Mindfulness as a Way of Life - Michael A Singer
Michael A. Singer
•
October 27, 2015
TLDR
Michael Singer's "Mindfulness as a Way of Life" speech at UF Mindfulness Day describes mindfulness as a lifestyle, not just a practice. Using driving, sports, and personal stories, he highlights the importance of presence for performance and well-being. Singer advises observing thoughts objectively, dealing with past negativity, and letting go of harmful experiences. He stresses the need to live fully, embrace each moment, and serve the present, making mindfulness a comprehensive approach to life.
Timeline
Introduction of Michael Singer
Dr. Lou Ritz introduces Michael Singer, also known as Mickey, as the keynote speaker for the first annual UF Mindfulness Day, highlighting his renowned books and his long-standing connection to Gainesville and the Temple of the Universe.
Honored to be the Keynote Speaker
Michael Singer begins by expressing his honor at being invited and emphasizes that mindfulness is more than just a meditation technique; it's a crucial aspect of life and knowledge.
Driving as an Example of Mindfulness
Singer uses the example of driving to illustrate mindfulness, explaining how awareness of traffic signals, other drivers, and blind spots is essential for safety and mirrors being present in life.
Mindfulness in Sports
He extends the concept of mindfulness to sports, using baseball and boxing examples where peak performance requires complete presence and focus, often described as being 'in the zone.'
Mindfulness in Business
Singer shares a personal anecdote about observing a billionaire CEO's intense concentration during a business meeting, highlighting that mindfulness is about being fully present and attentive to the task at hand.
Mindfulness as a Learnable Skill
Singer argues that mindfulness is a skill that can be learned and is essential for living a full life; without presence, one misses out on life's experiences and opportunities.
Why We Aren't Mindful
Singer shifts the focus to why people are not naturally mindful, suggesting that distractions and other objects of consciousness capture our attention and pull us away from the present moment.
The Role of Thoughts in Distraction
He identifies thoughts as significant distractions, emphasizing that personal thoughts, influenced by past experiences, often divert our attention from the present reality.
Objective Observation of Thoughts
Singer encourages listeners to observe their thoughts without judgment, comparing them to a movie or waking dreams created by the mind, influenced by stored past experiences.
The Impact of Past Experiences
He discusses how past experiences, especially unpleasant ones, shape our minds and influence our reactions, likes, and dislikes, often without our conscious awareness.
Mindfulness and Inner Well-being
Singer explains that mindfulness isn't just about improving performance but also about enhancing one's inner state, affecting happiness and overall life enjoyment.
Dealing with Stored Negative Experiences
He emphasizes the importance of dealing with stored negative experiences to avoid tension and anxiety, advocating for a practice of letting go and relaxing in the face of mental disturbances.
Letting Go of the Past
Singer advises against carrying past negative experiences, arguing they have no benefit and only distract from the present. He advocates for letting go of these experiences to interact with life with a beginner's mind.
Mindfulness as a Comprehensive Way of Life
Singer concludes by stating that mindfulness is not just a meditation technique but a way of life that touches every aspect of existence, improving the quality of experiences and promoting inner peace.
Answering Questions from the Audience
During the Q&A, Singer clarifies that processing past experiences completely is crucial, preventing them from getting stuck and causing problems. He also addressed regrets and emphasizes the importance of releasing them, coupled with self-forgiveness.
Audio Summary
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Transcript
I'd like to give over to Dr Lou Ritz who
will introduce our keynote speaker and
then we can enjoy also our keynote talk
together thank
[Applause]
you good afternoon and welcome everyone
to mindfulness day I'm Dr luitz from the
College of Medicine and from the Center
for spirituality and
health and uh it's my honor and
privilege to introduce Michael Singer as
the keynote speaker for our first annual
UF mindfulness day Michael is a
well-known and highly respected teacher
of spirituality and mindfulness his New
York Times bestselling books the
untethered
soul
and the surrender
experiment are truly lifechanging and
have inspired people from all over the
world to better their lives when Oprah
read the untethered Soul she said it
instantly became her favorite book and
she gave it she was giving it to
everyone she knows Oprah did an hourong
interview with Michael who introduced
people from all walks of life to his
direct downto Earth approach to
mindfulness and
spirituality here in Gainesville we know
Michael as Mickey he is a UF graduate
and has lived here teaching and
practicing yoga and mind mind fulness
for over 45 years at the Temple of the
universe Mickey strongly believes that
spirituality is for everyone and his
teachings have transformed the lives of
millions of people worldwide Mickey
truly has a rare gift for communicating
mindfulness in a practical way that
everyone can grasp we are pleased and
honored that he is with us today to
share his insights his talk today is
entitled mindfulness as a way of life
please welcome Mickey to mindful
day hi is this on Can You Hear Me is
This on
yes
help I know what am I supposed to do I'm
being mindful I
asked what did you
no it's not
on there we
go it says on is that better okay now
we're turned
on
very well I'm obviously honored to be
asked to be the keynote speaker of the
first UF mindfulness project
day and I cannot imagine a more
important topic I view mindfulness
probably as I do with everything else in
life differently than others I do not
see it as a meditation technique it is
that all right often the world the word
mindfulness is used for what we call
witness Consciousness subjective
observation just being aware enough to
watch your thoughts watch your emotions
go by and be aware of the world in front
of you I think that it is much broader
than that and that it really is
something that you could argue as the
most important piece of knowledge or
knowledge that you could possibly learn
so let's take an ex so how how does
people how do people Define mindfulness
the simplest term that has been used in
is being present bringing Consciousness
to Bear there are new Agy types of
Concepts that we talk about ramas did
what be here now right just bring your
awareness of being into the current
moment and be present it sounds good but
to me those are just words and it
doesn't really come all the way home so
I'd like to start with an example cuz
because we're not the first people to
use the word mindfulness it has been
used in the in English language for a
very long
time let's say you're driving driving is
an excellent example of how we can
understand
mindfulness when you are driving there
are traffic lights and I don't know if
you noticed but they change sometimes
and it is really important that you know
that did you get it all right and and
also in front of you there are other
drivers I hope you noticed that and they
sometimes step under brakes and these
red lights come on in the back of the
car it's very important that you notice
that I'm I'm this is mindfulness it's
best that you be mindful when you're
driving when you go to change lanes are
you aware that even if you look in your
mirrors that there's a thing called a
blind spot you best be mindful of that
so if somebody's teaching you how to
drive they might use that word be
mindful of all times of what's going on
around you that is mindfulness too all
right and it is exactly what we mean by
being present in the moment and bringing
Consciousness to Bear all right that's
kind of neat isn't it so you really do
know about mindfulness what happens if
you're driving and you're not mindful
you crash very very quickly all right
aside from the fact that there are
lights there are other cars there are
blind spots there are these things
called Curves in the road it best be
that you know that that's funny but do
you understand what I'm saying if you
don't pay attention to this if you are
not present when you are driving it will
not take 10 seconds before you crash do
you understand that you are not I mean
forget about this you know texting and
so on right I'm just talking about if
you're not mindful or sometimes I say to
people let's say you're driving and
somebody cut you
off all right which is really important
when we start about mindfulness it's
best that you notice it all right now
you're being asked to interact you're
being asked to be present and be present
enough to decide what to do what are
your
actions I will ask you is the is the
amount of mindfulness that you bring to
your driving going to affect the quality
of your driving how many tickets you get
how many accidents you get in and how
well you do let's say you're a race car
driver could you use the amount of
mindfulness that you bring to driving
for driving at Daytona at you know 18
200 miles hour with 15 cars passing you
and the answer is no you better not okay
you best bring a lot more mindfulness to
the presence and what that means as a
race car driver right is that hopefully
there is nothing else going on you're
not thinking about the fight you had
with the wife you're not worrying about
this or that you had best bring your
Consciousness to bear in what you are
doing or you are in big trouble all
right but it's not just in driving
because I'm going to put that aside in
that particular case if you do not be
mindful you're in trouble not just as a
race car driver that's required more so
the more Prof I'm going to argue that
the more professional you get and the
better you want to do the more
mindfulness you better bring to bear
let's say you're an athlete you're a
golfer you're playing baseball ever hear
the term keep your eye on the
ball okay is that not mindfulness is
that not presence there are professional
League I know in baseball I heard I
don't know if was Stan usual or one one
of them one of the great batters used to
say that when he would go to the plate
he would go into what's called The Zone
ever heard the term that's mindfulness
that's complete mindfulness in other
words there is nothing else going on but
the picture the ball and the presence of
the bat and literally some of them have
said and great boxers have said it too
right that when they go in that state
everything goes in a slow motion that
literally there's so much awareness that
