Mindfulness Talks
Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through meditation, of sustaining meta-attention towards the contents of one's own mind in the present moment. Mindfulness derives from sati, a significant element of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and is based on Zen, Vipassanā, and Tibetan meditation techniques. Though definitions and techniques of mindfulness are wide-ranging, Buddhist traditions describe what constitutes mindfulness, such as how perceptions of the past, present and future arise and cease as momentary sense-impressions and mental phenomena. Individuals who have contributed to the popularity of mindfulness in the modern Western context include Thích Nhất Hạnh, Joseph Goldstein, Herbert Benson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Richard J. Davidson.
Clinical psychology and psychiatry since the 1970s have developed a number of therapeutic applications based on mindfulness for helping people experiencing a variety of psychological conditions. Mindfulness practice has been employed to reduce depression, stress, anxiety, and in the treatment of drug addiction. Programs based on mindfulness models have been adopted within schools, prisons, hospitals, veterans' centers, and other environments, and mindfulness programs have been applied for additional outcomes such as for healthy aging, weight management, athletic performance, helping children with special needs, and as an intervention during early pregnancy.
Clinical studies have documented both physical- and mental-health benefits of mindfulness in different patient categories as well as in healthy adults and children. Studies have shown a positive relationship between trait mindfulness (which can be cultivated through the practice of mindfulness-based interventions) and psychological health. The practice of mindfulness appears to provide therapeutic benefits to people with psychiatric disorders, including moderate benefits to those with psychosis. Studies also indicate that rumination and worry contribute to a variety of mental disorders, and that mindfulness-based interventions can enhance trait mindfulness and reduce both rumination and worry. Further, the practice of mindfulness may be a preventive strategy to halt the development of mental-health problems. Mindfulness practices have been said to enable individuals to respond more effectively to stressful situations by helping them strike the balance between over-identification and suppression of their emotional experiences by finding the middle point which is recognition and acceptance.
Evidence suggests that engaging in mindfulness meditation may influence physical health. For example, the psychological habit of repeatedly dwelling on stressful thoughts appears to intensify the physiological effects of the stressor (as a result of the continual activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) with the potential to lead to physical health related clinical manifestations. Studies indicate that mindfulness meditation, which brings about reductions in rumination, may alter these biological clinical pathways. Further, research indicates that mindfulness may favorably influence the immune system as well as inflammation, which can consequently impact physical health, especially considering that inflammation has been linked to the development of several chronic health conditions. Other studies support these findings.
Critics have questioned both the commercialization and the over-marketing of mindfulness for health benefits—as well as emphasizing the need for more randomized controlled studies, for more methodological details in reported studies and for the use of larger sample-sizes. While mindfulness-based interventions may be effective for youth, research has not determined methods in which mindfulness could be introduced and delivered in schools.
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June 12th, 2003, Serial No. 00291, Side A Mindfulness, Concentration, Cultivation, Bell, Four Noble Truths, Four Foundations,... |
Jun 12 2003 |
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June 5th, 2003, Serial No. 00292 Happiness, Gaining Mind, Karma, Concentration, Precepts, Posture, Lay, Nirvana,... |
Jun 05 2003 |
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May 29th, 2003, Serial No. 00293 Concentration, Mindfulness, Anger, confusion, Four Noble Truths, Monastic Practice,... |
May 29 2003 |
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May 24th, 2003, Serial No. 00136, Side B Practice Period, Hate, Book of Serenity, Soto Zen, Vow, Culture, Mindfulness,... |
May 24 2003 |
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Mindfulness and GathasSerial: BZ-00136A Saturday Lecture Mindfulness, Gathas, Anger, Mindfulness, Vow, Bell, Emotions, Karma, Addiction, Daily... |
