Once a year Shiva becomes a mountain in India called Arunachala, which means the mountain of fire. The mountain has the unique quality to destroy the small "I" consciousness of people and put them in the realm of the bigger "I". This is the reason why Saint Ramana Maharishi sat at the foothill of Arunachala just asking "who am I?". Mindfulness is a practice of conscious awareness. The Zen Sutra of Mindfulness says: "When walking, the practitioner must be conscious that he is walking. When sitting, the practitioner must be conscious that he is sitting. When lying down, the practitioner must be conscious that he is lying down...No matter what position one's body is in, the practitioner must be conscious of that position. Practicing thus, the practitioner lives in direct and constant mindfulness of the body... ". That is just one side of mindfulness. Ideally, we must also try to be conscious of every breath, thought and feeling we experience. Right now, for example, you are reading this page. Note your body position. Are you seating comfortably or slouching over the computer? Take a notice of your breathing: is it shallow? Do you feel tension somewhere? In your eyes, perhaps? What are your thoughts? Are you reading superficially, while your attention is somewhere else? What is the temperature in the room? Are there any sounds you can identify?....read more...