is brought brought to that moment that
it is as though you are super conscious
right and you can see the seams on the
ball and Etc I'm I'm not talking about
an alter State of Consciousness I'm just
saying you are so much more conscious
that your experience of the moment has
literally changed that's
mindfulness is it neat so you do know
something about it but the main thing
that I want to bring to it is whether
you're talking about sports whether
you're talking about driving right the
more Consciousness you bring to bear I
like that term right I can use it
because we're using examples isn't that
bringing Consciousness to bear in the
current moment the more Consciousness
you bring to bear in the current current
moment the better you are at what you're
doing and want to argue that right just
take the extremes don't bring
any okay and by the way as students some
of your students right you might find
yourself in a classroom and there might
be a professor giving a lecture
I want to know whether you think it's
going to affect how well you do in that
class how well you are listening to what
that person is saying or whether you are
off doing something else instead of
being present like when you drive Etc
it's the exact same thing isn't it so
it's no different than keep your eye on
the ball if you were to pay attention I
think of a story you know some of you
know I had a business background and I
don't want anything do with big and I've
never talked about this but I remember
sitting at a table very it was a big
merger that was going on and I was
sitting next to the CEO chairman of the
board and this was multi-billion big big
stuff and on the other side was the
other people and on this side was our
people and I basically they the other
side was talking and I turned to this
this gentleman he's a billionaire
regular business person right and I made
a comment you know he just said I that's
interest and the guy turned to me for
just for a second he said stop it I'm
concentrating he just and I looked at
and I didn't realize that that man I
wish I could
meditate I'm don't laugh he was paying
attention to every word that person was
saying to make sure that he was going to
get the edge do you understand that to
make sure he did not miss one single
place that later he could do something
manipulate I'm not saying it's good I'm
not saying it's all good stuff all right
but basically this idea that you are
going to be better at what you are doing
if you're there what do you
think okay all right and and that's
mindfulness a that neat that's
mindfulness it's the willingness to say
there is a task at hand I'm not going to
tell you what the task is you say what
the task is all I'm telling you is if
you learn to be mindful and you can
learn to be mindful that's what's nice
about it I don't want people come here
and say oh I'm not good at
that do you understand that well I
always tell everybody when you walk in
Calculus class for the first time and
the teacher says now you're in calculus
don't raise your hand and say I'm in the
wrong class why I don't know anything
about calculus you're not supposed to
know anything about calculus you're
supposed to learn we have this word
called learn right you are the most
intelligent species I know we don't act
like it but you are the most intelligent
species in the entire planet all right
you have the ability to learn dogs can
learn to drive cars they can learn to do
rollovers all kinds of stuff goes on you
can learn anything you want do you
understand that doesn't mean you're
going to be the best that ever lived
want to play the piano learn want to
play tennis learn
right you want to learn to be mindful
you want to be mindful learn so don't
talk to me about the fact that I'm not
good at that I don't right you just take
it on and what I want you to get from
this discussion is yeah I want to do
that I'm not going to teach you how to
do it I don't teach you how to do it
right but I want to teach you to want to
do it and to realize that this is not
some little exercise it's not OB boy
I'll go meditate a little bit it looks
neat it's a little fun and quiet me down
a little no this is your life if you if
you are not present you miss your life
right and you are better at every single
thing you do the more Consciousness you
bring to bear and there are extremes at
it for example let's take art music all
right if you are truly a musician when
you are playing you are not present but
you just said you want to be present you
are so present in that music that you
lose yourself in it you should not be
there do you understand that you don't
even know where you went it became you
know in the yoga scriptures they talk
about it sounds so mystical Buddhism
talks about it too when subject and
object become one you ever heard that
right that that's the deepest state of
patan talks about the yoga sutras right
when subject and object become one that
is that state in music I want to bring
it down to everyday life right golfers
talk about that again the Zone where it
just happened it just flowed I I didn't
do it I was just one with it but you
know music does that doesn't it you can
just merge in the music and you go away
and then you come back it's like whoa
another thing I move some of these
things aside from that discussion with
the chairman I was watching When
Vladimir Horwitz was invited to go back
to Russia after the fall of the Iron
Curtain and everything there was a
concert he played many of you may have
seen it and I saw a video of it and
there was just this little old man
sitting up on a stage with this giant St
Petersburg or somewhere Auditorium the
beauty was not what he was playing they
were panning the audience and I am
telling you I've never seen such a thing
tears were uncontrollably pouring down
the eyes of almost all the people in
that Auditorium right just pouring it's
like a waterfall just pouring off what
is that because he went into that state
it literally brings others into that
state that is the beauty of art that's
what that's about right you're touching
a deeper place within yourself right and
we're going to talk about that so now do
you understand my idea mindfulness it's
nice stuff all right and by the way it
wasn't just Vladimir playing all right
or the musician ever hug someone you
love ever
melted you got real
quiet ever hug someone you loved and
didn't it's not so easy is it not so
easy to Lose Yourself is it okay but
it's really beautiful when you do it in
it right it's it's the peak experience
it's maso's Peak experience right when
you totally it's selfa when you lose
yourself in what you're doing that funny
as it sounds that's the most
mindful funny right it's because your
100% of your Consciousness is focused on
what you're doing there's no
distractions there's nothing pulling you
anywhere else you become one with what
you're doing ever read a book and
realize you didn't understand a single
thing you have to go back four pages
that's not
mindfulness right and have you noticed
that if you concentrate when you are
reading you'll remember that forever
right there are poems you have read
There are songs you have heard right why
is it that after 30 years you remember
the words of your high school songs that
you liked because you were willing to be
present with them you gave so much of
your awareness to them that they left
indelible dep deep Impressions inside
you have to worry about memorizing or
doing this stuff if you are open if you
are present if you bring Consciousness
to Bear you are better at every single
thing you do you understand that
including relationships and finances and
every single thing it's not just sitting
in a corner and trying to enter some
higher state of
consciousness all right so if you were
to ask me that's getting interesting how
do you do that right I approach it very
differently than other people I I'm
weird all right I don't want you to walk
away from here thinking
the following well I'm not mindful okay
I got lots of stuff going on when I'm
driving okay I always think it's funny
that they talk about the texting are you
kidding me what you do in your mind is
so much more distracting than your
texting all right they should make that
against the law all
right I mean come on you know you can
sit there and drive from ATN to
Gainesville you don't even got there did
you all right was kind of an autopilot I
hope it made it all right it's it's
you're just not present so the question
becomes there's two ways to go about
becoming more mindful one which is what
most people try to do is to say I'm not
mindful let me let me be mindful I'm
eating I'm eating let me see I'm picking
up maybe nothing wrong with that right
I'm practicing mindfulness Buddha say
when you eat just eat when you walk just
walk I'm paying attention to my feet
falling on the ground and paying
attention to the food coming in your
mouth that's very beautiful and and if I
talk about alternate ways way I'm not
saying there's anything wrong with any
of the other techniques anything you do
is better than not doing
anything that's how not mindfulness
works you understand that you are to
work on yourself if you work on yourself
it is like investing in yourself you get
better at everything you do all
techniques are beneficial somebody once
said if you take a half dollar put it in
your right pocket and every 15 minutes
take it out and put it in your left
pocket then take it out and put in your
right pocket you will become
enlightened over time all right because
you're practicing mindfulness you have
to pay attention you have to bring your
Consciousness to bear at what you're
doing so get this straight everything's
fine whatever techniques you're using
they work for you it's
wonderful I said there's two different
ways to approach it one is to say I'm
not mindful I need to become mindful
that's a willful very Western way to do
things all right there's another way and
I like it it's what I've always
practiced right why am I not mindful
not what do I do about the fact that I'm
not mindful why am I not mindful why is
that not my natural state of being why
do I have to do anything about being
here right like Norm when people say be
here now well where else she going to be
be there be there then I don't know but
yet it has meaning so you stop for a
moment and this becomes a very
interesting discussion right why am I
not Mindful and the answer first of all
is and again I'll go fairly fast you can
research whatever you want you are
always conscious it is not that you're
not conscious it's what you're conscious
of Consciousness and object of
Consciousness Consciousness is always
there when you go to sleep you're
conscious that's why you see your dreams
is it the same you who see your dreams
is you who wakes up and says you should
should see the dream I had it's not like
there's a continuity of Consciousness
