# Mastering Your Own Mind



## Xue Sheng (Nov 3, 2008)

From Psychology Today

Mastering Your Own Mind

And just because it is somewhat related

The Art of Now: Six Steps to Living in the Moment


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## terryl965 (Nov 3, 2008)

If 10 millions American practice some type of Buddhism and meditation why do we have so much anger in our country. Very interesting article.


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 3, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> If 10 millions American practice some type of Buddhism and meditation why do we have so much anger in our country.


 
Because I think that is only about 3% of the population


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## terryl965 (Nov 3, 2008)

Xue Sheng said:


> Because I think that is only about 3% of the population


 
You would think if it ws that truely beneficial it would be mandatory for wife and child abruisers. The convict could benefit from it as well.


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 3, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> You would think if it ws that truely beneficial it would be mandatory for wife and child abruisers. The convict could benefit from it as well.


 
Well it is not exactly something you can force someone to do so making it mandatory would not work IMO. They would likely just sit there thinking "This is stupid". 

My mother-in-law is a long time Buddhist and I got to tell you that woman is the happiest most non-angry person I ever meant and she lived through the cultural revolution in Beijing and the death of very close family members. And she meditates about 3 hours a day. She also is in her 70s, half my size and I can&#8217;t keep up with her walking.


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## CoryKS (Nov 3, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> If 10 millions American practice some type of Buddhism and meditation why do we have so much anger in our country. Very interesting article.


 
Because 290 million Americans don't.


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## MA-Caver (Nov 3, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> If 10 millions American practice some type of Buddhism and meditation why do we have so much anger in our country. Very interesting article.


Probably because the other 260 million don't.


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Nov 3, 2008)

Great article on mindfulness.

 Mindfulness can be a hard thing to follow after all are attachments,cravings,desires caused by are senses to cultivate the mind can be a difficult task!!

It is why Buddhist follow the Eight fold path and Four noble truths or in other words how the Eight fold path and Four noble truths can generate Mindfulness and visa versa.


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## zeeberex (Nov 3, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> If 10 millions American practice some type of Buddhism and meditation why do we have so much anger in our country. Very interesting article.




yes they do, I was in my head for over an hour last night, it's good fer ya


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 4, 2008)

JadecloudAlchemist said:


> Great article on mindfulness.
> 
> Mindfulness can be a hard thing to follow after all are attachments,cravings,desires caused by are senses to cultivate the mind can be a difficult task!!
> 
> It is why Buddhist follow the Eight fold path and Four noble truths or in other words how the Eight fold path and Four noble truths can generate Mindfulness and visa versa.


 
Thank You for bringing those into this, I forgot about those. 

The Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths

I need to re-read those and would welcome any addition on them to this post. It has been a long time since I studied them so I am not sure how much I could add but it would be a good addition to a post that is basically about mindfulness.

After reading the article I posted (Mastering your own mind) I equated the whole thing to things like Zhan Zhuang and Santi Shi. I will have to read the Eightfold path and the Four Noble Truths again and think about this. 

I am finding multiple references to the Heart Sutra (The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra) in many Xingyi texts &#8220;Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form&#8221; all seem to lead me in some strange way into mindfulness. But I may be getting off my own topic here. 
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html


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## Bodhisattva (Nov 4, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> If 10 millions American practice some type of Buddhism and meditation why do we have so much anger in our country. Very interesting article.



Any attempt to master your own mind will only reveal that it cannot be mastered.

You ARE your mind, and you ARE the thing behind the mind.  But you cannot master it.  It is.  You are.  It is that simple.


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## zeeberex (Nov 4, 2008)

Bodhisattva said:


> Any attempt to master your own mind will only reveal that it cannot be mastered.
> 
> You ARE your mind, and you ARE the thing behind the mind.  But you cannot master it.  It is.  You are.  It is that simple.



In some respects though, at least from a sufic perspective, that is the journey......


