Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
A few weeks ago I finally received the book Mindfulness by Joseph Goldstein. I learnt about him from listening to, you know it, the Making Sense podcast with Sam Harris.
Before we begin, can we appreciate how much I promote Sam Harris and his work because I should be paid for it? I’m kidding, relax.
Mindfulness is a book about Buddhist teachings and how to live mindfully and with awareness in our world. Joseph Goldstein is a well-renowned Buddhist and meditation teacher. He has written some of the best books on mindfulness and Buddhism. (I dare myself not to use the word Buddhist or mindfulness again in this post.)
I was a bit sceptical of how helpful it could be to me since I am not interested in any religion but the book shattered all of my doubts. It is quite honestly one of the best books I have ever read.
It took me almost a week to finish it. Not because it’s a bit long but because there was just so much information that I had to sit down and put them to practice.
I know that I would write a much better post if I would have read it again but I wanted to take a break and reread it again after a week or two. I am writing this from a fresh perspective.
While I was reading it, I was being more mindful in my day to day life. I was more aware of the emotions that were arising. It reminded me of last year when I took a 12-day mind detox.
The biggest and most important, I dare to say, lesson from the book is that nothing is permanent. Nothing stays the same and everything changes. Whenever I experienced a craving for something, I stepped back and reminded myself that 5 minutes ago I did not want this.
The feeling wasn’t always there. It appeared out of nowhere so it means that in a few minutes it will diminish or disappear altogether. This really helped me to stay in the moment and be aware of how easily manipulated I get when a thought appears.
We get so easily attached to whatever thought is in our minds at any moment that we forget it wasn’t always present. We might see a nice car and suddenly want it, but before the car appeared in front of our eyes, we were just fine without it.
Things change and not one thing stays the same. Eventually, we too change drastically. If we get attached to who we are right now, we will be caught in the fear of growing old.
Speaking of fear, one quote that stood out for me, and it’s a really short one as well, is:
Fear is just a mind state.
Again, before we saw what we convinced ourselves we are afraid of, we were doing just fine. We might be convinced that we are afraid of snakes yet if we would sit in a dark theatre with a snake right beside our feet, but we wouldn’t know she was there, would we still be afraid?
Of course not. We would only be afraid when we would see her because our mind would go berserk suddenly. We are not afraid of whatever there is, we are only afraid when we know it is there.
Mindfulness is the goal of meditation. Being aware of what is in our minds at all times is the goal. Sitting down, closing our eyes, breathing deeply, and stepping back to witness it all is the key to achieving that. Witnessing what arises in each moment.
What I love about the book is also how Joseph Goldstein doesn’t stay away from sharing his personal stories from meditation retreats. I always love when teachers share their stories and remind us they are still human beings who are learning.
If you are interested in Buddhism but don’t know where to start, or why even start in the first place, I recommend reading Mindfulness with all my heart. It will give you so much.
If you would love to know which books I am currently reading make sure to follow me on Instagram. Or Pinterest.
Tanja