isn't there right but whatever you're
not dreaming you're not in rem State
you're very very very deep sleep you
wake up and sometimes you say oh my God
I slept so deep it was so peaceful I
didn't even have any dreams how do you
know I'm asking a question how do you
know because you were there and the yoga
Sut is of Paton very deep writing he
says you are never not conscious when
you go into deep deep sleep it is not
that you are not conscious you are
conscious of
nothing and that's why it's so restful
in other words There's No Object you're
conscious of nothing but the
Consciousness is still there and the
funny part about it is you know that
because you come back and talk about it
you understand that you have kind of a
neat it's neat so mindfulness is not
about that you get more Consciousness
right it's about where is your
Consciousness okay and that becomes why
are you not always present well there
must be something else that's another
object of Consciousness that is
capturing your Consciousness that is
keeping you from being present you must
be getting
distracted right that what we call it
right but it's distract our words are so
powerful what does distracted mean my
awareness was on this object and all of
a sudden another object caught my
awareness oh my God they like catching a
ball or fishing all right it caught my
awareness it caught my attention they're
all saying the same thing right so an
object can pull your attention toward it
can't
all right that's why you're told when
you're driving and your cell phone
beeps smartphone beeps and it's a text
right bring your awareness back to the
road okay because it's been a proven
fact that the amount of Consciousness
awareness that it takes to put your
Consciousness on the object of that
phone in text is out of the
question I hope you know that by the way
all right it is out of the question
there's all kinds of things you can do
right you can take a sip of soda right
but you cannot text because it takes
full awareness to push those little
buttons and if that brake light goes on
or if that I don't need to talk about it
you see that so what you're being asked
to do is if it buzzes and Rings whatever
it is right you will notice that it
draws your Consciousness to it doesn't
it so objects of Consciousness can catch
your attention they can draw your
attention toward them and part of
mindfulness is you bring it back see
that very Act of not texting while
you're driving is practicing mindfulness
and it's a good one to practice because
you won't have to be here very long if
you
don't and this neat okay mindfulness is
a very practical thing it is just a
question of are you just doing it
because you know I shouldn't listen to
the phone or you realizing the more
conscious I bring to bear the better off
I am at every single thing I do all
right so I want to work with this so the
question is what what is it that's
catching your attention keeping you from
being mindful because we're not mindful
all right you're going to notice that
when you start paying attention to it
and what you're going to find out is way
way more distracting than your little
smartphone or anything else is your
MTH my mind your thoughts you do have
those
okay on the road there's lights there's
cars driving but that's not all those
are not the only objects your
Consciousness can be aware of or
distracted by I'm driving and all of a
sudden I remember you know that I had an
argument with somebody this morning and
trying to think what I should have said
and what they said and what do they mean
by that anyways and should I call and is
that just me or do you have that
Affliction also okay and so there are
these self-created objects called
thoughts they go on inside of you right
I don't care that scientists may or may
not be able to measure them or do
anything like that right you know
they're there don't you so as everybody
else so your mind let's just do it this
way your mind has the ability to create
thoughts I won't get in trouble with
that right I don't want to get into
Neuroscience believe me I don't all
right I just want you all to admit that
you got something in there which we call
mind that creates these things called
thoughts all right and they're
distracting aren't they they're
distracting they pull your awareness
toward them and your consciousness right
then gets drawn away it's all a question
of how you're splitting your conscious
you're multitasking all right so when
your thoughts are created your
Consciousness pays attention to them
right some thoughts are benign you know
you just you drive by you see a tree and
the might will just say oh there's a
tree will I don't know why I bothered
saying it I whole discussion about I
already saw the tree you don't have to
tell me right but he likes telling me
right so
right oh look the lines are white that
are going by well those things they
don't distract me very much they just
come and go but there are some thoughts
that are quite distracting and those are
what I want to talk about because if you
want to become Mindful and and you do do
you hear me I don't know if I succeeded
in you know telling you and your
understanding that you do you want to
become mindful because it's like having
a better life it's like being more alive
you can't no money can buy you this do
you understand that that's why rich
people have to go out and do more things
because they're not mindful they're
caught up in themselves and so they got
to go Jet Set and buy things and it's
not the person who dies who has the most
toys right when he dies wins is the
person who is most Mindful and enjoying
the experience of their life forget
enjoying even experiencing the
experience of your life if you're
missing the experiences of your life you
don't feel alive that's why you have
midlife crisis that's why all of it
happens that's why you have to run
around do all kinds of stuff because you
you miss your life it's pretty easy to
miss your life isn't it right why do I
miss my life because you get involved in
your
thoughts okay so what happens is there
are some thoughts that you have that are
different than trees going by or white
lines going by they are what we call
very personal thought your mind is very
interesting it has a way of serving you
personal thoughts okay why couldn't I
get that he got that I should have got
that rais he shouldn't have got that
rais that's not even fair this world's
not fair I don't even like it here I
think I'm going to leave I'm gonna
quit what are those
those are not you that's not your
Consciousness those are thoughts that
you're aware of you are aware of them
are you not right if you weren't aware
of them it wouldn't be a problem right
your mind is creating thoughts your
Consciousness is being drawn to those
thoughts therefore you are paying
attention to them instead of paying
attention to the reality was unfolding
in front of you have you ever done that
anybody guilty okay and what you're
going to find out when you practice
mindfulness when you pay attention is
this is way bigger than anything I could
even I don't even I feel bad telling you
about it right it's like sometimes
people will come to me and say at first
it was fun now it's
not right we talk about objective
observation now we're getting to the
traditional mindfulness right Krishna
already called it objective observation
other people call it witness
Consciousness what I would like you to
do as your first you any we're in school
I get to give you lessons all right I'm
going to give you some homework the
first thing you do is not go in there
and try to change I told you it's not a
matter of using will to there are forces
that are causing you to be non-m mindful
why not deal with those instead of
forcing mindfulness on top of the forces
that are forcing to be non-m mindful do
you see the difference mindful
mindfulness should be totally natural
there's no effort it's an effortless
thing but there's something wrong
there's something that's distracting you
from being mindful so basically your
first step is witness Consciousness it
is to step back and say all right right
I'm going to take a shower you take
showers I know you do all right I want
to make any comments all right basically
I'm going to go and take a shower I'm
I'm begging you I'm asking you right I
would like just once you will not like
me if you do this I would like you
before you get into that shower to say
oh Mickey said to pay attention to my
thoughts right I'm just going to take a
shower and pay attention to your
thoughts I beg you just watch the
thoughts that get created in your mind
while you're taking a shower and then
come back and tell me about
it or tell anyone about it your husband
your wife anyone because you won't do
you understand that there's not there is
not one of you that would permit me to
put my magic stethoscope up against that
mine and then on the big
Jumbotron every single thought that is
being created inside that mine you going
to let that go up there and I chance in
the world and that brings up all this
interesting stuff right where do the
thoughts come from anyways right why am
I having these thoughts I'm not doing
them I don't know about you I mean I can
make it think I can say you know 16 time
12 I can make it remember somebody's
name I sometimes very rarely I put my
hands on the wheel and drive but usually
usually it just goes by itself how about
you does it not create its own thoughts
it just creates thoughts it's like the
mind's a thought making machine it
just right and it's wow it's fascinating
so witness Consciousness part of
mindfulness is to step back and say I am
not creating these thoughts I'm not they
are creating themselves inside my head
these thoughts are I'm I'm the one who's
watching the thoughts I'm the one who's
noticing the thoughts okay but they're
being created by whatever force in the
universe create thoughts and we can talk
about that it only takes two seconds
it's very easy to understand where your
thoughts come from that is not
complicated it may be hard for you know
the neuroscientist to figure out the
pathways and the neuropath I don't care
I couldn't give care lesson not one ey
all right it is easy to understand why
your mind creates the thoughts that it
does you have had past experiences right
or wrong some of those experiences were
pleasant some of the experience were not
pleasant right I guarantee you the ones
that were not pleasant and the ones that
were very pleasant are still in there
they left Impressions on your mind
that's the data in the computer of your
mind and what is going to happen is that
data is going to regurgitate right back
up right when you see something outside
it'll remind you of what happened when
you were 12 yes or no if somebody talks
it'll remind you what Mommy said and
then you'll be thinking about this it's
just all right is Skinner said man is
the sum of his learned experiences he's
