Wherever You Go There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn (excerpt)
To allow ourselves to be truly in touch with where we already are, no matter where that is, we have got to pause in our experience long enough to let the present moment sink in; long enough to actually feel the present moment, to see it in it's fullness, to hold it in awareness and thereby come to know and understand it better. Only then can we accept the truth of this moment of our life, learn from it, and move on.
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To find our way, we will need to pay more attention to this moment. It is the only time that we have in which to live, grow, feel, and change. We will need to become more aware of and take precautions against the incredible pull of past and future.
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Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing something about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely, the path that is your life. Meditation may help us see that this path we call our life has direction, that it is always unfolding, moment by moment; and that what happens now, in this moment, influences what happens next.
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When it comes down to it, wherever you go, there you are. It's your life that is unfolding. ...
Meditation is the process by which we go about deepening our attention and awareness, refining them, and putting them to greater practical use in our lives.
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You certainly have to be ready for meditation. You have to come to it at the right time in your life, at a point where you are ready to listen carefully to your own voice, to your own heart, to your own breathing - to just be present for them and with them, without having to go anywhere or make anything better or different. This is hard work.
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This exploration of the diamond of mindfulness is offered for all those who would chart a course toward greater sanity and wisdom in their lives. What is required is a willingness to look deeply at one's present moments, no matter what they hold, in a spirit of generosity, kindness toward oneself, and openness toward with might be possible."
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Wherever You Go There You Are (1994)