Abiding in Nonattachment (practice), 135–37
acceptance, 240–41
Ackerman, Diane, 285
adaptability, 43–44
Advaita Vedanta, 150–51
Afghanistan War, 252
African Americans, 268–70
agency, 150
aging: body and, 30, 147; cognitive decline associated with, 176; dissatisfaction and, 120; graceful, 49–50; kind awareness of, 50–55; loss as challenge of, 203; meditation and, 52; mindfulness practices, 54–55; physical, 52; physical decline during, 214; resistance to, 50; role models for, 51–52; vulnerability to, 179–80
Akhmatova, Anna, 213
Alauda, Astrid, 27
allyship, 270–71
“always” statements, 101
Alzheimer’s disease, 53–54, 145
anger, 37, 181–82, 183, 184, 204
animal rights, 280–81
anxiety: aging and, 50; attachment and, 153; body and, 19; consumer culture and, 260; about future scenarios, 105; inner critic and, 198; jealousy and, 220; nature as salve for, 275–76; social media and, 92–93, 260
Apocalypse (Lawrence), 148
arguments, 184
Aristotle, 1
Ariyaratne, A. T., 259–60
assumptions, 205, 225–26, 243–44
attachment, 9; during childhood, 123–24; consumer culture and, 131–32; grasping and, 132; to identity, 153; letting go of, 134–35; mindfulness practices, 135–37; to preferences, 132–36; types of, 132; to views/beliefs, 114, 132. See also grasping
“attention economy,” 167
attention span, 161
attitude, 124
Attuning to Pain with Kind Attention (practice), 38–39
Attuning to Vulnerability (practice), 178–80
autopilot, 7
aversion, 87
avoidance, 126
Awake in the Wild meditation retreats, 281–82
awareness: clear, 8–12; difficulties defining, 166; exploring nature of, 166–72; kindness as expression of, 175, 177; love and, 265; mindfulness as, 4–6; mindfulness practices, 170–72; nature and, 273–74; of reactivity, 127–28; wisdom of, 135. See also mindfulness; present moment awareness; self-awareness; under specific topic
awe, 19
baby boomer generation, 260
Balzac, Honoré de, 97
Bankei (Zen master), 111
beliefs. See views/beliefs
Bhagawan, Dada, 211
Bhut, Por Long, 73
bias: conditioning behind, 159–60, 267–70; development of, 268; mindfulness of, 252, 270–72; mindfulness practices, 271–72; reality vs., 85; separateness and, 252; views/beliefs and, 114
birth, 139
Black Lives Matter movement, 268–69
Blessed Unrest (Hawken), 265
body: awareness of, 128, 136; caring for, 28–31, 53; changing of, 50; control of, 71, 145, 147; death and, 73, 148; disconnection from, 19, 29; disregard for, 27–28, 30; emotional grounding in, 184; emotional trigger signals in, 184, 185; emotions experienced in, 18–19, 22; exploring nature of, 69–74; healing energy of, 70–71; identification with, 146–48, 155; listening to, 28, 178; microorganisms in, 147; mind and, 159; mindfulness and, 12, 20–22, 28–29, 35–36, 72, 120–21, 146–47; mindfulness practices, 23–25, 31–32, 73–74; pleasure/pain waves in, 65; sense of self and, 69–70, 71–74, 145; sensory experience of, 20–25, 146, 273–74; as temple, 28. See also aging; death; embodied presence; impermanence; pain, physical; pleasure-pain polarity
Brach, Tara, 189
brain: decline of, 52; evolutionary development of, 78; negativity bias of, 63, 97–98; the past as manipulated by, 105; reward center in, 263; sense of self and, 150; survival mechanisms of, 86, 104, 182–83; technology and, 161
Brault, Robert, 197
breath: during meditation, 248; mindfulness of (practice), 13–14; during mindfulness practices, 128–29, 154; present moment awareness and, 245
“Brief for the Defense, A” (poem; Gilbert), 64
Buddhism, xviii–xix, xxi, 113, 211
Burning Man, 212
Buscaglia, Leo, 259
caregivers, 238
Castaneda, Carlos, 59
causality: inner critic and, 160; interconnection and, 257–58; law of, 158; mindfulness of, 158–63; mindfulness practices, 162–63; negativity as result of, 157–58; social conditioning and, 159–60