wrong you are the one who's watching
your mind be the sum of your learned
experiences can I repeat that bf's not
going to like me all right I love him
it's beautiful he learned something very
great right just like Freud he studied
things and he saw that wellow that's
your learned experience is talking in
there but that's not who's listening to
them you are in there are you not you do
notice that your mind talks who are you
you're not the sum of your learned
experiences you are the Consciousness
who is aware that your mind is talking
about the sum of your learned
experiences and that is all your mind
talks about is the sum of your learned
experiences do you understand that how
could the only thing the computer can do
is take the data it's got the only thing
you have is the sum of your learned
experiences and what's really neat is
every single one of you have a totally
different set of data I only have an
hour so I have to be disciplined that
that is a that is a fascinating talk
right you all think you all look
different you are you might as well look
like identical twins compared to how
different that mind is inside because
since you were born you've had totally
different experiences in that person
over there and your husband or your wife
you think you know somebody there's not
a chance in the world that's why you
have so much trouble with your
relationships you think they're supposed
to be like you they're not anything like
you oh can you understand that if it's
true if psychology is true and and
what's going on in your mind is the sum
of your learned experiences no two
people that ever walked the face of the
Earth have ever had the same experiences
not even close do you understand that
it's kind of neat isn't it right and so
you sit there and you realize that's
what's going on I just I just spent a
minute with it we can study it you know
untethered Soul talks about in great
detail about where those thoughts come
from and how to deal with all that but
for now are you willing to understand
that you have had experiences and those
experiences have left Impressions on
your mind and that's the data your mind
is using that when you see something it
reminds you of something you see
something you like it you don't every
one of your likes and dislikes do you
understand that you are not deciding
what you like or dislike your past
experiences are deciding if they took
your blue blankie away too early you
don't like
blue if they if you had the blue blanket
and they left it till you were done with
it I I love blue right so your thing
about how you feel about something you
think about what you like and what you
dislike that is not you it is something
that this mind that has had these
Impressions made on it is spewing out
because of that's how the mechanism
Works does every understand that does
that make sense to you all right you are
the Consciousness that is noticing that
the mind is doing this and what what the
teachings of mindfulness the traditional
ones are saying please be that that's
what witness Consciousness is please pay
attention while you are taking the
shower that you're not washing your body
most of you have never washed your body
you have this body right what a gift you
were given right you wash the dog when
you're washing the dog you wash the dog
right your body you kind of like you're
there thinking what you're going to do
where you going to go what happened
yesterday what you're totally in your
mind now I swear a shower is one of the
hardest places to remain
conscious all right it's just it's just
all these thoughts are being generated
right you go from high oh by the way I
wanted to ask you we talk about wanting
to be happy and and not be depressed and
have a nice life have you no noticed
that those thoughts affect that have you
noticed that you're taking your shower
and you get into the shower and we're
doing really nice and all of a sudden
you're taking the shower and you drop
the soap and you remember the time you
dro the soap and you got yelled at
because your sister was taking the
shower and then you remember how your
parents got divorced and then all of a
sudden you're depressed when you walk
out of the shower wow that shower is
tough
stuff this is very important this is
your life that's why I say mindful is
not it's not a meditation technique it's
the most important thing you will ever
learn in your entire life it solves
every it is either the whole problem or
the whole Solution that's up to you so
basically you start noticing that's your
Technique you just start what we call
objectively observing that your mind is
going to create these thoughts it's
don't feel guilty about it I don't care
what they are doesn't make any
difference you're not doing it I don't
want you to feel you're doing it right
there's a movie going on in front of you
right I don't know where it came from
it's not my business it's not my fault
what experiences I do you understand
that all right and so basically you
learn to just watch these thoughts and
what you're going to do is freak out
because you're going to sit there and
say oh
mg no
wonder no wonder I'm such a mess and no
wonder I've messed up every relationship
I ever had I mean those thoughts are
whoa and they come up with some very
interesting Solutions so first they I
just real quickly first thing they do is
decide there's is a problem there are no
problems look at me there are no
problems a problem means that something
is happening outside that you don't want
to be happening somebody else wants it
to be happening your problem is somebody
else's solution you understand that you
define the event as a problem it doesn't
it's not a problem of itself it's the
natural result of what's unfolding in
front of you but your mind decides I
don't want this I don't like this then
it's a problem so first it creates the
problem thank you so much right then it
spends the next three months or 5 years
or 20 years trying to figure out what to
do about it okay and once it figures out
how it has a solution I'll move this is
all your mind right first it defines the
problem right I can't meet the kind of
people that I'm looking for around here
right I think I need to go I Lally have
a friend tell me right I'm not finding
the kind of women that I want to meet I
want to go up to Boston either for
Harvard or this or that they got all
these very intellectual things up there
there I have more of a chance the
probably he did a study the probability
of meeting somebody that is is my
intellectual equal or something right
and I figured if you're thinking like
that I don't want to think about your
intellectual equal because you
lost so but you hear what I'm saying
that's what we do isn't it and then we
come up with these Solutions then we
have to think about how we make them
happen they don't just happen because
you thought about them and next thing
you know you have devoted your life to
your
Neurosis you've devoted your life to
these thoughts that are being created in
your mind that you don't you know where
they they're just your pasts coming back
like ghosts literally you understand
that all right so you start watching and
what you're going to notice is that the
reason you're not here now is because
you're there now do you understand that
so it's not a matter of forcing oh do
this you can do that it's good right
it's a matter of saying do I want to
deal with the problem I have a
problem don't I I have a problem can I
deal with the problem the answer is
absolutely what would it be like if I
dealt with the problem all right let's
talk about what healthy sounds like
because you're capable of being a lot of
you work with your diets don't you right
you've changed you don't e Twinkies
anymore I think they went off the market
or something
right right you you guys have been good
but what are you doing with your mind
you think it doesn't matter that the
mind is creating those thoughts what
does it mean when someone's lost in
depression I guarantee you their mind's
not saying
zip right their mind is in they telling
them oh my God I tried everything it's
ridiculous why would I bother there's
not a single person that committed
suicide that their mind did not tell
them to do it look at me touch your
subject do you believe that do you
understand that not a single person ever
right suicide is not an accident it's by
definition suicide means you did it
purposely on yourself right your mind
told you right I've tried everything
this is not going to work it's never
going to work why would I even bother
this that's what's going on those are
thoughts being created in your mind
maybe you best deal with
this you hear me like I said this is not
a joke your mind is going to create
these thoughts because of the
Impressions you have stored inside of
you somebody once raised their hand at
one of my talks and said and it was like
this deep question but I only had a
minute left and said well why is the
mind so negative you might notice it is
right why why would the mind be like
that why is the Mind naturally so
negative it takes 30 seconds to answer
that question that's kind of neat is it
right I want to ask you a question you
have had every one of you have had
experiences in your past that were not
pleasant yes or no okay so since they
were not pleasant and you didn't really
want to experience them right you just
let them go and got them out of there
quick right no you stor them every
single experience that ever happened to
you that was not pleasant you kept
didn't you right some people collect
coins some people collect stamps you
collect bad
experiences but you do it's not all that
funny right you do
collect right every bad experience that
ever happened well what do you expect is
going to come from the room where every
smell you ever smelled in your life that
was putrid you stored it took it home
and shoved it into a room now go in the
room what's it going to smell like it's
GNA stink
right that is what's going to happen if
you store every single experience that
ever happened to you that was not
pleasant inside of you and then wonder
why the smell is what it is wonder why
it keeps spitting up this negative stuff
that's why do you understand that it's
getting real quiet okay it's so
important to understand this this is
your Sanctuary you're the only one in
there there's nobody else in there out
here you got to compete for things you
got to buy things you don't it's free of
charge right you are creating your inner
environment it is your mind have you
noticed that your mind thinks a certain
way and all of a sudden your emotions
follow every single time well then maybe
you best pay attention to your
thoughts maybe we best be working with
this that's mindfulness it's getting
serious isn't it okay so far we talk
about how successful you are at your
career at your relationships at every
single thing you try to do and now we're
