Summary: The Miracle Of Mindfulness

For the most part, people don’t appear to think it takes courage to release fear. There is a common notion that fear grips us, we freeze, then slowly get our limbs moving and thoughts circulating about what to do next. When not put in its place- out of our lives- it can stifle sleep and cause chest discomfort so severe it feels like, or may even trigger, a even heart attack. It takes courage to turn a new page and decide not to give fear an opportunity to become so entrenched it causes paralysis. In a small book, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hahn shares stories and exercises about the monumental relief one can receive from stress, fear and anxiety by changing a few simple things. This Zen master challenges the notion that multi-tasking allows us to achieve more when it actually generates more fear or anxiety about dropping the ball or missing something. The practice of mindfulness encourages being present with whatever you are doing and feeling gratitude for the people or things that enable you to enjoy something as simple as a drink of water. Throughout his classic science fiction Dune series, Frank Herbert weaves the Benet Gisserit litany against fear: …show more content…
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

What about you? Are you ready to insulate your mind and heart from fear storms? Writing the the poems in this section and doing the exercises that follow helped me