May 17 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 15th, 2003, Serial No. 00294 Mindfulness, Anger, Daily Life, Four Foundations, Demons, Subject-and-Object, Observe... |
May 15 2003 |
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The Spirit of Practice PeriodSerial: BZ-01527B Saturday Lecture Practice Period, Practice Period, Aspects of Practice, Enemies, Lay, Commitment,... |
May 03 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Light in Buddhism: Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi: Bells, Lightness and FaithSerial: BZ-00542 Class 7 of 7 Bell, Doubt, Daily Life, Attachment, Religion, Anger, Rinzai, Chanting, Mindfulness,... |
Apr 01 2003 7 Chapel Hill Zen Center |
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March 6th, 2003, Serial No. 00490 Four Noble Truths, Mindfulness, Cultivation, Passions, Concentration, training, Karma... |
Mar 06 2003 |
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February 8th, 2003, Serial No. 00180, Side B Mindfulness, Concentration, Birth-and-Death, Doubt, Separation, Current Events, Death... |
Feb 08 2003 |
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How to Maintain Our Composure in Uncertain TimesSerial: BZ-00180A Saturday Lecture Four Foundations, Satipattana Sutra, Composure, Mindfulness, Anger, Composure,... |
Feb 02 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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February 2nd, 2003, Serial No. 00466 Four Noble Truths, Religion, Fasting, Renunciation, Demons, Interview, Chanting,... |
Feb 02 2003 |
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How Do We Deal With the Emotions and Mental States?Serial: BZ-00179 Saturday Lecture Emotions, Anger, Peace, resistance, Nirvana, Equanimity, Four Foundations,... |
Jan 25 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Turtle Practice: Big Mind, Soft MindSerial: BZ-00173A Monkey Mind, Rohatsu Day 1 Monkey Mind, Monkey Mind, Big Mind, Concentration, stubbornness, Mindfulness, Pure... |
Dec 02 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Taking Care of Ourselves as PracticeSerial: BZ-00172B Excercise and Eating--Mind, Body and Spirit Work Together, Saturday Lecture Monastic Practice, Big Mind, Discrimination, Mindfulness, Subject-and-Object, Birth-... |
Nov 30 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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November 21st, 2002, Serial No. 00461 Mindfulness, War, Passions, Non-violence, Culture, Sanctuary, Peace, Silence,... |
Nov 21 2002 |
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Suzuki Roshi, Not Always So: RespectSerial: BZ-01526 Class Posture, Subject-and-Object, Emotions, Mindfulness, Daily Life, Building, Commitment... |
Nov 09 2002 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center |
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October 27th, 2002, Serial No. 00170, Side A Aspects of Practice, Precious Mirror, Composure, Mindfulness, Conversation, War,... |
Oct 27 2002 |
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October 26th, 2002, Serial No. 00169, Side B Aspects of Practice, Mindfulness, Bowing, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period, Posture,... |
Oct 26 2002 |
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October 3rd, 2002, Serial No. 00457 Attachment, Impermanence, Lovingkindness, Commitment, Cultivation, Anger, Hate,... |
Oct 03 2002 |
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September 21st, 2002, Serial No. 00211 Liberation, Four Foundations, Mindfulness, Culture, Instruction, Building, Emotions,... |
Sep 21 2002 |
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September 19th, 2002, Serial No. 00455 confusion, Mindfulness, Practice Period, Evil, Nirvana, Cultivation, Anger,... |
Sep 19 2002 |
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15 Sutras from the Old Way: Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma: The Four Noble TruthsSerial: BZ-00454 Class 1 of 5 Four Noble Truths, Right Speech, Right Effort, Concentration, Peace, Mahayana, Birth-... |
Sep 12 2002 1 Berkeley Zen Center |
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How to Draw Sound From the BellSerial: BZ-00152A Sesshin Day 5 Bell, Bell, Precepts, Soto Zen, Chanting, Mindfulness, Practice Period, Doubt, Lay,... |
Jun 23 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 16th, 2002, Serial No. 01010, Side A Soto Zen, Composure, Daily Life, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Offering, Emotions,... |
May 16 2002 |
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Instructions for the Zen Cook: Tenzo Kyokun; Zen Cook, TenzoSerial: BZ-00449 Class 1 of 5 Composure, Daily Life, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Offering, Posture, Emotions,... |
May 16 2002 1 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Sounding Mokugyo BellSerial: BZ-00144A Bring Out the Voice of the Bell, One-Day Sitting Bell, Chanting, Zazen, Bell, Culture, Heart Sutra, Chanting, Tassajara Zen Mountain... |