Celebrating the Joy of Others (practice), 222–23
CFCs, 255
change: meditation and adaptation to, 43–44; in nature, 274–75; physical, 50; polarity and, 213; resistance to, 42–43, 115; in sense of self, 140–43, 145; as universal principle, 42; vulnerability and, 43
Chicago (IL), 247–48
childhood, 123–24, 159–60, 237–38
children, 176, 199, 264, 275–76
Christianity, 211
civil disobedience, 253–54
civil rights movement, 227–28, 251
civil unrest, 176
climate change, 104–5, 254, 255, 281, 282, 283–84
Cohn, Howard, 212
Collier, Nadine, 227
compassion, 7, 95, 96, 225–31, 251. See also self-compassion
computers, 161
conditioning: bias and, 267–70; identity and, 150, 153; inner critic and, 198–99; internalization of, 159–60; mindfulness of, 270–71, 272; negative effects of, 114; positive use of, 161–62; reality vs., 85
confusion, 190
“conscious distraction,” 36
consciousness, 149, 165–66, 167
consumer culture, 50, 131–32, 167, 260, 261
contemplative traditions, 85
control, 69–70, 71, 78–79, 145, 147, 179, 212
“could have,” 101
Covey, Stephen, 183
criticism, 140–41
Cultivating a Steady Heart (practice), 216–18
Cultivating Generosity (practice), 266
dance, 18
“dark nights of the soul,” 189–90, 191–92
Darwin, Charles, 246
death, 30; body at time of, 73, 148; consciousness at time of, 165–66; contemplation of, 58–62; dissatisfaction and, 120; letting go during, 126–27; of loved ones, 57–58; mindfulness and, 58–59; mindfulness practices, 61–62; modern culture view of, 58; in nature, 275, 277–78
Death Contemplation (practice), 61–62
deep listening, 245
defensiveness, 184, 185, 200–201
deforestation, 256
dementia, 145
Denmark, 261
despair, 190
Developing Compassion for Others (practice), 229–31
Developing Interconnectedness (practice), 257–58
Developing Self-Compassion (practice), 194–95
digital devices, 245
discernment, 98–99
dissatisfaction: Hindu/Buddhist concept of, 117–18; mindfulness of, 118, 120–22; mindfulness practices, 122; with pleasurable experiences, 117–19, 260
Dogen (Zen master), 262
dopamine, 263
dukkha (dissatisfaction), 117–18
Earth Day, 284
Eckhart, Meister, 189
economic instability, 176, 212
egoism, 221
“eight worldly winds,” 213
Einstein, Albert, 253
Ellison, Ralph, 145
embodied presence: author’s sense of, 19–20; emotions and, 18–19; mindfulness practice and, 69; signs of, 17–18
Embracing Aging with Kind Awareness (practice), 54–55
Emmanuel AME Church shooting (Charleston, SC; 2015), 227
emotional triggers: mindfulness of, 181–82, 183, 185–88; other people as, 223; in relationships, 236; response to, 182; space between response and, 183–84, 185; as survival mechanism, 182–83; working with (practice), 186–88
emotions: awareness of, 171; conditioning of, 158; ecological crisis and, 283–84; letting go of, 126; as physiological phenomena, 18–19, 22; reactive, 158
Endangered Species Act (USA; 1973), 281
engagement, life of, 260, 279–80
entropy, 118
environmental movement, 257
Epstein, Mark, 149
equality, feelings of, 92, 94, 95
equanimity: defined, 212, 215; mindfulness and development of, 7, 11, 66, 212–13, 214; mindfulness practices, 216–18; mistaken notions of, 211–12; polarity managed through, 213–15
Examining Self-Centeredness, 248–49
Examining the Nature of Self (practice), 154–56
expectations, 42
Exploring the Changing Nature of Self (practice), 142–43
Exploring the Selfless Nature of the Body (practice), 73–74
Exploring the Waves of Joy and Pain (practice), 67–68
eyewitness statements, 106
Facebook, 284
factory farms, 281
failure, 213
famine, 231
fear: anticipatory, 35, 103–4; bias and, 268; of compassion, 228; jealousy and, 220; of loss, 206–8; pain and, 36, 37; perception distorted by, 87, 88; prevention of, 184; views/beliefs and, 114