talking about your entire inner state of
being whether you're okay whether you're
happy whether you like things whether
you're enjoying your entire life you
can't enjoy your life if you have stored
inside of you every single thing that
ever bothered you why because you're
going to remember that you didn't like
it and you're going to try and make sure
it doesn't happen again you've just
ruined your life do you understand that
all right you can't experience the
moment that's unfolding you're busy it
NE now what you've done is I can't
experience the moment that's unfolding
because I have a way I need it to be and
way it needed to not be and now all of a
sudden you're fighting with life that's
why you're tense this answers everything
I can just keep talking right that's why
there's tension that's why there's
anxiety that's why your muscles are
tight that's why you feel stressed
that's why you say it's overwhelming
because you have stored this mess inside
of you it doesn't sit in there quietly
period you understand that it tries to
release and it just comes up at all the
wrong time okay and therefore you're so
afraid of it you don't want to
experience it again that you've defined
how everybody and everything needs to be
for you to be okay yes or no and now
you're out there struggling instead of
enjoying your life and appreciating life
and being present with life you're
fighting with life to try and make it be
a way that doesn't stimulate that junk
that you stored inside of you all right
if you will watch your thoughts like I
said this may sound interesting but
you're going to go through a stage where
you don't like me okay all right in fact
some people come to me say I was fine
before you told me to look no you were
not fine before I told you to look you
just had not noticed all right so and by
the way now we're talking mindfulness
what I just said there you just hadn't
bother a notice mindfulness means notice
doesn't it right the traditional way
they're using it now right the different
great writers about mindfulness they're
saying please take the time to notice by
the way it doesn't take time and it
doesn't take money does it because I
don't have the time the time to what be
there right the time to pay attention to
the fact that you got this mess going
inside and you're running around dumping
on everybody doing all right so your
first thing you do is you watch don't do
anything about it don't try to change
your
thoughts I'm teaching you I don't
usually I don't give techniques right
you learn to watch get to lay of the
land like anything else any project you
would do the first thing you do is
Orient yourself correct that's what
witness Consciousness
orientation take a look at the the lay
of the land get an idea of what's going
on in there and it's going to freak you
out relax that's the whole answer I'm
telling you do not feel responsible for
your
thoughts did you hear me do not feel
responsible for your thoughts they are
not your fault you did not dial up one
from column A and two from column B do
you understand that events took place
you did not deal with them well what do
you mean if you deal with it well you
let it come and go you let it come and
go you experience it Pleasant not
pleasant whatever it is you get married
it's beautiful you're divorced it's ugly
all these different things happen right
and you move on you learn from them you
have experiences you grow you become a
whole person you understand that that's
what happens when you have
experiences the fact that you took a
class means you know more than before
you did the fact that you had an
experience means you know more you are
holer you are a greater being
because you had an experience and if you
didn't and that goes for every single
experience you can ever have that's what
it means to be healthy doesn't it not
too many of us are too healthy are we
okay you you're here to learn you're
learning every experience is teaching
you something so if you're willing to
let it come in and merge into your being
then it becomes part of you we say we
can play by heart you have to memorize
it right life is teaching you and you
become a wher person but we don't do
that what we do if something is not
pleasant we suppress it write down Freud
we push it away and if something's
pleasant we cling to it that's a
Buddhist term we cling to it we want we
we don't want to have the other
experience we want to have that one so
you're missing the rest and the next
thing you know you're struggling with
everything so healthy means you learn
that as experiences unfold in exper as
experiences unfold in everyday life this
is how you start first you pay attention
and you notice and it's not going to
work that's what you should notice do
not do not judge your thoughts it's very
important do not judge your thoughts
they're just just like if you go to a
movie that somebody made I'm it's a
movie I didn't make it that's how I want
you to look at your thoughts they're
just they're passing in front of me
right I mean your dreams you do it
people tell me their dreams I like
telling me their dreams I don't know
right and and sometimes they're really
weird and they laugh you see what
happened in the dream right I was a guy
I'm a girl but I was a guy in the dream
it was really weird I was a weird guy
too all right it's like and then no
problem talking about it that's just
something your mind made up isn't it
it's just your mind just made up a dream
why do you think that's funny and when
your mind wakes up makes up all this
stuff when you're awake you think oh I'm
so
embarrassed how could I think like
that no don't do it just basically
understand your mind is making things up
think of those thoughts right as your
waking dreams because the mind makes
your dreams doesn't it well the mind is
doing that and just see it as an object
it's a thought making machine and you
are the awareness who is aware of it
that's the healthy State and then what
you're going to learn is events are
going to unfold in front of you on an
everyday basis right and you're going to
start to say thank
you what do you mean I get to have the
experience I just had it's okay with me
somebody beeped at me when I was looking
at my phone at the light and I didn't go
all right well I know that's tough life
is tough down here right that's a hard
one okay the minds
are right and you need to learn to let
that go right somebody doesn't say hello
a friend of yours walks by and did they
see me did they not see me did I do
something wrong did they find out what I
said to George oh my God what should I
call George what are you
doing you're sitting on a planet
spinning through the middle of empty
space being
neurotic right and so you learn that
your mind has a problem we already know
that right the mind can't not have a
problem why because you stored every
single thing that ever bothered you
inside of it and then told the mind to
figure out how to make the world be so
that it doesn't bother
you I swear to God in one two sentences
I just told you that is what you've done
and so the Mind stays up day and night
that's why you can't fall asleep at
night mind stays with day and night
trying to figure out how to do that you
need to stop that mindfulness now we're
going to the next level first you watch
and then you say hey I need to do
something about this okay all right well
don't don't don't fight with your mind
don't try to fight with it don't get mad
at it just understand there's a reason
it's doing Buddhist always talk about
working at the root I'm keep taking you
back to the root all right what is the
root of non-m mindfulness it is the fact
that your mind has all these interesting
things to say not right and you are
paying full attention to them instead of
living your life you're living your mind
do you understand that all right how do
I stop doing that by watching to see why
the mind is doing what it's doing and I
told you why it is doing it because you
have stored the data that stuff in there
you didn't process it we used to call it
Galt 70s right galing it it made it all
the way through it finished it was done
you follow me it made it past when when
the Beatles went and saw Maharishi they
told him he told them everything is
passing through the universe it's just
passing through the universe light
everything is just passing through it
got stuck inside of you you didn't let
that event pass through the Universe I
don't know that's the you know Across
the Universe I don't know if that's
where they came from but he he used to
teach that he taught that right that you
just see these thoughts that are stuck
inside of you you stop them on their
Journey Through the Universe right
because you couldn't handle them you w
uncomfortable with them relax and let
them go let them they're they're trying
to continue their Journey Across the
Universe isn't that beautiful right and
so you start practicing that you start
doing this and you do it with everyday
events that are happening to you on a
regular basis the little ones I call
them low hanging fruit right the ones
that that you're just causing yourself
trouble nobody else is causing you
trouble right I I I I say there's this
lipus test for low hanging fruit if I
let it go inside of
me would I have to do anything about it
outside if I let go that he beeped is
there anything to do outside then why
are you giving yourself so much trouble
about it if somebody didn't say hello
and you don't know why right know if
they saw you didn't see you let's say
you let that go is there
repercussions no I mean if they're mad
at you you'll find out right I mean
obviously this is not the time to find
out because you're guessing does that
make sense to you like you're causing
yourself trouble you're causing yourself
anxiety for absolutely no reason almost
all the time so now we're saying how
beautiful mindfulness is first it solved
my problem of how well I do it things on
tests if you take a test by the way make
sure you're
there it really helps all right and and
basically now we're talking about
changing my whole inner state to where I
can enjoy my life where I'm not down on
myself all the time and causing all
these troubles so that's a big one that
the everyday events that are happening
to you give yourself a break will you
okay if you eat bad food you're going to
get sick if you let those thoughts be
created inside and get all involved in
them one you will miss the moment that's
unfolding in front of you the next
moment because you got caught in the
last one follow me and the second thing
is you will make yourself sick won't you
you will if scared oh my God what a mes
you Mak inside let that go then the
second that's one big one is the
everyday events that unfold in front of
you every second you have the right to
practice mindfulness it is not something
you do on a meditation pillow that's you
know when you do meditation they say did
