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Expert: - 6/17/2005


Question
hello Justin. I do not really have a question for you this time around (sorry), but I wanted to share a quick story with you.  i learned a good lesson in mindfulness yesterday at work:  
I was sitting at the ambulance station at night (my partner was sleeping) and I was reading the "Dhammapada". I stopped to rest my eyes and started thinking how good I was feeling at that moment. How I was living a good life, free from a lot of ego-desires, how I was lucky to be healthy, and how I was actually understanding and applying the words of the Dhammapada. I sat there lost in my thoughts of how good things were and then took a sip of my tea without paying attention...I spilled hot tea all over my white work shirt.  Lets just say I was suddenly "in the moment" for sure!

Answer
Hi Greg,

Nice of you to come back and share experiences.  The more we share the more we learn.

Your experience points out 2 characteristics of mindfulness.  One is that it is possible to maintain mindfulness through constant practice.  The other is that it is very difficult to sustain mindfulness continuously.  At any moment our mindfulness is lost, which is most common.  The lesson to learn is that we are still very imperfect.  So strive on.

Please keep in touch.  I would be very disappointed if you don't come back, ever!

Smile from justinchoo :-)

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Justin Choo

Expertise

When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.

Experience

I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple. My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @ http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @ http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/ Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)

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