Fénelon, François, 237
fight-or-flight response, 103, 182–83, 185
Flight of the Garuda, The (Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol), 167–68
focus, 6–7
Francis of Assisi, Saint, 227
Frankl, Viktor, 124
Friedan, Betty, 50
“full catastrophe,” 64
future: anticipating needs in, 104–5; mindfulness of (practice), 108–9; thoughts of pain in, 35; worrying about, 103–4
gain-loss polarity, 213
Galeano, Eduardo, 69
Galileo, 113
gender identification, 270
generalized statements, 101
generosity, 247–48, 263–64, 266
Germer, Christopher, 193
Gleaning Wisdom from Nature (practice), 277–78
Glide Memorial Church (San Francisco, CA), 261
Goldstein, Joseph, 98
grasping: attachment and, 132; awareness of, 129–30; during childhood, 123–24; nongrasping, 129–30 (see also letting go); after pleasure, 66–67; suffering caused by, 123
Great Way, 133–34
Green River (UT), 276
grief: aging and, 203; anticipatory, 206–8; author’s experience, 190; coping with, 57–58; heartfulness and, 203–4; letting go and, 126–27; mindfulness and opening into, 205–6; mindfulness practices, 208–9; process of, 126; self-judgment and, 204–5
guns, 182
habitat destruction, 281
habits, 161
Hafiz (Persian poet), 103, 265
happiness, 77, 261, 263. See also joy
Harari, Yuval Noah, 254
Harding, Douglas, 146
Harrison, Vicki, 203
Harvard University, 7
Hawken, Paul, 265
“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes” (body scan practice), 31–32
heart: awareness of, 136–37; emotional trigger signals in, 184; growing of, 239; mindfulness and, 12; nature and, 282–83; open, and nature, 283; opening of, and compassion, 227, 228; relationships and, 235; shutting down of, 229; steady, 212, 216–18 (see also equanimity); vulnerability of, 176–77, 179. See also compassion; emotional triggers; emotions; joy; kindness; loss; self-compassion
hindsight, 101
Hollywood, 236
homelessness, 228–29, 231, 261
hormones, 159
humanity, shared, 191, 192, 251–52, 285
humor, 101–2
hunger, 176
Iceland, 261
ideas, 171
identity: body and, 146–48, 155; building sense of, 145–46; compassionate attention to, 153–54; as fixed, 140, 153; labeling and, 151–52; mindfulness and, 151; mindfulness practices, 154–56; mind/thoughts and, 148–51, 155–56; personality and, 152–54. See also self, sense of
illusion, 85
impatience, 54
impermanence: aging and, 52–53; death contemplation and, 60–62; dynamic nature of, 277–78; equanimity and, 217–18; of joy, 9; life in alignment with, 42; mindfulness practices, 45–47; in nature, 274–75; of pain, 36; perceptual distortions about, 86, 89; of pleasure, 118–19; of sense of self, 140–43, 145, 154, 277; views/beliefs about, 115; as wake-up call, 44–45
“impostor syndrome,” 198
incest, 176
individualism, 115
inferiority, feelings of, 92, 93–94, 95
injuries, 159
inner critic: author’s experience, 1, 97; conditioning and belief in, 160, 198–99; grief and, 204–5; judging mind and, 98; meditation and, 199–200; mindfulness of, 100, 101–2; mindfulness practices, 201–2; negative effects of, 197–98; self-compassion as antidote to, 200–202; views/beliefs based in, 114; vulnerability and, 102
instinct, 150
insults, 183
interconnection: developing (practice), 257–58; global need for, 254–55, 256–57, 285; mindfulness and, 255–56, 279, 285; in nature, 275, 278; sense of self and, 156; separateness vs., 251–55; service and, 261; social movements based on, 253–54; views/beliefs about, 115
intuition, 22
Jagger, Mick, 117
jealousy, 220–21
Jesus of Nazareth, 134
John Paul II, Pope, 279
journaling, 116
joy: body and, 19; as impermanent, 9; mindfulness practices, 222–23; sympathetic, 219–23
Joyce, James, 19
judgments, 97–102, 258. See also inner critic; self-judgment
