a great new book

[happy soul]

double post

[happy soul]

Thanks guys.

You both seem to feel that the material couldn't be truly new, as such teachings are popular and have been around for millennia.

I agree. I should have said it was new to ME. I did say that there's definitely similar material out there.

BT, I can see how you thought I was the author. My choice of words did seem kind of like an ad. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

[blossomingtree]

Thank you for your kind words and understanding, happy soul.

[happy soul]

Of course!

Same to you.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by happy soul

basically, the idea is that we're ALREADY aware, and when we deeply recognize that, mindfulness happens naturally and effortlessly. Of course, he goes into great detail, being a full length book. But that's the main idea in a nutshell.
.

I hear you. It's like presence for me, if I try to 'be' present it actually takes me away from what I already am, present. Trying to be mindful simply causes you to be mindful of trying to be mindful lol
Those are my thoughts happy soul, thanks for sharing what has brought special meaning to you.

[sky]

Originally Posted by BlueSky

I hear you. It's like presence for me, if I try to 'be' present it actually takes me away from what I already am, present. Trying to be mindful simply causes you to be mindful of trying to be mindful lol
Those are my thoughts happy soul, thanks for sharing what has brought special meaning to you.

Trying to be mindful will cause you to be mindful of trying in the beginning but once you practise more it becomes easier to observe the mind made activity and stop the automatic thought-emotion-action...

Practise makes perfect so they say.... Of course it doesn't work for everyone, scientific studies are showing that mindfulness can make some people ill.

[happy soul]

Thanks BlueSky. My own experience is similar to yours. I tend to like to simply let myself and my mind be what they are, rather than attempt to 'manipulate' consciousness with effort and control. Ramana Maharshi said, 'The true state is effortless, and must be if it is the true state.' The book attempts to explain how this effortless, natural awareness can be discovered.

Sky, interesting that studies have shown that mindfulness can make some ill. It's possible that such physical reactions could be an ego defense mechanism against awareness, or against awareness of the unreality of our ego identity. That would seem to make sense. I don't believe mindfulness, or any particular spiritual practice, is right for everyone. In fact I feel that meditation and mindfulness could be harmful and even dangerous in some cases.

[sky]

Originally Posted by happy soul

Thanks BlueSky. My own experience is similar to yours. I tend to like to simply let myself and my mind be what they are, rather than attempt to 'manipulate' consciousness with effort and control. Ramana Maharshi said, 'The true state is effortless, and must be if it is the true state.' The book attempts to explain how this effortless, natural awareness can be discovered.

Sky, interesting that studies have shown that mindfulness can make some ill. It's possible that such physical reactions could be an ego defense mechanism against awareness, or against awareness of the unreality of our ego identity. That would seem to make sense. I don't believe mindfulness, or any particular spiritual practice, is right for everyone. In fact I feel that meditation and mindfulness could be harmful and even dangerous in some cases.

One size never fits all, we need to test things out and take what resonates, leave the rest for others

One thing I have noticed is that 99% of these so called ' teachers ' never warn people that their teachings can cause mental health problems for some, they magnify the benefits very seldom the negatives, obviously they want to sell their books/courses/retreats etc:

The only person that I have come across who has mentioned the negatives is HHDL, there could be more but I haven't noticed.

[happy soul]

You're probably right in your critique of spiritual teachers.

The capacity of people to not be objective and completely honest is extreme, and many teachers would LIKE to believe their teachings are great, so they see, and teach, what they want, even if it may not be entirely true.

The Dalai Lama is one of the wisest teachers I've read imo. I also profoundly admire his humility and compassion.