MINDFULNESS & WISDOM 1: THE SEMANTICS OF "WISDOM"

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park, for the first session in a new course, "Mindfulness & Wisdom", offered by Christians Aware as part of their Faith Awareness programme. The eight-week course has been devised by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons (photo above) from the Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group (although a small group of us met one afternoon last summer to set the general aims and outline for the course - see blog entry for 12 July 2011).

There are 17 people attending this evening (including Kevin and Ian). We begin by agreeing on Ground Rules and a Code of Conduct:

• I have the right to state my opinions, perspectives and beliefs;
• Our dialogue regarding faith, and in general, should be mutually respectful;
• It is okay to question and explore viewpoints, but within the bounds of mutual respect;
• We encourage everyone to contribute without dominating and all contributions will be actively listened to.

The programme seeks to enable people to:

• Be mindful of similarity and difference in views and attitudes;
• Increase their awareness of breadth and depth of "wisdom" as personally experienced;
• Consider the practice of "wisdom" as a basis for daily living.

In a break with the previous courses of this type (Mindfulness Through the Senses, 2010; Mindfulness and Morality, 2011) there's no attempt to have every major religion or belief presenting in this particular course. Christians Aware trying to include all these faiths over the course of the academic year, rather than cover each and every one in each and every term. The general shape of the course is described as a "faith sandwich": faith-neutral intro and outro, with the faith-centred part in the middle.

The chart above is a view of wisdom from the study of Knowledge Management, a relatively new academic discipline that focuses on how knowledge: develops within a social or organisational context; can be shared or liberated; can be managed as a tangible asset. It is interesting that wisdom is a recognised and accepted concept within this area of academic study.

We're set a small group exercise to improve our understanding of the process "from data to wisdom", we're broken into teams of three, each team given an envelope containing "word salad": data in the form of small strips of paper, bearing one or two words. We're tasked with sorting and compiling these into complete sentences ("information"), then discussing and deciding which (if any) go beyond "information" to be considered examples of "wisdom":

• African Proverb: When / there / is no / enemy / within, the / enemies / outside / cannot / hurt you.
• John Lennon: If / everyone / demanded  / peace instead  / of  / another television  / set, then  / there'd  / be peace.
• Larry Eisenberg: For / peace of / mind, / resign / as general / manager / of the / Universe.

I don't know how much wisdom is on display in our little group, as it seems to take an inordinate amount of time for us to realise that we could follow the three different colours to collate the data! The respective colours and the way the sentences were cut up are represented above.

The table below is a view of "wisdom" from current, nationally-endorsed, resources to support teacher training. This model poses a challenge to teachers to move beyond shallow learning (for example, rote learning or “teaching to the exam”) to encourage a deeper and more critical learning process.

• Single-loop Learning = mastering a skill or body of knowledge in its original context.
• Double-loop Learning = involves a reflection on, and questioning of, the processes of the learning (for example, seeking better ways of achieving the task or identifying processes that could be transferred to other learning contexts).
• Triple-loop Learning = involves an intuitive grasp and evaluation of the fundamental principles underpinning the learning (for example, "purpose, implications, ethical considerations", etc.) – these may even be used as metaphors for "life".

We're invited to put forward everyday examples of how we have (or have not) developed life skills and relate them to elements of this table. Learning to drive, cooking and film appreciation are mentioned in this context. You can access Ian's Prezi presentation for sessions 1 and 2 online.

MINDFULNESS & MORALITY 12: FINAL SESSION

It's the twelfth and final session in the Mindfulness and Morality course, offered by Christians Aware as part of their Faith Awareness programme. It's the time for summing up and reflection, looking back over the course and thinking about what might come next.

Since we got into morality via the springboard of mindfulness, we start with a little bit pf practice: five minutes of silence, during which we're supposed to be open to thoughts popping up unbidden about what we've heard and discussed throughout these twelve weeks. Funnily enough, after having the rear part of the building to ourselves all these Monday evenings, the first time we try to sit in silence, the corridor outside our room is like Sauchiehall Street on a Saturday night! (Well, I could hear three different loud voices, anyway).

Kevin Commons and Ian Grayling (of the Zen Serene Reflection Meditation Group), who have been facilitating the course as a whole, ask us to talk in pairs, then mention to the group one thing that we found positive, negative or neutrally interesting. Ian wrote these up on the flipchart - my categorisation below isn't necessarily the same as his. Some of those things that the group seemed to find positive, negative or just "interesting", I thought should go elsewhere.