Kabir (Indian poet), 273
Karoli Baba, Neem, 261
Keolker, James, 51–52
kindness: awareness and, 175, 177; equanimity and, 218; loss and, 203, 206, 208; mindfulness and, 177; vulnerability met with, 177–80
“Kindness” (poem; Nye), 203–4
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 227–28, 251, 252, 254
Lance, Ethel, 227
Last Lecture, The (Pausch), 120
Lawrence, D. H., 148
leadership, 261–62
Letters to a Young Poet (Rilke), 70
letting be, 123
letting go: of attachments, 134–35; in bad conditions, 124–25; benefits of, 128; during childhood, 123–24; as letting be, 123, 126–28; mindfulness practices, 128–30; New Age view of, 125–26; of sense of self, 156
limbic system, 182–83
listening, 245
London (England), 1–2, 17–18, 268
Lorde, Audre, 267
loss: aging and, 203; anticipation of, 206–8; coping with, 57–58; heartfulness and, 203–4; mindfulness and opening into, 205–6; polarity and, 213; self-judgment and, 204–5; vulnerability to, 179–80
love, 19, 177, 227, 239, 265, 281–82
loving-kindness, 202
Lutz, A., 52
Ma, Dipa, 245
Mahabharata, 57
Make Peace with Your Mind (Coleman), 97, 191
Mandela, Nelson, 262
mantras, 45
Maranasati (death contemplation), 58–59
Marcus Aurelius, 124
marital conflict, 199
materialism, 260
meat diet, 282–83
media, 64
medicine, 159
Meditating on Impermanence (practice), 45–47
meditation: aging and, 53; author as teacher of, xx, 91, 120; author’s experience, 77, 189–90, 279; benefits of, 43–44, 52; equanimity and, 212; on impermanence, 45–47; inner critic and, 199–200; misconceptions about, 243–44, 279; negativity during, 157–58; online courses in, xx; as practice, 37; reasons for, 80; as self-centered, 243–44, 262; sympathetic joy meditation, 219–20; thoughts and, 81; “unmindfulness,” 166–67; walking, 6, 23–25; wandering attention during, 248
meditation retreats, 157–58, 255–56, 276–77, 281–82
mental disorders, 176
microorganisms, 147
mind: awareness of processes of, 77–81, 136–37; body and, 159; comparing, 91–96; control of, 71, 145, 179; creative/harmful potentials of, 77–78; emotional trigger signals in, 184; grasping nature of, 66–67; happiness and, 77; identification with, 148–51, 155–56; judging, 97–102, 197–202; mindfulness and, 12, 80–81; mindfulness practices, 82–83, 89–90, 94–96, 100–102; mistaken identity conceptualized by, 151; perceptual distortion and, 85–89; pleasure/pain waves in, 65; reactivity and, 68; scientific research on, 77, 148–49, 165; sense of self and, 145; time as construct of, 103, 105; vulnerability of, 179. See also attachment; causality; dissatisfaction; identity; letting go; self, sense of; thoughts; time; views/beliefs
mindfulness: aging and, 54; author as teacher of, xix–xxi, 41, 235; author’s interest in, xix, 1–3, 17–18, 113; benefits of, xvii–xviii, 3, 5–12, 43–44, 79, 98–100, 262–63, 279–80, 285; of bias, 270–72; body and, 20–22, 28–29, 35–36, 72, 120–21, 146–47; of conditioning, 270–71, 272; death and, 58–59; deep listening as facet of, 245; defined, xxi, 3–6, 64, 167; of dissatisfaction, 118, 120–22; of emotional triggers, 181–82, 183; equanimity developed through, 66, 212–13, 214; grounding quality of, 80; inner critic and, 200; interconnection and, 255–56, 285; kindness and, 177; loss and, 203; love infused with, 227; modern popularity of, xvii–xviii, 5, 7; origins of, xvii, xviii–xix; of pain, 34, 35–36; paradox of, 262; point of, 69; questions/concerns about, xviii; of reactivity, 127–28, 238–39, 262–63, 279; scientific research on, 20, 214; self-centeredness and, 244–45; self-compassion and, 190–91; of sense of self, 142, 153; thoughts and, 80–81, 106–7; unmindfulness, 166–67, 169–70; of views/beliefs, 113–16. See also awareness; mindfulness practices; under specific topic
