Introduction to

Mindfulness for

Busy Professionals

Mindfulness@Work

Missives by Fred Barstein

for Portland, OR

WiPN ChapterEdited by Ivana Polonijo

A BUSINESS

PROFESSIONAL’S

MISSIVES ON

MINDFULNESS,

MEDITATION &

PERSONAL PRACTICE

Why Meditate?

Why Meditate?I often get this question from people after I explain that I meditate two hours each day and go to ten

day silent mediation retreats twice annually either to sit or to serve. On the one hand, the answer is

quite simple but on the other, it is a bit more nuanced.

I study the Vipassana meditation method as taught by the Enlightened One, Gautama Buddha over

2,500 year ago through the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path under the tradition taught by S.N.

Goenka. The Goenka tradition supports over 200 centers around the world using the same method

and the same teacher through video and audio and overseen by trained Assistant Teachers. This

tradition tries to stay as pure to the original teaching of Gautama Buddha as possible and is not a

religion or sect and is not Buddhist per se.

The ultimate goal of the Vipassana meditation is full liberation or enlightenment also known

as nibbana. But the path to reach that goal is long and difficult – usually taking many lifetimes

– so along the way, there must be other benefits to keep going. Sitting for an hour in the

morning and the evening can be difficult and is not always pleasant.

So why do I meditate?

The most common question I get is how do I feel after a 10 day retreat…Though I get great benefits

from meditation like greater productivity and creativity at work along with better health through a

less stressful life, these cannot be the goals of mediation for me. I certainly feel clearer and calmer

after a 10 day retreat and after years of meditating consistently but the changes are subtle and

personal which I suspect vary for each person depending on their situation, past and current level of

awareness.

Before I meditated this morning, the thought came to me of why I meditate or what benefits I receive. I

just completed a one-day sit which is helpful to re-enforce the practice and the deeper meditation

when at a center during a 10 day course. There is a deep sense of peace and calm which

sometimes comes with my meditation practice different that what I can get from material pleasures or

even through relationships.

Intuitively I know that any pleasures I get from work, money, physical possessions, exercise or

even friends and family are fleeting. Even great loves will some day pass. This awareness can be

troubling which can cause me to panic or try to guard against their loss.

But the nibbanic peace from within that I sometimes feel through meditation is different. It does not feel

fleeting nor dependent on things that by their nature arise and pass. I am only able to feel these

deeper feelings when I let go of my attachment to pleasurable sensations or thoughts that are

dependent on impermanent things. Similarly, my ability to maintain my equanimity when

unpleasant sensations or thoughts arise is essential to realizing and maintaining these feelings

of nibbanic peace.

So peace through equanimity is why I meditate daily and maintain this difficult and sometimes

tiresome practice. It’s also nice to know that, according to the Enlightened One, this path leads to

enlightenment and a state of everlasting peace and happiness as well as the fact that I am healthier,

more productive at work and able to maintain better relations.

But it is that feeling of inner nibbanic peace which keeps me going, daily, and why I continue to

meditate.

The Dangers of the

Unattended Ego Mind

The Dangers of the Unattended Ego Mind Although the purpose of serious meditation is the realization of real peace and happiness and

ultimately liberation, there are quite of few practical benefits along the path. One of them is

understanding the dangers of the unattended ego-mind which only comes from first recognizing its

voice.

We all hear that constant chatter which includes the endless thoughts - hard to turn off. The first

step in quieting the mind comes through identifying that voice and then just observing the

thoughts. That step leads to the realization that there is another mind that can observe the ego-

mind. The observing mind leads us to ultimate truth and our real self; the ego mind, which helps us

navigate the physical universe, is a good servant but a very bad master.

For example, we have all heard the ego mind fret about how busy we are worrying that we do not

have enough time to get everything done. But there’s another, very dangerous, side to that ego

chatter that I have witnessed firsthand.

One time, I actually finished everything the ego mind told me to do.

As I was just sitting quietly, I heard “You’re worthless. You have nothing to do.”

Most of us revel in the fact that we are so busy. We take pride in how many trips we take. Platinum

status on Delta is a badge of honor. But the fear of having nothing to do or traveling less or fielding

fewer phone calls or email inspires us to create unnecessary work and problems to solve. The ego

mind is good at problem solving so it tries to make sure we never run out. When nothing is done

nothing needs to be undone

Mindfulness is a two step process starting with awareness followed by equanimity which starts

with not reacting. How comfortable are we with doing nothing? We are constantly engaged either

through our electronic devices or personal interaction. Even when we wake up at 3:00 AM, the mind is

running hard. The ability to observe and not react, which is different than acting, will determine our

level of peace, happiness and liberation.

