Mindfulness and Meditation Discussion Board
PART 1: Interview Podcast script, and writings from Professors Huston Smith and Mark Muesse Worksheet questions

1. What is the premiere “meditation sect” of Buddhism? (one word answer)
a. What does zazen mean? (hint: page 1)

2. Sensei speaks about “…stilling the discursive, bifurcating mind.” What is he talking about? In other words, what is discursive? (hint: page 2, Sensei and Arlene)

3. Along these same lines regarding the mind, in Hinduism’s classic text the Bhagavad Gita (usually referred to as “the Gita,” or “the Song”), what does Arjuna lament about the mind to Lord Krishna, who is disguised as Arjuna’s charioteer? (page 2)
a. From the Podcast script, provide the quote.
b. Do you find this quote accurate or a bit exaggerated? Explain

4. According to Sensei, what is the “first thing we do in Zen”?
a. “First, we get you to…” (two words; page 2)
b. PERSONAL APPLICATION: Is this a challenge in your life? If so, how do you cope with it? If not a challenge to you, what do you do to lessen or prevent this tendency?
c. THINK: Name a few consequences of a cluttered or untamed mind?

5. What is the purpose or objective of this “first order of business” in Zen? (one word answer)
a. According to Sensei, once the mind gets clarified and composed, what can “burst onto the mind”? (hint: page 2)

6. According to Sensei, “…a meditator at an early stage learns that it does no good to try to screen out the noise.”
a. What does he recommend the meditator “do” with noise, static, distractions, mindlessness—the typical mind clutter?
b. THINK: What might be meant by releasing, relinquishing, or letting go of a thought?

7. Eric wondered why meditators might focus on their breathing instead of focusing on a statue of the Buddha. What does Sensei have to say about representations or statues of the Buddha? (pages 5-6_

8. What do Buddhists think of the Buddha?
a. For instance, is he considered a “God”?, If not, then what is he?
b. THINK: What do you make of this concept of the Buddha nature as something we can cultivate within? Explain briefly.

9. Read Eric’s remarks about Bodhi Dharma’s technique of just sitting. Read the explanation. What does this practice make available or make possible for “anyone”? (page 5)

10. Between Drs. Huston Smith and Mark Muesse, at least three metaphors are used to compare with the mind. Name and briefly describe each of the three. (pages 9, 10)
• (A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word is applied to an object that is not literally applicable. A simile is a similar figure of speech that draws a comparison but uses the word like or as.)

11. Huston Smith thinks “the mind’s fiercest antagonist is itself.” For example, he asks, “How long can the average mind think about one thing—one thing only—without slipping first into thinking about thinking, and taking off from there in a senseless chain of irrelevancies?” (hint: a very short answer!)

12. Professor Mark Muesse calls the mind “a double-edged sword” that is capable of good and evil thoughts. He also discusses the mental state of mindlessness. (pages 9, 10)
a. Explain this concept.
b. How might the three afflictive emotions or “poisons” of hatred, greed, and delusion fit into the unskilled, untrained mind habitually stuck in mindlessness?
c. Explain the concept that is the antidote of mindlessness: Mindfulness. How does Muesse define it?

13. Muesse describes four ways to defuse or divert negative, harmful, or what he calls “unwholesome thoughts.” (pages 10, 11)
a. List these four strategies, and briefly describe each one.
b. Provide an example from “real life” to which you can apply these strategies.

14. Homer Simpson meditating? There are a number of misconceptions or unrealistic expectations about meditation or mindfulness training. (page 11)

a. Name a few misconceptions.
b. PERSONAL APPLICATION: What are (analyze) your thoughts about meditation or trying to specifically “work with your thoughts”?
c. Is meditation encouraged or practiced in some form in your faith, religious, non-religious tradition or philosophy? Why or why not?
d. REFLECTION What does your tradition teach about the mind and the capability of training the mind to think clearly, with at least one purpose being to avoid or control unwholesome thoughts, and cause wholesome thoughts? If there is little or no emphasis on the mind in the life of faith, why might that be?

15. What do you think Buddhists mean when they emphasize being awake? (e.g., consider page 12)
PART 2
HANDS ON: Meditation exercise and watching thoughts exercises

Note Charles Francis and psychologist Jeffrey Santee’s tips on mindfulness.
• Start with baby steps
• Take note when your attention wanders off.
• Accept discomfort.
• The mind will seem to have a mind of its own.
• Practice mindful walking.
• Structure your mindfulness practice to fit your lifestyle.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-fam-0324-lifeskill-mindfulness-20150319-story.html

Try it! Find a quiet place and get into a comfortable sitting position. Practice focusing on your breath, and the present moment, for 10 to 15 minutes at first, then gradually increase the time. Why the breath? The breath is always present! You can live forty days without food; you can live four days without water, but how long can you live without breath? While some “count” the breath with each inhale and exhale, Muesse makes this suggestion:

• Observe the start of your inhalation; observe when the inhaled breath has come to an end.
• Then “watch” as you begin to exhale, and watch as the exhalation comes to an end.
• As you focus on your breathing, try to remain merely observant. Stay attentive to your breath for as long as you can.
• Invariably your mind will stray. When you observe that it has, simply redirect your attention to your breath. Try not to judge what has happened; just observe and move on.
• This is a fundamental practice of developing concentration.

Exercise 1 QT: What did you observe from your meditation encounter? Briefly describe what happened?

Next, Muesse notes that it takes skill to distinguish between wholesome and unwholesome thoughts. Try this exercise. The next time you meditate, sit in a park, take a walk, or even sit in a chair, “when your mind begins to drift in its usual haphazard way take a moment to examine the character of the thought that has captured your thoughts.”

Exercise 2 QT: What did you observe from your identifying unskilled thoughts exercise? Briefly write down your observations.

According to Muesse, the great danger of entertaining any thought that arises from selfish desire (e.g., greed), hatred, and delusion is its eventual effects on the shape of our minds. Even the thoughts that remain confined to the interior of our skulls can proliferate, generating habits of thought that form our personality and character. In that way we become what we think.
Muesse, Mark. Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation Course Guidebook
Chantilly, VA: The Great Courses, 2011. (pages 12-24; 43-45; 64-71)