Mindfulness Institute, xx
Mindfulness of Awareness Itself (practice), 170–72
Mindfulness of Bias (practice), 271–72
Mindfulness of Breath (practice), 13–14
Mindfulness of Thoughts (practice), 82–83
Mindfulness of Time (practice), 108–9
Mindfulness of Views (practice), 116
mindfulness practices: for aging, 54–55; for awareness, 170–72; for bias, 271–72; for body, 23–25, 31–32, 73–74; for causality, 162–63; for compassion, 229–31; death contemplation, 61–62; for dissatisfaction, 122; for emotional triggers, 186–88; for equanimity, 216–18; how to use, 12; on impermanence, 45–47; for inner critic, 201–2; for interconnection, 257–58; for letting go, 128–30; for loss/grief, 208–9; maturation of, 177; for mind, 82–83, 89–90, 94–96, 100–102; for nature, 277–78; for nonattachment, 135–37; for pain, 38–39; for pleasure/pain waves, 67–68; for self-centeredness, 248–49; for self-compassion, 194–95; for sense of self, 142–43, 154–56; for service, 266; for sympathetic joy, 222–23; for time, 108–9; types of, 6; for views/beliefs, 116; for vulnerability, 178–80
Mindful Self-Compassion, 193
monastic life, 235–36
mood disorders, 176
moods, 171
mortality. See death
mysticism, 104, 148–49, 165–66, 273
Nasruddin stories, 71
National Science Foundation, 79
nature: author’s experience in, 19–20, 152; death in, 275; disconnection from, 283; embodied presence in, 20; human destruction of, 280–81; impermanence in, 274–75, 277–78; industrial world and, 280; interconnection in, 275, 278; love of, 281–82; mindfulness practices, 277–78, 286; renewal awaiting in, 284–85; self-centeredness and, 276; sense of self and, 276–77, 278; sensory awareness in, 20, 273–74, 277; simplicity/peace taught by, 275–76; stewardship of, 282–84; vulnerability of, 283
negativity, 87, 93, 157–58, 197. See also inner critic
negativity bias, 43, 63–64, 97–98
neuroscience, 77, 148–49, 150, 165
“never” statements, 101
New Delhi (India), 64
NGOs, 265
Nhat Hanh, Thich, 253
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 17
Nisker, Wes, 154
nonattachment, 135–37; mindfulness practices, 135–37; Zen view of, 133–34
nongrasping, 129–30. See also letting go Norway, 261
Noticing the Comparing Mind (practice), 94–96
nursing, 246–47
Nye, Naomi Shihab, 203–4
observation, 78
Occupy movement, 254
Oliver, Mary, 59–60
“one less” mantra, 45
On Having No Head (Harding), 146
open awareness practice, 6
opinions. See views/beliefs
“otherness,” 88, 99, 114, 135–37
other people: attunement to, as self-centeredness antidote, 246–48; compassion extended to, 225–31; as emotional triggers, 223; joy of, 219–23
ozone layer, 255
pain, emotional: attachment and, 132; author’s experience, 189–90; equanimity and, 215–16; gifts bestowed by, 191–92; inner critic as cause of, 200; internalization of, 192–93; reactivity as cause of, 190; self-compassion during, 190–91, 193–95; vulnerability to, 179–80
pain, physical: author’s experience, 34; equanimity and, 215–16; healing energy for, 33–34; as human condition, 225; as impermanent, 36; letting go with, 127; mindfulness of, 34, 35–36; mindfulness practices, 38–39; negativity as result of, 158; reactivity to, 36–37; running away from, 34–35, 66, 67. See also pleasure-pain polarity
Painchaud, Michelle, 181
“Painful Case, A” (short story; Joyce), 19
Paris Agreement (2016), 255
Parks, Rosa, 253
past, the, 104, 105–7, 108–9, 161
Pausch, Randy, 120
peace, 275–77
“Peace of Wild Things, The” (poem; Berry), 275–76
perceptions, 85–90, 267–68, 270, 272
permanence, 115
phenomenology, 104
physical abilities, 270
pleasure: consumer culture and maximization of, 261; dissatisfaction with, 117–19, 260; grasping after, 66–67; life dedicated to, 260; reactivity to, 8–9