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 4, 2008)

Bodhisattva said:


> Any attempt to master your own mind will only reveal that it cannot be mastered.
> 
> You ARE your mind, and you ARE the thing behind the mind. But you cannot master it. It is. You are. It is that simple.


 
Actually it is more like mastering your thoughts and not allowing them to distract you in orcer to be more aware, or at leadt that is how I am understanding it


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## terryl965 (Nov 4, 2008)

Well for me with all these multi personalities, my mind is just plain wracked out. Bye for now my other minds wants me to shut up.


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 4, 2008)

terryl965 said:


> Well for me with all these multi personalities, my mind is just plain wracked out. Bye for now my other minds wants me to shut up.


 
Well then terry you may already be meditating then... with multiple personalities at least one of them might be into meditation already and you would never even know and yet you would


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Nov 4, 2008)

Xue in regards to the 4 noble truths we can see how mindfulness can relief suffering. By comtemplating the 4 noble truths we are practicing mindfulness and keeping an eye on our altruistic goal.

In regards to the 8 fold path IMO each one can generate the other for example: If you have right mindfulness you will have right speech which will produce right concentration and so on.

Example: If you have right speech you have right concentration resulting in right mindfulness.


The Heart sutra is an excellent way to see the mind for what it is.

In regards to Santi and Zhan Zhuang I think you become mindful of what is going on in the body as it relaxes, the mind becomes free of thought and reacts clearly and precise.  I am not suprised that Hsing yi or any internal arts would alluded to the Heart sutra and the connection of Yi and 
form.  Kukai wrote a treaty on the Heart sutra and explained it with quite alot of Esoteric Buddhism ala Shingon.


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 5, 2008)

JadecloudAlchemist said:


> Xue in regards to the 4 noble truths we can see how mindfulness can relief suffering. By comtemplating the 4 noble truths we are practicing mindfulness and keeping an eye on our altruistic goal.


 
Makes sense and they are, or at least appear to be to me, connected and interdependent on one another and/or one leads to another




JadecloudAlchemist said:


> In regards to the 8 fold path IMO each one can generate the other for example: If you have right mindfulness you will have right speech which will produce right concentration and so on.
> 
> Example: If you have right speech you have right concentration resulting in right mindfulness.


 
This also makes sense&#8230;now

I read through the 4 noble truths and the eightfold path again yesterday and it is fairly obvious, or at least it appeared to be to me, how the 4 noble truths (life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, and the path to the cessation of suffering) helped one practice or work towards mindfulness. But I found myself having a bit of a problem with the eightfold path (Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration) I was having a problem with a few as to how they applied until I realized I had narrowed my view and was looking at them from the point of view as to how they helped Santi Shi and Zhan Zhuang and not thinking of mindfulness in the bigger picture as it comes form Buddhism. Basically Right View, Right Intention, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration were making sense and Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood were not. But then I realized I was limiting the scope and when I took that to the wider view of Buddhism and not just the view of Xingyiquan/Yiquan it made sense finally, not that I have actually achieved any of it, it just made sense.



JadecloudAlchemist said:


> The Heart sutra is an excellent way to see the mind for what it is.
> 
> In regards to Santi and Zhan Zhuang I think you become mindful of what is going on in the body as it relaxes, the mind becomes free of thought and reacts clearly and precise. I am not suprised that Hsing yi or any internal arts would alluded to the Heart sutra and the connection of Yi and
> form. Kukai wrote a treaty on the Heart sutra and explained it with quite alot of Esoteric Buddhism ala Shingon.


 
I can feel, or at least I think I feel, where training Santi or Zhan Zhuang one becomes or at least approaches mindfulness. After standing for a while I seem to no longer be lost in any thoughts and much more aware of what is going on both inside and outside of my body. And much more aware of the flow of things, however I will admit in Santi that is brief at best and generally ends up overpowered by pain in my legs and sometimes shoulders.  

Thanks

And if I am off the point here please feel free to let me know. Like I said I appear to be limiting the scope of my thinking about this to things Zhan Zhuang and Santi Shi.


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