I’d to address the concept that is one of the bulwarks of a Mindfulness Meditation practice. It is the premise that most of the suffering we experience in our lives can be attributed to the thoughts we think, feel and express.
Admittedly the spectrum of “suffering” is rather broad; and, most often it is interpreted as physical suffering. But in truth, “suffering” also can become self-inflicted emotionally through the negative thoughts we think and the negative words we speak to ourselves. For example, we create our own suffering when we experience anxiety, stress, worry, self-doubt, prolonged sadness and sorrow, when we focus more on that for which we crave and less on appreciating what we already have, when we live to focus on what we want in the future (often creating frustration) rather than focus on doing our best in the present moment.
Through a Mindfulness Meditation Practice, we learn how to become more aware our negative self-talk, how to acknowledge our negative thoughts without becoming attached to them. We learn how to respond to our thoughts rather than detrimentally react to them via our egoic defenses and narratives, with judgment, labeling and self-criticism.
However, to accomplish these changes, we, first, must have a strong willingness to make these changes in our lives; and, secondly, be open to consider new perspectives as to how we can process our thoughts and feelings with a more meaningful and healthy (“less suffering”} construct.
Mindfulness Meditation is not as “wu-wu” as many believe. The Mindfulness approach is nonsectarian. Its success is backed by research in both the Scientific and Neuroscientific community. In the field of psychology, Mindfulness continues to expand and evolve and has become greatly integrated into psychological theory and practice. It is a tool widely used by therapists the world over.
When we feel better about ourselves, when we begin to focus on enabling ourselves to focus on positive and productive thoughts, when we can rid ourselves of so much suffering caused by a lifetime of learned negative thought patterns, we begin to grow and benefit from “change”., we begin to discover our true essence, we improve our overall physical health and we experience more compassion and joy in our lives.