pleasure-pain polarity: awareness of, 65, 67; equanimity and, 214; exploring (practice), 67–68; inner, 64–65; as polarity, 213; reactivity to, 65–67; in the world, 63, 64
polarity, 213–15
pollution, 256
Poonja-ji (Advaita Vedanta teacher), 150–51
Practice of Letting Go, The (practice), 128–30
praise-blame polarity, 213, 214–15
preferences: mindfulness of, 132–33, 134–35; mindfulness practices, 135–37; nonattachment to, 133–34; reactivity to, 65–66; in relationships, 239–40; as unavoidable, 245
presence: to awareness, 168, 169–70; balanced, 214–15; death and, 165–66; embodied, 17–19, 69
present moment awareness: abiding in, 169–70; as human condition, 4; impermanence as wake-up call for, 45, 60–62; self-centeredness reduced by, 244–45; sensory experience and, 108, 273–74
projection, 85
proliferation, 79–80
Protecting What We Love (practice), 286
purpose, life of, 260–61
racism, 88, 114, 159–60, 176, 268–70
Radical Acceptance in Relationship (practice), 240–41
Ram Dass, 236
reactive nervous system, 184
reactivity: awareness of, 68, 127–28, 129–30; to criticism, 140–41; freedom from, 7–11; letting go of, 125–26; mind and, 68, 78–79; mindfulness and, 127–28, 238–39, 262–63, 279; negativity as result of, 158; other people triggering, 223; to pain, 36–37; to pleasure/pain waves, 65–67; in relationships, 237; stress caused by, 190
reading, 161
reality: labels mistaken as, 152; perceptions mistaken as, 87–88; thoughts mistaken as, 83, 107
Recognizing the Judging Mind (practice), 100–102
Reflecting on Causality (practice), 162–63
refugees, 252
relationships: causality and dynamics of, 161; challenging nature of, 235–36; childhood relationship dynamics mirrored in, 237–38; conflict in, 199, 236; dissatisfaction with, 119; emotional triggering in, 185–86, 236; inner critic and, 199; instability of, 212; preferences in, 239–40; radical acceptance in (practice), 240–41; reactivity in, 237
renunciation, 211
repression, 211–12
resilience, 7
responsibility, shared, 285
rest, 30
road rage, 182
Roman Catholic Church, 113
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 91
Rumi (Sufi poet), 139, 205, 240
rumination, 244
sadness, 19
Salt March (1930), 253–54
San Francisco (CA), 228–29, 261
Sapiens (Harari), 254
sarvodaya (welfare of all), 259
Sarvodaya Shramadana movement, 259–60
sati (recollection; remembering), 4
“School Prayer” (poem; Ackerman), 285
Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, 235
Seeing through Perceptual Distortion (practice), 89–90
self, sense of: at birth, 139; body and, 69–70, 71–74, 145; changing nature of, 140–43, 145, 154, 277; felt, as fixed, 139–40; letting go of, 156; mindfulness of, 142, 153; mindfulness practices, 142–43, 154–56; nature and dissolution of, 276–77, 278; scientific research on, 150; as thought, 150; views/beliefs about, 115. See also identity
self-awareness, 114–15, 159, 161, 184, 237, 239, 249, 262
self-care, 246
self-centeredness: attunement to others as antidote to, 246–48; examining (practice), 248–49; meditation and, 243–44, 262, 279; mindfulness and reduction of, 244–45; nature as antidote to, 276; self-care vs., 246; shifting to service from, 259–60, 261–64; societal prevalence of, 243; as unavoidable, 245–46
self-compassion: components necessary to foster, 191; developing (practice), 194–95, 230–31; during emotional pain, 190–91, 193–95; identity and, 153–54; for inner critic, 200–202; loving awareness as source of, 190–91; loving-kindness for developing, 202; vulnerability and, 177
self-identity, 92–94
self-judgment, 9, 176, 191, 197–202, 204–5. See also inner critic
self-kindness, 191
self-talk, 197–202. See also inner critic
Seligman, Martin, 260
Sensory Awareness Walking Practice, 23–24