you do your practices today youve heard
that term that's why they're called
practices it's like going to the
practice court in tennis it's not the
match the match is right here everyday
life every single second do you
understand that
you're present come on pay attention pay
attention right you're drive like we
talk about driving how much better did
you do when you were present driving a
lot better right you're going to be
doing that much better inside if you
bother to understand there best be
somebody in there paying attention to
what's going on as opposed to someone
who's not it's really weird I can't even
think about it that all of a sudden
somebody cut you off go ah you jump in
the back seat no you don't get to do
that
how many times inside did somebody cut
you off and you jumped in the back seat
you know what I mean by cut you off
somebody said something somebody did
something and that was your reaction to
freak out take your hand off the wheel
and God knows what you said do you
understand that ever lose it look at
me have you ever lost it you ever
thought about what the it
is yeah that's a pronoun it's got an
anent okay that's what we're talking
about you're supposed to be present when
you lose lose it your Consciousness gets
all lost in all this messed up energy
and then you come back don't you and you
look at the mess okay now you see this
is serious isn't it all right
mindfulness is about a way of life it is
about life itself it is about the
quality of everything you do the quality
of the experience of the quality of your
life so the first is the everyday events
I'm not going to talk too much about it
but I got a big one on the second one
just bear with me there's another big
one in there when you pay attention
you're going to find out that it's not
just how you deal with the events that
are unfolding in front of you now learn
to let go what should I do relax just
keep relaxing I swear to God the answer
is to relax just like yoga relax okay
it's it's inner ASA it's an inner ASA
when the events start and you notice
your mind doing it right you saying but
I can't stop my mind from doing I know
you can't and you shouldn't you should
relax in the face of what your mind is
doing
you relax don't it's not about your mind
it's about your relationship with your
mind do you understand that you're in
there your thoughts start just relax
just relax and lean away just lean away
right and you're going to find out oh my
God it changes so fast to get involved
you have to lean into it if you relax
and lean
away you get distance then you get time
and all of a sudden somebody says
something and the reaction's in slow
motion
and eventually you look at it say I
don't think so there's no way I'm going
there right but before you didn't have
time right
just so this is all part of that now
what is this other big one you're going
to start to notice what I talked about
before that you stored your past inside
of you but not all of it just the bad
experiences and some of the good ones
but there were way more bad ones we talk
about that another time I can explain
why why it seems like they're way more
bad ones all right but in any event you
know there are okay what do you do right
your past God you're not going to like
me there is no reason to be carrying
inside of you the things you did not
like in the past they are
over that's why we say they're the past
they're over there is you know you know
intelligent people do this thing called
cost benefit analysis when we're making
decisions right I want to tell you the
cost benefit analysis of carrying your
past inside of you your past experience
you didn't like right benefit zero cost
100% I mean what difference does it make
what your mommy did what difference does
it make when your parents got divorced
and you felt guilty about it when you
were six what are you doing carrying
that in there of what relevance does
that have I'm yelling at you I'm
scolding you no I'm asking you a
question of what relevance does that
have to the moment that's unfolding in
front of you the answer is nothing all
it's going to do is distract you and
cause all kinds of problems there is no
benefit to continue to store inside of
you the events that happened in the past
that you did not like in a moment I'm
going to stop right and you're going to
get to ask questions any one of you that
know a benefit that you would store what
happened to you when you were five years
old and you're 55 now and you have
nightmares about it and it keeps coming
back up what what of what use is that
right and all of a sudden you realize
you're doing a totally destructive thing
to yourself what do you mean I'm not
doing to myself yes you are what do you
mean when it tries to come back up what
do you
do give me a minute no don't talk like
that no I can't hand you know I can't
handle that stop it you push it away
don't you you have hands in there don't
you you push it back down leave me alone
all right I'm all right now no you're
not okay you push it away right ready
stop it what do you mean Let It Go you
don't want it in there I'm telling you
you can I know I went pretty far for an
hour here with you guys right it's
getting serious right there's only one
reason that stuff is in there you put it
in there you kept it in there and you
keep it in there it is not that there's
super glue in there all right I'm
serious there's no tar paper there's no
super glue there's nothing like that
there is your will you have will in
there and you have the right if you want
to keep things in there Impressions why
why you would keep bad ones I have no
idea nor do you it's just that no one
ever talked to you about it I would
highly advise letting them go and you're
going to find out it's like a weight of
seven billion pounds gets taken off of
you and so you start to do this when
you're conscious something comes up you
feel a weird feeling you have a weird
reaction to what somebody said hear me
and you look at it and I'm asking you to
check is this from your past is it
really about what that person said or is
it what that person said hit what your
husband said and all of a sudden your ex
is talking in there anybody listening
okay then I would highly advise not
carrying that in there right it's a
meaningless thing to carry inside
yourself it's totally self-destructive
and so you learn to let it go how learn
that's all I'm going to tell you you
learn everything else you learn all kind
you learn calculus oh my
God you learn to play difficult
instruments you learn all kinds of
things so learn this learn to not carry
that stuff inside of you learn to let it
go imagine more beautiful it would be if
you didn't have that in there and you
could just interact with life it's
called beginner's mind that's part of
mindfulness right ever heard the term
beginner's mind that every situation
that you're having is the first time you
had it and all of a sudden it's exciting
it's oh my God you hear me there's no
expectations there's no judgment there's
no comparing with the past right it's
just a new experience you're having and
you fully embe that experience so that
also with mindfulness so mindfulness
touch touches psychology it touches
Athletics it touches music it touches
art it touches school it touches
everything doesn't it okay it is not
something you do on a meditation pillow
in a corner for 50 minutes but it is
that also right because you're
practicing you're practicing letting go
some people say to me I can't meditate
that's a
lie what do you mean they say to me well
I sit down and my mind is just talks and
talks it won't let go and there just one
thing and the next and it goes on I
kiddingly go down and pronom to him what
are you doing I said that was really
high what you just said you were
watching your thoughts you don't usually
watch your thoughts you get all caught
up in your thoughts so even what you
call a bad meditation is good if I if I
go on the tennis court and my coach is
hitting me balls and today I'm not good
with backhand right and I just did
really bad on the court because he kept
hitting backhand right I shouldn't have
gone right because they did really bad
just asking that was a bad practice
wasn't it no no that's a good practice
that's a good practice because I needed
that work didn't I and if I don't do
that work I will not get better and if I
do that work I will get better there's
no way you don't get better do you
understand that that's what learning is
about all right so if you sit down and
you watch your mind and it doesn't stop
the fact that you can tell me that you
watched your mind not stop is
mindfulness comfortable all right so
this is mindfulness as if very great
thing isn't it and it touches me to the
depth of my being to realize I I'm so I
love the university I'm so proud of the
University such an honor to live in this
town where this institution is here I've
always felt that way right it's like now
you have a mindfulness project oh my God
right you have an arts and Medicine
Center you have a Center for Spiritual
and health you have a center of
integrated medicine well you are great
right you are serious people so but a
mindfulness project now that you
understand what mindfulness is right
that's a real gift is it right and yes
they will teach you techniques there are
many techniques or are many things
doesn't matter what matters is that
someday you wake up and say I got some
Lucy you got some explaining to do all
right I got some work to do not on my
husband not on my boss on me correct all
right very good thank
you
and now they wanted me to do a half hour
of question and anwers right do well I
um yeah I stopped purposely I never did
an hour talk in my life I mean these
people are here figting that I actually
stopped in an hour you
know I was being very mindful about the
whole thing so do you have if you have
questions we can ask some questions yes
sir name what
oh the green shirt right there it's all
right right
there
L say your name so I get to know your
name it's okay I'm doing
it my name is Lauren um when you talk
about the not being beneficial you're
not talking about completely getting
your past I see a benefit in terms of
empathy of course and in the classroom I
think that can be really
powerful absolutely I'm not talking
about forgetting anything I'm talking
about processing it completely so it's
not stuck and didn't make it through you
all right I see a stream the way I see
life I see a stream of a river and it's
flowing through the ocean right it is
either going to go into the ocean and
merge with the ocean and that's great
for the stream and it's great for the
ocean you understand that it's a
constant process that things are coming
in through your senses and they're
merging back into your being right
they're not getting stuck in your mind
that's equivalent to putting a dam so
that the river can't go into the ocean
