I wrote in the previous post, that “My mindfulness journey,” continues as soon as I got back home from a Scuba diving trip to Thailand, I started to search for places where I can learn more about meditation and mindfulness. My goal was to become a better person and to live my life in harmony with other living humans, animals, and the environment. I the next videos, I will tell you more about all the crucial moments, influences, and ideas I have gathered on my journey. I have got much great advice from some brilliant people, and I tried to implement some of those.
The place for meditative practice
Almost immediately, I found that there is a place in Novi Sad, where I could learn more about mindfulness. I was gently introduced to the world of meditation. I loved that classes were not on a religious basis but centered on our selves. I learned how to focus on the things I feel and to be able to stay in the present moment.
The most significant revelation for me was the notion that all things are impermanent and that they will pass. This truth was true for good and bad things in our life. Usually, you want to keep good things you, and for bad things, you think they will never end. Life does not work that way. I have learned that all will pass and what impermanence is.
I have also learned that I must learn from my past, plan your future, without regrets and big expectations. Life is here and now and, I should enjoy it. There is no point in being burdened by mistakes in your past continuously. You can not change what already happened.
You should not repeat those mistakes, and that’s all.
Living in the present moment
You should live in the present because the future is yet to come. We all make big plans for our future, but the truth is that they rarely come to life. One person dear to me said that she, in her life, always has high hopes and low expectations. The future is exciting but not at all predictable.
Be prepared for it but never be upset when things are not going your way. Just adapt and get most of the situation you are in. Do your best to change everything you can, but don’t be depressed when you can’t. Live in the present moment and get most of it. Now is really the only moment that you can govern. This notion becomes my life motto and guideline that I always follow.
A different view
There is also one curious thing. In western psychology, it is known that you are not responsible for the emotions of others. People ultimately choose how to feel based on their perception and personal values. Easter philosophy teaches us that we are accountable for our feelings. Those claims seem to be identical, but there is one big difference. While on the west, we tend to shift focus away from ourselves, here on the east, the whole point is that we as individuals must take responsibility not only for our actions but for our emotions as well. We need to seek for the answers inside our mind by observing and accepting the reality as it really is.
This whole thing about emotions was a double blow for me. First, when I found out, in my fifty’s, this western view, and then a few years later, the eastern one. I can honestly say that this insight was the turning point of my life. If you can find kindness and understanding for yourself, it will come naturally to you to understand and develop compassion for others. It is true not only for other humans but for all living beings and the planet as a whole.
I wanted to go deeper
As I became more familiar with meditation techniques and philosophy that underlines it, I wanted to go deeper into an understanding of nuances that make it all complete. After establishing my meditation practice at home and in meditation classes, I decided to apply to one silent meditation retreat for the whole five days. It was a considerable challenge, but I felt ready.
In this retreat, I got much more knowledge about mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. But, all about that experience, I will tell you in my next mindfulness journey story.
If you want to know more
In the following stories, I will continue to bring you my true mindfulness adventure in detail, and I hope to help some of you to embark on the mindfulness journey of your own. You can read this story from the beginning here.
Let me know what you want to know the most, and how can I help you with my experience. Next week I will write more on things that lead me to start contemplating my plans for change.
If you want to learn more about things I write about, check out my books. See also what the goal of this web site is. You can check out my other post about mindfulness, and share your thoughts and comments.
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