Apr 07 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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April 4th, 2002, Serial No. 00444 Right Speech, Right Effort, Happiness, Concentration, Four Noble Truths, Mindfulness... |
Apr 04 2002 |
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Activity and StillnessSerial: BZ-00065B Saturday Lecture Posture, Stillness, Composure, Pure Existence, Four Noble Truths, Teacher-and-Student... |
Dec 15 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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ZazenSerial: BZ-00064A Rohatsu Day 3 Zazen, Concentration, Posture, resistance, Right Effort, Mindfulness, Samadhi,... |
Dec 04 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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November 13th, 2001, Serial No. 01530 Non-duality, Concentration, Separation, Samadhi, Duality, Subject-and-Object,... |
Nov 13 2001 |
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June 2nd, 2001, Serial No. 00102, Side B Right Effort, Four Noble Truths, Right Speech, Concentration, Mindfulness,... |
Jun 02 2001 |
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December 9th, 2000, Serial No. 00127, Side B Posture, Monastic Practice, Emotions, Continuous Practice, Attachment, Enthusiasm,... |
Dec 09 2000 |
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Abhidharma, Six Factors, Two AspectsSerial: BZ-00121B Saturday Lecture Abhidharma, Intuition, Practice Period, Composure, Hate, Building, Anger, Samadhi,... |
Oct 28 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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October 21st, 2000, Serial No. 00121, Side A Concentration, Lineage, training, Current Events, Culture, Instruction, War,... |
Oct 21 2000 |
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October 14th, 2000, Serial No. 00918 Offering, Attachment, Mindfulness, Liberation, Karma, Sixth Patriarch, Passions,... |
Oct 14 2000 |
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Codependent Chain of Origination: Why We SitSerial: BZ-00082B Sesshin Day 2 Dependent Origination, Zazen, Dependent Origination, Birth-and-Death, Attachment, Ego... |
Sep 03 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Branching Streams Flow in the DarknessSerial: BZ-00056B Sunshine and Shadow, Sesshin Day 4 Sandokai, Branching Streams, Light-and-Darkness, Beginners, Branching Streams,... |
Jun 17 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Five Spiritual Controlling Factors of the MindSerial: BZ-00056A Sesshin Day 3 Concentration, Mindfulness, Buddha Nature, Posture, Religion, Attachment, Bodhisattva... |
Jun 16 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Seven Limbs of EnlightenmentSerial: BZ-00055B Sesshin Day 2 Enlightenment, Mindfulness, Concentration, Enthusiasm, Equanimity, Don't Know... |
Jun 15 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 11th, 2000, Serial No. 00855 Right Effort, Right Speech, Concentration, Silence, Four Noble Truths, Enemies,... |
May 11 2000 |
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May 4th, 2000, Serial No. 00856 Right Speech, Right Effort, Four Noble Truths, Renunciation, Non-violence,... |
May 04 2000 |
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November 27th, 1999, Serial No. 00198, Side A Bodhidharma, Buddha Mind, Big Mind, Book of Serenity, Heart Sutra, Bell, New Year,... |
Nov 27 1999 |
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Breathing (Thich Nhat Hanh)Serial: BZ-00194A Sesshin Day 2 Breath, Thich Nhat Hanh, Four Foundations, Peace, Concentration, Happiness,... |
Sep 05 1999 Berkeley Zen Center |
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September 4th, 1999, Serial No. 00193, Side B Dependent Origination, Attachment, Mindfulness, Heart Sutra, Liberation, Four Noble... |
Sep 04 1999 |
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July 8th, 1999, Serial No. 00925 Heart Sutra, Six Realms, Lotus Sutra, Chanting, Four Noble Truths, Doubt, Mindfulness... |
Jul 08 1999 |
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Diversity, Wisdom & Kindness Culture, Hindrances, Berkeley Zen Center, American, Doubt, training, Mindfulness,... |
May 01 1999 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Dogen's Zazengi (Pt. 2)Serial: BZ-00070B One-Day Sitting Zazengi, Concentration, Samadhi, Equanimity, Mindfulness, Hate, Ego, Attachment, Big... |
Mar 28 1999 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Breath and Posture 24 Hours a DaySerial: BZ-00185B Lecture Posture, Mindfulness, Subject-and-Object, Patience, Liberation, Birth-and-Death,... |
Dec 05 1998 Berkeley Zen Center |
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November 30th, 1998, Serial No. 00167, Side A Continuous Practice, Buddha Ancestors, Demons, Mindfulness, Concentration, Offering,... |
Nov 30 1998 |