sensory experience: awareness of, 166, 170–71; body and, 146; dissatisfaction with, 119; embodied presence in, 20–25; as impermanent, 22–23, 119; in nature, 20, 273–74, 277; present moment awareness and, 108, 244–45; walking practice for, 23–24
separateness, 251–55, 261, 283. See also interconnection
service: consumer culture vs., 260, 261; happiness and, 261; interconnection and, 261; leaders exemplifying, 261–62; methods of, 264–65; mindfulness and, 279–80; mindfulness practices, 266; purposeful life and, 260–61; shifting to, from self-centeredness, 259–60, 261–64
service organizations, 265
sexual orientation, 270
Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, 167–68, 171
shadow, 33–34
Shaw, George Bernard, 279
Shifting from Judgment to Kindness (practice), 201–2
“should have,” 101
Siani, Carmelene, 50–51
sickness, 30, 120–21, 148, 175–76, 179–80
Siddhartha Gautama, xvii
Simons, Daniel, 268
simplicity, 275–76
snorkeling, 282–83
social media, 92–93, 95, 97, 260
social work, 246–47
Softening into Loss (practice), 208–9
species extinction, 231, 256, 281, 282
spiritual traditions, 260, 265
Sri Lanka, 259–60
stress: aging and, 50; causes of, 158–59; as human condition, 225; identity attachment and, 153; reduction of, 43–44; vulnerability to, 179–80
success-failure polarity, 213
suffering, freedom from, xix
suicidal thoughts, 198
suicide, 260
Sumedho, Ajahn, 165
superiority, feelings of, 92, 95, 98–99
Switzerland, 261
Syed, Adnan, 106
Syrian Civil War, 252
Tao Te Ching, 262
Tassajara (Zen monastery; CA), 255–56
teaching, 246–47
technology, 161
Teresa, Mother, 227
Thailand, 73
therapy, 246–47
thoughts: anticipatory, 35; awareness of, 78, 80–81, 166, 171; causes of, 159; conditioned, 85–86, 158, 270; critical, 97–102; daily numbers of, 79; identification with, 148–51, 155; “I” thoughts, 150–51, 154–55; labeling, 83; letting go of, 125–26; mindfulness and, 80–81, 106–7; mindfulness practices, 82–83; personality as, 152–53; process of, 149–50; proliferation of, 79–80; as reactive, 78–79, 158; as reality, 83, 107; self-awareness and, 114–15; self-centered, 248–49; suicidal, 198
Tibetan Dzogchen tradition, 168
time: the future, 103–5; measurements of, 107; as mental construct, 103, 105; mindfulness practices, 108–9; mystical view of, 104; the past, 105–7
Time magazine, 150
tolerance, 217–18
transience, 42. See also change; impermanence
tribalism, 251–55
Turning Suffering Inside Out (Cohen), 33–34
Tutu, Desmond, 227
Understanding Dissatisfaction (practice), 122
United Nations World Happiness Day, 261
universal statements, 101
Utah, 276
vegetarianism, 282–83
views/beliefs: attachment to, 114, 132, 133; identification with, 149; inner critic and, 114; mindfulness of, 113–16; mindfulness practices, 116; about others, 114; about permanence, 115; personality as, 152–53; power of, 111–13; about self, 115; unconscious, 112, 114
vipalasa (perceptual distortion), 86
vulnerability: attuning to (practice), 178–80; change and, 43; comparing mind and, 92, 95–96; ego-identity structure and, 94; generosity and, 263; heart as site of, 176–77; as human condition, 176, 179–80; inner critic and, 102; kind attention to, 177–80; sickness and, 175–76; social, 179; of wildlife, 283
walking meditation, 6, 23–25, 157
Watson, John, 225
“We Protect What We Love” (author’s Facebook page), 284
“When Death Comes” (poem; Oliver), 59–60
wisdom, 7, 8–9, 11–12, 135, 282
work, 212
work ethic, 29
Working with Triggers (practice), 186–88
world: curiosity about, 23–24; as illusion, 85; mindfulness and, 12; pleasure/pain waves in, 63, 64. See also bias; interconnection; nature; relationships; self-centeredness; service
“would have,” 101
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 49
wrinkles, 52–53
xenophobia, 268