1. The key to Inner development
Mindfulness -
The key to Inner development

2. How do we make choices ? What to eat, drink ? What to wear ?
What to do ?
What to say ?
Tasty or healthy ? Decent or skimpy ? Watch IPL on TV or study for exam tomorrow? Do an assignment myself or copy it out from a friend? To speak respectfully or rudely ? Use abusive or courteous language ?

3. How do we make choices ?
To increase pleasant feelings and avoid unpleasant feelings ! – pleasure pain principle …… Freud !!
Instinctive behaviour …स्वभाविक
evolutionary programming of human brain!
Tasty or healthy ? Decent or skimpy ? Watch IPL on TV or study for exam tomorrow? Do an assignment myself or copy it out from a friend? To speak respectfully or rudely ? Use abusive or courteous language ?

4. Pleasure – Pain principle
A great impediment in facing life as we grow up !......
Increasing addiction among youth
Inability to face unpleasant situations … road rage, aggression, violence =>Lack of self control संयम
Inability to distinguish between “pleasant” and “beneficial”
प्रेय और श्रेय

5. Implications of PPP

6. Want more => Ecological Crisis Inability to face unpleasantness
Lack of Self control
Want more => Ecological Crisis
Inequity
Violence
Inability to face unpleasantness

7. Self Control ?

8. Traditional approach of self control
Moral Education
Limitations of didactic approach
Example from Mahābhārata
जानामि धर्मम् न च मे प्रवृति
जानामि अधर्मम् न च मे निवृति 
St Paul : The good I want I do not do, but do the very evil I do not want.

9. Self Management without suppression ?

10. Mindfulness -- the key to self management
What happens when ‘objects’ interact with our senses ?

11. Modes of Interaction with the world
Possible
Inputs
Possible
outputs
Mind
Human
being

12. Mindfulness -- the key to self management
People react differently to stimuli
we react to feelings, not external objects reaction => either of craving or aversion
Self management =>
avoid instinctive reaction to feelings
responding to the stimuli wisely
-- role of perception, past conditioning

13. Mindfulness -- the key to self management
Training of Mind
“Understand” feelings are impermanent
not to willfully react to feelings:
Neither run away nor run after feelings just observe them with equanimity as these change in their natural course
Creating a space for wise response
If reactions occurs due to habit, just observe that too.
Need for practical training

14. This training shall be the
focus
of present course

15. Mindfulness -- the key to self management
Body Scan meditation
Systematic scanning of the body to ‘feel’ the bodily sensations and training the mind not to react to them.
Strengthening the mind to develop the ability to feel subtle sensations
Using breath as an anchor to raise concentration

16. Meditation process in nutshell
Select object of meditation
Be aware of it, its feeling tone, its impermanent nature moment by moment
Return the attention to the object
Attention wanders
Open Curiosity
Non-judgmental
Non -reactive
Notice any reaction -- Relax
Noticing attention has wandered

17. Thanks !!
Any Questions ?

18. Benefits of Practice
Let us see the feedback from a school

19. Benefits of practice Increase in concentration & efficiency
Ability to resist temptations, distinguish between ‘urgent’ and ‘important’ ; and say NO
Ability to face ups-downs of life
Proper self-appraisal- knowledge of strengths and weaknesses
Improvement in relationships

20. International Acceptance of Mindfulness practice in Education