Goodly repetition

Thich Nhat Hahn

There is repetition in these blog posts. There are many happy returns to the same old themes. This is not a problem. You need more than one nail to fit a horse shoe.

Thich Nhat Hahn has published more than 100 books, including more than 40 in English. I have read several of them. My favorite is ‘being peace’ but it is the same basic story in them all. What matters is not so much what is said as how it is said. The goal is not so much a heady intellectual understanding as a hearty emotional comprehension. Thay is responsible for the neologisms ‘inter-being’ and ‘engaged Buddhism’.

Jon Kabat Zinn created the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme. At least three of my sangha are qualified to teach it and I have taken it. As an author Kabat Zinn’s books tend to be collections of short articles that elaborate on the theme of mindfulness. This makes easy bed time reading. He guided me to sleep for many months through two of his books – ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life’ and ‘Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness.’

In his work Kabat Zinn has removed most of the references to Buddhist vocabulary and imagery. But the underlying psychology of perception remains. He defines mindfulness as "a moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness”. Be still and know that the craving ego is illusion and thus be at peace.

In essence the process is simple and straightforward. It involves ridding your ‘self’ of unnecessary suffering and becoming enlightened, compassionate and a force for peace in the world. The underlying task involves changing the way that your mind thinks about and uses itself.

Jon Kabat Zinn

It takes focused intention and effort to change your mind. This is because the old habits have dug themselves into deep channels. It takes a lot of time and effort to fill in the old channels and to dig new ones. But it is possible. In a way you are doing it all the time – you are no longer the infant, child and adolescent that you once were.

Buddhism speaks of the six perfections. They suggest that those who are generous, moral and patient find it easier to make the effort needed for meditation and to be wise.’

So it is not a problem that these blog posts are repetitive so long as they capture imaginations and trigger wholesome changes of mind.