Introduction to
Mindfulness for
Busy Professionals
Mindfulness@Work
Missives by Fred Barstein
for Portland, OR
WiPN ChapterEdited by Ivana Polonijo
A BUSINESS
PROFESSIONAL’S
MISSIVES ON
MINDFULNESS,
MEDITATION &
PERSONAL PRACTICE
Why Meditate?
Why Meditate?I often get this question from people after I explain that I meditate two hours each day and go to ten
day silent mediation retreats twice annually either to sit or to serve. On the one hand, the answer is
quite simple but on the other, it is a bit more nuanced.
I study the Vipassana meditation method as taught by the Enlightened One, Gautama Buddha over
2,500 year ago through the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path under the tradition taught by S.N.
Goenka. The Goenka tradition supports over 200 centers around the world using the same method
and the same teacher through video and audio and overseen by trained Assistant Teachers. This
tradition tries to stay as pure to the original teaching of Gautama Buddha as possible and is not a
religion or sect and is not Buddhist per se.
The ultimate goal of the Vipassana meditation is full liberation or enlightenment also known
as nibbana. But the path to reach that goal is long and difficult – usually taking many lifetimes
– so along the way, there must be other benefits to keep going. Sitting for an hour in the
morning and the evening can be difficult and is not always pleasant.
So why do I meditate?
The most common question I get is how do I feel after a 10 day retreat…Though I get great benefits
from meditation like greater productivity and creativity at work along with better health through a
less stressful life, these cannot be the goals of mediation for me. I certainly feel clearer and calmer
after a 10 day retreat and after years of meditating consistently but the changes are subtle and
personal which I suspect vary for each person depending on their situation, past and current level of
awareness.
Before I meditated this morning, the thought came to me of why I meditate or what benefits I receive. I
just completed a one-day sit which is helpful to re-enforce the practice and the deeper meditation
when at a center during a 10 day course. There is a deep sense of peace and calm which
sometimes comes with my meditation practice different that what I can get from material pleasures or
even through relationships.
Intuitively I know that any pleasures I get from work, money, physical possessions, exercise or
even friends and family are fleeting. Even great loves will some day pass. This awareness can be
troubling which can cause me to panic or try to guard against their loss.
But the nibbanic peace from within that I sometimes feel through meditation is different. It does not feel
fleeting nor dependent on things that by their nature arise and pass. I am only able to feel these
deeper feelings when I let go of my attachment to pleasurable sensations or thoughts that are
dependent on impermanent things. Similarly, my ability to maintain my equanimity when
unpleasant sensations or thoughts arise is essential to realizing and maintaining these feelings
of nibbanic peace.
So peace through equanimity is why I meditate daily and maintain this difficult and sometimes
tiresome practice. It’s also nice to know that, according to the Enlightened One, this path leads to
enlightenment and a state of everlasting peace and happiness as well as the fact that I am healthier,
more productive at work and able to maintain better relations.
But it is that feeling of inner nibbanic peace which keeps me going, daily, and why I continue to
meditate.
The Dangers of the
Unattended Ego Mind
The Dangers of the Unattended Ego Mind Although the purpose of serious meditation is the realization of real peace and happiness and
ultimately liberation, there are quite of few practical benefits along the path. One of them is
understanding the dangers of the unattended ego-mind which only comes from first recognizing its
voice.
We all hear that constant chatter which includes the endless thoughts - hard to turn off. The first
step in quieting the mind comes through identifying that voice and then just observing the
thoughts. That step leads to the realization that there is another mind that can observe the ego-
mind. The observing mind leads us to ultimate truth and our real self; the ego mind, which helps us
navigate the physical universe, is a good servant but a very bad master.
For example, we have all heard the ego mind fret about how busy we are worrying that we do not
have enough time to get everything done. But there’s another, very dangerous, side to that ego
chatter that I have witnessed firsthand.
One time, I actually finished everything the ego mind told me to do.
As I was just sitting quietly, I heard “You’re worthless. You have nothing to do.”
Most of us revel in the fact that we are so busy. We take pride in how many trips we take. Platinum
status on Delta is a badge of honor. But the fear of having nothing to do or traveling less or fielding
fewer phone calls or email inspires us to create unnecessary work and problems to solve. The ego
mind is good at problem solving so it tries to make sure we never run out. When nothing is done
nothing needs to be undone
Mindfulness is a two step process starting with awareness followed by equanimity which starts
with not reacting. How comfortable are we with doing nothing? We are constantly engaged either
through our electronic devices or personal interaction. Even when we wake up at 3:00 AM, the mind is
running hard. The ability to observe and not react, which is different than acting, will determine our
level of peace, happiness and liberation.
