Grow in Spiritual Awareness, Mindful Meditation
Buddhism Practices of Mindfulness Meditation and Tolle's Power of Now
Jul 20, 2009
Personal growth and development—conscious attention to becoming better than before—is ultimately intended to increase self satisfaction with life. Developing a plan for personal growth is an excellent starting point.
It is important, however, to recognize that the goal of personal growth—life satisfaction—is not experienced in the future, but can only be experienced in the present moment. As Buddha once said, "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."
Personal Growth Planning
For readers following the example personal growth plan of Personal Development Program – Building Awareness, this topic addresses the growth activities of week five.
Having worked on the personal growth vision, life purpose, personal characteristics of strengths and passions, and devoted time to learn and practice meditation and yoga, the personal growth enthusiast can now move on to cultivating an appreciation for life in the moment.
While devoting time and energy to planning for future growth with new skills, abilities, and ways of thinking, the personal growth devotee must also learn the art of enjoying the only tangible instance of life available – the present moment of now.
The Power of Now
These are times of instant information, immediate gratification, and split second access to friends, family, and world-wide news. A casual observation of pedestrians and drivers reveals the high percentage of people gaining instant access to information or other people via cell phones and smart phones.
Multi-tasking seems an efficient use of time, but the demands of rapidly sharing the mind among multiple tasks is not only dangerous (in the case of driving), but also robs one of the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the precious moments of life.
Spiritual leader Eckhart Tolle's well known book, The Power of Now (New World Library, 1999), conveyed the importance and beauty of the present moment so effectively that it has sold millions of copies and has been translated into more than thirty languages. Tolle advises, "Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life."
Benefits of Living in the Present Moment
In The Power of Now, Tolle states, "If we are able to be fully present and take each step in the Now; if we are able to feel the reality of such things as the inner-body, surrender, forgiveness, and the Unmanifested, we will be opening ourselves to the transforming experience of The Power of Now."
Spiritual Awareness Through Mindfulness
The concept of mindfulness, originally stemming from Buddhism practices, has become a popular topic in Western personal growth literature. Like Tolle's inspirational The Power of Now, mindfulness teaches self-regulated concentration on the mind and body as a way of entering full spiritual awareness and consciousness.
A Mindfulness Meditation from Jon Kabat-Zinn
In his best selling book, Wherever You Go There You Are (Hyperion, 1994), Jon Kabat-Zinn provides this tip for becoming more mindful: "A good way to stop all the doing is to shift into the 'being mode' for a moment. Think of yourself as an eternal witness, as timeless. Just watch this moment, without trying to change it at all. What is happening? What do you feel? What do you see? What do you hear?"
Zinn notes that much human activity is directed toward some future event – something is done now to produce some future event. Instead, he suggests "...reminding yourself from time to time: 'This is it.'" It's not necessary to have a next result. Simply being alive at this moment is sufficient.
Personal Growth with Mindfulness
Individuals can gain the spiritual awareness, peace, and tranquility that arises from living in the present moment as an important component of your personal development plan. One can also learn to appreciate the present moment of now through mindfulness meditation.
Readers may also enjoy How to Begin a Personal Development Program, Find Life Purpose in a Personal Development Plan, and Meditating and Yoga in a Personal Growth Plan.
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