all of a sudden you have to maintain the
dam right it floods Upstream it's got
drought Downstream dams are serious
things you ask anybody you know like got
to maintain them forever because you
tried to stop a natural force that's
what we've done with our minds not for
any not because we wanted to learn it's
not that you don't sit there and say oh
I want to remember this right you sat
there and said I can't handle this I
can't handle this I don't want this
coming closer to me that did not happen
do you understand that that event I no
he didn't say that no this person didn't
die no this didn't happen right we don't
want it to come closer so it touches the
whole of our our being so we have the
full experience of what it is do you
understand that and so it gets stuck in
our mind and causes serious problems
someday you will find out that the Bible
says for everything there's a season a
time for every purpose under Heaven
every experience is teaching you
something birth death good people mean
people beauty ug every single thing is a
teacher correct and you have the
experience once it comes in emerges with
you becomes part of your being I I I use
see it's a beautiful question you just
asked right especially in an ed
educational facility right we don't want
to forget another we're not learning
things right if I go there as a young
young 5-year-old and touch a stove and
burn myself there's two ways I can take
that right either I'm afraid of stoves I
don't cook I don't have anything I'm Raw
I do raw but for the wrong reason all
right okay I'm an neurotic mess about
stoves how did I do with that terrible
right the second is is I got burned I
guarantee you I will not touch that hot
stove again I will never think about it
again but I can use those right it
became part of my being it became
integrated inside of me I don't need to
keep it at a distance and let my mind
get all neurotic about it right or wrong
that's true of every single experience
so it's not that you don't feel it it's
not that oh it's just it's just I don't
know what to tell you it's beautiful
Everything Is Beautiful not beautiful
giggly right life is an instrument your
heart is an instrument and when things
come in it plays different notes what's
wrong with that what's wrong with I
always think it's so fun a lecture is
like like one of the most powerful
emotional pieces that any of you have
ever heard is a funeral
March oh my God is that sad right shopan
wrote it it took one of the great
composers to capture the beauty I can
use the word beauty the depth and beauty
of the sadness of loss right why are we
not willing to hear that why are we not
willing to experience that doesn't mean
it's not sad but there's nothing wrong
with that so we fully experience the
moment and they make us
holer all right thank you it was a
beautiful question all right who
else up here
hi um yes it's on what's your name it's
a profound question what's your name uh
Brenda Brenda um I love what you're
saying and I understand it uh and I've
decided that I'm a hoarder I'm a hoarder
for sure um but one thing I have a
question about is
regrets and maybe it follows along the
same line of what you're saying but I
struggle with regrets and wanting to
correct them do you have any yes I do I
do you're all asking very deep questions
but you have to listen carefully if I
give you a deep answer right regrets
have no meaning they have no purpose
they will destroy you anything that
destroys you has no meaning or purpose
for your benefit and if you walk around
regretting and guilt and fear and all
this kind of stuff you become worse do
you understand that like literally if I
do something and I hurt somebody you
know I'm in high school I hurt somebody
all right I'm sure I did I mean I'm sure
we did you know you do things you heard
somebody but but it's stuck in me it's
stuck in me right so now what's going to
happen I'm telling you is I can't be
totally kind to somebody else because
I'm afraid because I feel these regrets
and I might hurt them do you understand
that I can't it's messed me up it didn't
make me better to be guilty did it no
one ever got better by being guilty no
one ever got better by having regrets it
is a psychological illness there is a
reason you did what you did you
understand that that is that you feel
regretful about I would rather have you
deal with that reason let it go and
forgive yourself and real okay I had a
problem I had a need I had insecurity
mommy was bad to me and I took it out on
this person do you follow me but I've
now worked that through I worked that
through I always tell people this this
how you deal with guilt and regret are
you ready listen to me you sit yourself
down and you honestly and earnestly ask
yourself would you do it again if the
same situation unfolded given the
awareness and Consciousness that you
have now would you behave the same way
would you do the same thing all right
and I'm assuming you're going to look
and say no way would I even think of
doing something like that I'm not like
that anymore well then of what purpose
is the regret or the The Guild it has to
do with the person that used to be
that's not here anymore you learned what
you needed to learn you have now changed
to the core of your being Let It Go all
it's going to do is hold you back so
don't don't you know divinize regret and
guilt and that stuff oh well I'm a
better person because I feel sorry for
what I did all right you are a better
person if you got rid of transcended the
reason you did it and then move on you
have the right to learn do you
understand understand that I'm back I'm
back to the Calculus class right am I
embarrassed when I walk in that class I
don't know calculus I don't want anybody
see me I don't want anybody telling me
right it's like I don't want to learn
because it missed I didn't know I should
have known what are you doing you're
here to learn you're here to grow right
but if you make it a psychological
problem the fact that you had to learn
how about if I say that you learned from
that experience didn't you right okay
then what's wrong with that okay thank
you thank you it's beautiful
question what's your name I'm Zach hey
Zach thank you very much for this talk
it very beautiful um so I'm a senior and
I'm preparing to go into uh graduate
school along with many other my
classmates so I was just trying to think
uh and ask you for some suggestions of
how to be mindful in preparation for or
grad school or you know looking into the
future so to not get caught up in that
uh you know that film in my mind of from
the future yes U but then to give myself
space to have that too yeah it's it's
it's easy it really is everything I
talked about today right is
basically life is unfolding and in your
particular life graduate school is
coming somebody else's marriage is
coming somebody else's job is coming
somebody else's whatever it is that's
what life does it's been doing it for
13.8 billion years okay it's it's
unfolding do you understand that don't
think you're doing it right you
understand that so this is where life
has led you and this is where life has
led right so the first thing you do is
say it's not a matter whether I like it
or don't like it right I'm going to
enjoy this process don't go to graduate
school so you can get out and get a job
that's disgusting right go to graduate
school so you can go to graduate school
so that you can learn so you can have
the whole experience these are precious
experiences you understand that right so
that's how you do it it's like your mind
is going to make you neurotic that's
what it's going to do it's think about
this think about no tell yourself when
you wake up in the morning is I love
what I'm doing if there's a part of you
by the way if there's a part of that
doesn't love what you're doing I don't
care there are all kinds of parts of you
right the part of you I want to ask you
a question I'm going to sit down and
give you a meal you haven't had this
this meal before you take a first taste
and I say do you like it you say give me
a minute let me decide if you have to
decide I beg you decide that you like it
why if you like it then you like it then
it's fun then it's exciting you tell
people how nice it was you enjoy eating
it if you don't like it then it's
disgusting and you wish you never went
there and you'll never go back there
again and you right which one's better
no I'm just asking if you have a choice
of having a good experience or a bad
experience why would you choose to have
a bad one so you sit there and start to
learn to say I love graduate school I
love that this class is so hard I love
that the professor is hard to understand
I just in as much as possible enjoy the
experience of your life is that fair
enough sounds
good I hope you heard that though such a
beautiful question it's like it's your
choice whether you like something or not
it's isn't it so why would you ever
choose not to like what's happening it's
reality all right like I'm I'm serious
about the past you get to a point with
your past I want you to be able to say I
love my past there's not a single thing
I would ever change in your past well
why should I say that because there
isn't anything you will ever change in
your
past so if you have a choice and since
you're the one who's choosing I I love
my past it was great right it was just
great I grew up my mother was an alcohol
my father was that right I learned so
much what an amazing experience I had I
wouldn't want to miss that for anything
oh I loved my divorce the first one all
right second the second one wasn't so
good you but the first one was
oh learn to make it lighter in there
will you all right have some fun you're
the only one in there do not make hell
of
that all right who else anything else
back here all the way in the back oh
there somebody right there all right
very good hi my name is Ellie and I've
been reading research that says every
thought you have releases a negative or
positive chemical which eventually can
make you he very good and is that what
you it it does what you went down to is
the Neuroscience of it right you brought
it down to to the medicine right to
physiology is when you have thoughts
what I said was there's a reason your
thoughts are being created that's even
at more of the root than what you talked
about right there's a reason your
thoughts are being created and that is
you stored all this junk in
there I'm serious it's kind of funny but
not so funny you hear me okay you stored
all this stuff in there and it doesn't
want to stay in there it doesn't it's
not comfortable just like you have an
immune system you have an immune system
you get form matter inside your body all
kinds of stuff goes on like blood cells
blah blah blah right and it tries to get
them out right your mind is way more
brilliant than your body body isn't it
that's why we have science that's why we