So the next time that ego mind tells us that we are worthless because we have nothing to do,
no calls or emails to return, no trips to plan for, no crisis to unravel, try to do nothing and let it
pass. Because the nature of all things not real is that they are impermanent. They rise but always
eventually pass.
But understanding is the booby prize of the universe. Even if you agree with my theories, only through
the practice of meditation can we can distinguish that ego voice and also be comfortable with not
reacting watching the thoughts and sensation arise and pass.
We have to unlearn decades of training of reacting through the practice of meditation and stop
mindlessly reacting to the ego voice which is guaranteed not to lead to lasting peace or
happiness no matter how many toys or accolades we acquire.
On Travel…
Journey Without Distance
Journey Without DistanceI travel so much now that it seems natural. In and out of planes. One night at each hotel. meeting
people all over the country. In fact it seems odd to me when I don’t travel.
Yet when I spend time at a 10 day silent meditation retreats where my movement is quite limited
and each day is almost exactly the same as the one before, it also feels like I am traveling but this
travel is internal. A journey without distance. Images, thoughts and sensation come and go.
Sometimes at a rapid pace. My only job is to observe and develop my sense of equanimity.
Which is I guess what I need to develop when I travel in the material world. Observe reality as it is
without judgment. Without fear. Without expectation. Just observe. And remain equanimous
realizing that all compound things are by their nature impermanent.
And my final lesson it to realize that they are also impersonal.
So what is real? What is permanent? What is personal? That which is does not arise and
pass. That which remains when the images, thoughts and sensation pass. That which is
connected.
Listen to the silence. Feel the light. Experience the freedom.
Becoming Heedful
Becoming HeedfulI am changing at the molecular level. It is not as a result of a realization, an epiphany, or some
deeper level of understanding – all of which are helpful. It is a result of this constant and rigorous
meditation practice which is nothing more than being mindful - observing what is happening to
me through my reactions to sensations and thoughts and then remaining equanimous – or at
least trying to.
Unlike what I had thought, there is nothing mythical or magical about meditation as practiced using
the Buddha’s technique. It is quite simply a practice of being mindful of reality – from moment to
moment – which leads to becoming more heedful as I realize the repercussions of not just my
actions or speech but, most importantly, my thoughts. Which is truly miraculous.
As I meditate quietly each day, I am beginning to understand the phenomenon of compound things
– how they arise and pass. It is not really a mystery any longer why one thought comes up or why
another feeling arises. It is a process of cause and effect. Which leads to another cause. And
another effect. The law of karma. There’s nothing I need to do other than observe and remain
equanimous - not become attached to any of the thoughts or sensations.
Not to try to induce pleasant sensations through thoughts of people, situations or ideas I like.
Not run from, hide or try to resolve difficult thoughts, feelings, relationships or situations. Just observe
as they arise and pass, which is their true nature.
At dinner recently, a friend and his new girlfriend, who he met two years ago after a difficult divorce,
confessed how much in love he was and how he was the happiest he had ever been. It seemed very
genuine - from both of them. When I questioned whether he was attached, he admitted he was and
was happy about it.
It the past, I had realized that my last attachment was to my wife, way beyond anything else including
my daughters who I love deeply. Diane and I have been together for 33 years – she is my best friend,
business partner and confidant. My spiritual explorations, which started in earnest when I met her, are
all quite familiar and even mundane to her. One of her favorite saying is “What to do after
enlightenment? The laundry.”
So when speaking to my friend and his girlfriend at dinner that night, I realized that my attachment to
Diane was gone. It did not diminish my love or appreciation for her. In fact, it was deeper -
without fear or attachment.
Most significantly I realized that this was not a decision or result of some epiphany. It was a realization
that I had changed - at the molecular level – as a result of this meditation practice which is essential
being mindful. Aware and equanimous. Moment by moment. Moment by moment. Leading to true
wisdom about the nature of impermanence.
Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless.
Heedlessness is the path to death.
The heedful die not.
The heedless are as if dead already.
The Buddha
Fred Barstein practices Vipassana meditation as
taught by S.N. Goenka, a method uncovered 2500
years ago scrupulously passed along by teachers
ever since. The practice is nonsectarian and no cost
starting with a 10 day silent retreat at one of the over
170 centers in the world. You can start with a simple
10 minute meditation. Consistency of practice is the
key to success.