Creative Guidance-IASbaba, Inspirational & Educative Articles
Magic of Mindfulness:
Most of us have a visual representation of the world. Other than thinking, we prioritize seeing more than any other sensory perception. What about people who have been blind their whole life? How do they know they exist and there is a reality around them? If you can imagine that you were born blind, you would have no doubt in your mind that you exist, and you would be able to perceive reality around you by using your other faculties of perception: Listening, touching, tasting, and smelling.
When a blind man touches something, he can get a very clear idea of what it is. His life is different, and so is his receptivity, but he does not miss the perception of light. Even though he is blind, he isn’t missing anything because his other senses are heightened to make up for the lack of vision.
Until now, you have surrendered your other senses for one faculty called thinking. You assume that the only way to perceive reality is to think about it, talk about it, or contemplate on it. For instance, when you hear the word tree, your mind goes to work: What fruit does it produce? How is it shaped? How tall is it? To step away from the tendency to let the mind take over and obscure the tree, you need to access your other senses. This is where mindfulness can do its magic.
The next time you are looking at a tree, don’t assume that you know what it is. Practice mindfulness: Touch the tree, move your hands across the bark, focus on the tree, and for the first time, the tree will speak to you. Throughout your life, you have been looking at trees, but they have always remained silent. When you touch a tree, when you consciously observe it, and when you feel it with your bare hands, it will communicate with you. Only from inside can you know what a tree is.
“This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”