So the next time that ego mind tells us that we are worthless because we have nothing to do,

no calls or emails to return, no trips to plan for, no crisis to unravel, try to do nothing and let it

pass. Because the nature of all things not real is that they are impermanent. They rise but always

eventually pass.

But understanding is the booby prize of the universe. Even if you agree with my theories, only through

the practice of meditation can we can distinguish that ego voice and also be comfortable with not

reacting watching the thoughts and sensation arise and pass.

We have to unlearn decades of training of reacting through the practice of meditation and stop

mindlessly reacting to the ego voice which is guaranteed not to lead to lasting peace or

happiness no matter how many toys or accolades we acquire.

On Travel…

Journey Without Distance

Journey Without DistanceI travel so much now that it seems natural. In and out of planes. One night at each hotel. meeting

people all over the country. In fact it seems odd to me when I don’t travel.

Yet when I spend time at a 10 day silent meditation retreats where my movement is quite limited

and each day is almost exactly the same as the one before, it also feels like I am traveling but this

travel is internal. A journey without distance. Images, thoughts and sensation come and go.

Sometimes at a rapid pace. My only job is to observe and develop my sense of equanimity.

Which is I guess what I need to develop when I travel in the material world. Observe reality as it is

without judgment. Without fear. Without expectation. Just observe. And remain equanimous

realizing that all compound things are by their nature impermanent.

And my final lesson it to realize that they are also impersonal.

So what is real? What is permanent? What is personal? That which is does not arise and

pass. That which remains when the images, thoughts and sensation pass. That which is

connected.

Listen to the silence. Feel the light. Experience the freedom.

Becoming Heedful

Becoming HeedfulI am changing at the molecular level. It is not as a result of a realization, an epiphany, or some

deeper level of understanding – all of which are helpful. It is a result of this constant and rigorous

meditation practice which is nothing more than being mindful - observing what is happening to

me through my reactions to sensations and thoughts and then remaining equanimous – or at

least trying to.

Unlike what I had thought, there is nothing mythical or magical about meditation as practiced using

the Buddha’s technique. It is quite simply a practice of being mindful of reality – from moment to

moment – which leads to becoming more heedful as I realize the repercussions of not just my

actions or speech but, most importantly, my thoughts. Which is truly miraculous.

As I meditate quietly each day, I am beginning to understand the phenomenon of compound things

– how they arise and pass. It is not really a mystery any longer why one thought comes up or why

another feeling arises. It is a process of cause and effect. Which leads to another cause. And

another effect. The law of karma. There’s nothing I need to do other than observe and remain

equanimous - not become attached to any of the thoughts or sensations.

Not to try to induce pleasant sensations through thoughts of people, situations or ideas I like.

Not run from, hide or try to resolve difficult thoughts, feelings, relationships or situations. Just observe

as they arise and pass, which is their true nature.

At dinner recently, a friend and his new girlfriend, who he met two years ago after a difficult divorce,

confessed how much in love he was and how he was the happiest he had ever been. It seemed very

genuine - from both of them. When I questioned whether he was attached, he admitted he was and

was happy about it.

It the past, I had realized that my last attachment was to my wife, way beyond anything else including

my daughters who I love deeply. Diane and I have been together for 33 years – she is my best friend,

business partner and confidant. My spiritual explorations, which started in earnest when I met her, are

all quite familiar and even mundane to her. One of her favorite saying is “What to do after

enlightenment? The laundry.”

So when speaking to my friend and his girlfriend at dinner that night, I realized that my attachment to

Diane was gone. It did not diminish my love or appreciation for her. In fact, it was deeper -

without fear or attachment.

Most significantly I realized that this was not a decision or result of some epiphany. It was a realization

that I had changed - at the molecular level – as a result of this meditation practice which is essential

being mindful. Aware and equanimous. Moment by moment. Moment by moment. Leading to true

wisdom about the nature of impermanence.

Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless.

Heedlessness is the path to death.

The heedful die not.

The heedless are as if dead already.

The Buddha

Fred Barstein practices Vipassana meditation as

taught by S.N. Goenka, a method uncovered 2500

years ago scrupulously passed along by teachers

ever since. The practice is nonsectarian and no cost

starting with a 10 day silent retreat at one of the over

170 centers in the world. You can start with a simple

10 minute meditation. Consistency of practice is the

key to success.