do all you know your body didn't know
how to put itself in a rocket ship and
fight of the Moon your mind did that
your mind is way more brilliant than
your body well your mind has a system
that doesn't want that junk in there
either do you understand that it's
trying to purify itself it's trying to
throw this stuff out it's not
stupid get it all right you won't let it
you literally won't let it you push it
right back down all right so the answer
answer is the root is that and you're
right once that comes up and your your
thoughts start doing that there are all
kinds of physiological reactions such as
the chemicals and tension I told you
there's tension in your body I tell you
this is funny I like the way but it's
not so funny is it it's serious it's the
quality of your life we're talking about
all right but it's nice to know it can
get that much better isn't it right all
right anything else you got a young L L
young lady over there and young man in
the
back know if talking about me yes I
am I've been trying to practice what's
your name L Lori for like a month and a
half and I started reading The Power of
Now good so my trouble is I see the
thoughts so you know he says focus on
them and feel or see them but I still
don't know how to let it flow step back
I feel like I don't know how to do I
know I so what I taught you what I said
is very simple right you see the thought
you have a tendency to do something
about it have you noticed right and
you're trying to figure out what what
should I be doing about
it I can't is the mic not on it doesn't
seem to be going through the
system there it
is okay no I I heard you all right what
I'm saying is there's a tendency to
think we're doers that's what we're
taught in the west if something's wrong
do it fix it do you understand that that
doesn't work here right when you see it
relax I swear to God no one can hear
this once you hear it you're going to
come to me do it all the time say oh my
God I got it when you see your mind
creating the thoughts
instantly the only thing you do about it
is relax if you need to relax your
shoulders relax your chest relax your
butt fine you can do it physiologically
but inside just relax just relax relax
and release there's nothing to do about
it they are not going to hurt you
thoughts can hurt you you understand
that six and stone can break my Bon
thoughts can't do squat they're just
thoughts they're like clouds in the sky
they hurt you because you resist them
they hurt you because you get involved
in them right and any if energy is
Flowing if wind is blowing by me that
doesn't hurt me if I try to stop it from
Blowing by me and try to hold a 4 by8
plywood that's a full-time job and I get
tired it can hurt me can't it it is the
resistance to the thought that creates
the tension and the problems it's not
the thought so when you see the thoughts
being created let Mickey's voice in
there say relax relax and you'll realize
there's room in there you can relax lean
away from the tension lean away from the
thought that's all that's all you have
to do don't fight don't fight relax and
you've just opened up right if the water
is having trouble flowing through a pipe
right and the pipe gets all uptight then
it gets tighter right the pipe needs to
relax and open up some more volume can
pass you need to make more room that's
all you're doing is creating room inside
so that this stuff can pass through then
it won't hurt you if you're not
constricting it it will just come and go
all even these big things that you've
carried your whole life so just go it
pass okay very thank
you mi
Bob
it's bber Brahma thank you for expanding
my now and question I have is
contrasting
mindfulness with the power of
intention let's say for example the late
Wayne
Dyer more Rec power of intention so
contrasting that with the idea of yeah
so what he's asked there are some people
who teach and I'm not going to get into
the whole thing that you create your
universe and that what you should do is
decide inside with an intention how you
want things to be I don't teach that
okay I don't even care whether you creat
your Universe because if you are
creating your universe and doing it
based on what you want and what you
don't want and how else would you choose
I don't want to be in it
do you understand that okay there is if
you still have wants and not wants and
you can't honor and respect that the
universe is a phenomenal place and
you're supposed to be learning from it
like when I walk into a classroom I
don't have the right to tell the
Professor what to teach me I just
admitted I don't know
calculus I better shut up you hear me
and learn if you're busy walking in
there saying but I don't learn well that
way don't teach that way and when I did
algebra you teach it off of no you don't
get to do that right as far as I'm
concerned this is me you don't get to do
that out here right life is unfolding
you are a participant in it the first
thing you do is embrace it the first
thing you do is feel it the first thing
you do is welcome the reality that is
unfolding in front of you then if it
hits something inside of you that causes
a disturbance that's your problem not
life's problem if you don't like the
fact that Saturn has rings don't go yell
at Saturn all right that's learn to let
go so you asked the question slightly
differently right you asked intention
mindfulness is your intention it's not
like there's two things right somebody
else's intention is to find a husband or
find a wife that's because they're not
okay understand that believe me the
husband wife will find you if it's meant
to life will unfold it doesn't mean
you're not participating it's just that
you're being in the moment and and and
people will be there and things will
happen believe me the whole world
happened you weren't here right I don't
know how to tell you you weren't here
for 13.8 billion years after the big
bang it used to just be hydrogen gases
right and it made all this what part did
you have in that I I I dare people to
sit there and say right now we're having
an experience how many other things are
happening everywhere's else that you're
not that you have nothing to do with
like 800 billion zillion quillion well
they're going on by
themselves and you're perfectly willing
to let them you don't even do anything
about it right then this moment in front
of you is also going on by itself it is
part of creation and the first thing you
do is embrace it embibe it and let it
touch you right then you interact with
it I always teach this it's not passive
not teaching passivity right once you
are present with it you will see there's
a part you're supposed to play in it and
it will always be service it will never
be trying to take what you want because
you don't have a want anymore you're so
filled with joy and fullness right of
the experience of life that when things
unfold in front of you it's more of a
how can I help how can I serve how can I
I told her in the highest state is every
moment that unfolds in front of you you
are completely open to it and you look
to see is there a reason this is here it
took 13.8 billion years to get here it
took me whatever it was for me to be
there with it it's a match made in
heaven how can I serve what can I do to
lift this moment does it be big could be
a smile right or it could be literally
helping something or or it could
literally be that you find yourself at a
table with global warming how' I get her
I don't know right lift it wherever you
are be present and do the best you can
to serve what's unfolding in front of
you it's no more a question of what do I
want okay and that's so anyways that all
I can say is your answer to your
question is intention from the Buddhist
sense and mindfulness are not different
things all right your inten
is mindfulness all right and once you
are merged in that and you practice that
intention to be present to let go of
yourself to let go of yourself so let go
all that noise right you will find you
know what to do every single time it is
so obvious you understand like I go back
to music like the Arts Plato said the
Arts of the Pinnacle why because real
art comes from the place we're talking
about that's where the Great Master big
was insane right but it was a master
like when he played oh my God the music
drove him crazy right right Mo start the
same thing all right it's like they were
crazy everywhere else but you put them
in that music right and that's why we
call them Masters they were completely
present right art is the Pinnacle
because it's not you're doing it you're
not doing it for yourself it's doing you
you're losing yourself in it so all of
your life should be art every single
second should be you expressing and
experiencing it's not about I'm not okay
and listen to me it is no ever about I'm
not okay how does everybody else need to
be for me to be okay please did you hear
that because that's how we live in it
I'm not okay in here I made a mess how
does everybody else need to be even the
weather better not rain tomorrow all
right how does everything else need to
be for me to be okay that's a
non-starter for you and everyone around
you right so it becomes I'm going to let
go of the mess I created inside make it
perfect ly livable in here nice in here
and then the moments that unfold in
front of me the first thing I say is wow
look what happened next okay it took
13.8 billion years to get here and look
at it it used to just be hydrogen gases
now it's somebody yelling at me
wow wow far out all right that's your
starting position all right and then the
question becomes now that I'm present is
there something I'm supposed to be doing
about this right it's not about I'm not
okay with it is there something I need
to be do I am okay now is there
something I can do to raise the moment
to raise what's unfolding in front of me
that answer you all
right one or two more minutes anybody
else okay thank you so much a
[Music]
pleasure
Detailed Summary
In "Mindfulness as a Way of Life," Michael Singer, also known as Mickey, addresses the audience at the University of Florida’s Mindfulness Day. Introduced by Dr. Lou Ritz, Singer emphasizes mindfulness as more than just meditation—it's a way of life essential for knowledge and presence. Using driving and sports as examples, he illustrates how being present enhances performance and safety. Singer shares personal anecdotes and encourages learning mindfulness to avoid missing life's experiences. He highlights distractions, particularly thoughts shaped by past experiences, and urges objective observation without judgment. Addressing the impact of past experiences on reactions and the importance of dealing with negativity, Singer advocates for letting go to enhance inner well-being. During the Q&A, he further elaborates on the points covered to help the audience deepen their understanding of mindfulness.