophical teachings.

It is knowing that something is true because you have seen it work, because you have observed that very thing within yourself.

vipassana bhavana means the cultivation of the mind toward the aim of seeing in the special way that leads to insight and full understanding.

“What you are now is the result of what you were. What you will be tomorrow will be the result of what you are now. The consequences of an evil mind will follow you like the cart follows the ox that pulls it. The consequences of a purified mind will follow you like your own shadow. No one can do more for you than your own purified mind—no parent, n

“Never mind what I have been taught. Forget about theories and prejudices and stereotypes. I want to understand the true nature of life. I want to know what this experience of being alive really is. I want to apprehend the true and deepest qualities of life, and I don’t want to just accept somebody else’s explanation. I want to see it for myself.”

Our three questions, “What is it? How strong is it? And, how long does it last?” are a clever remedy for this particular malady.