Positive
Speakers have been excellent throughout; they focused on the theme, rather than merely giving an introduction to their own faith or belief system (which has often bedevilled this kind of course in the past); most of the speakers were honest about the gap between ideal and practice.

Commonality: how much each speaker demonstrated the interest of their belief system in the needs of others; each of the speakers and the cultures, traditions or systems from which they came, clearly support the assertion that, "the smallest deed is greater than the grandest intention".

The dilemmas presented to us were genuine, contemporary and uncontrived; they were about the quotidian rather than the cosmic; they were not "either / or" questions, but recognised (even sometimes revelled in) grey areas and the middle ground.

Negative
We were always short of time!

Some of the dilemmas could be said to arise more from particular cultural backgrounds than from belief systems per se - maybe showing how cultures are shared or cross over between two or more religions (e.g. the "dharmic" faiths, arising geographically and historically in India); some of the dilemmas weren't so much ethical in nature as cultural (sometimes arising from the clash of cultures - e.g. between more traditional value and those encountered in the west).

Perhaps, occasionally, we could (or should) have been tougher on a speaker, pushing them farther than we did. We should have had the courage of our convictions and maybe said, "I don't understand how you come to that conclusion, can't appreciate the meaning of it - and I would say it's just plain wrong". Not arguing for confrontation, or that such an approach should have dominated, but it was noticeable by its absence. Perhaps we should consider ways of challenging beliefs, concepts and practices without making it seem an ad hominem challenge to the person. But it might make future courses more enjoyable and rewarding if we were to toughen up a bit.

There's an ever present danger of over-intellectualising; our responses to dilemmas are often determined or driven by our emotions and feelings as much as by the mind (if not more so); we don't always have the luxury of discussion in small groups and whole class feedback before making such decisions!

Interesting
More difficult than expected to get into the mindset of someone from a different culture.

Discussion of the dilemmas made us aware of a huge burden of self-reliance. While this inspired some, it made others want to flee the need to make their own decisions.

Some of the dilemmas could have come from more than one of the speakers - not so much about belonging to a particular belief system as about being human.

If we really believe that choice is good, then we should look on dilemmas as offering choices.

Some of the belief systems represented (e.g. Bahá'ís, Quakers) described means or mechanisms within their community practice to help individuals and/or groups resolve dilemmas (in the case of the former, a particular kind of consultation; in the latter, "meetings for clearness").

To close the session, we have another handout reminding us of Kohlberg's stages of moral development. We first encountered these in the second session and they occasionally surfaced throughout the rest of the course. I'm not sure to what extent we've really got to grips with this by the end. Maybe the group as a whole is too tired to engage meaningfully with Kohlberg at this late stage.

In terms of what we do after this, the next course offered by Christians Aware goes under the title, "Meeting and Meditation". Starting Monday 23 May, we'll be going out to various places of worship around Leicester and joining in devotional and meditative sessions. Hopefully, that will build on some of what we've done in the course just finishing this evening.

At this final session, I record a few short video interviews with some of the participants, saying a little bit about what they've made of the course. Earlier in the evening, one attendee pointed out that the number of men who were speaking (and the amount of time they were taking to do so) far outweighed the women. In connection with that observation, I should say that I asked every person here this evening if they would say something short that I could video. The ones you see on the Council of Faiths YouTube channel were the only ones who consented. You can see the videos on our Mindfulness & Morality playlist.

MINDFULNESS & MORALITY 2: PSYCHOLOGY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

To Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road, this evening for the second session in the course, "Mindfulness & Morality". It's the second of twelve sessions, part two of the "faith-neutral" introductory segment, before handing over to a different faith contributor each week.

Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons (from Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group) devised the course. They  deliver this session jointly, as they did last week. This session is entitled, "The Psychology of Moral Development". Ian and Kevin outline some of the biological, neurological and behavioural aspects of development of the mind and of our moral faculties.

Developmental psychology argues that development occurs in individuals as they interact with their environment. The sub-school of cognitive development involves a change of mental structure as individuals are exposed to a situation, or problem, that stretches their ability to find a satisfactory solution. This process generates cognitive conflict which individuals seek to resolve to restore their equilibrium. Having reached an understanding of the problem and worked out a strategy for its solution, individuals are able to apply the insight gained when similar problems arise, even if the content of the situation is different. this reinforces the new logical structure that has been acquired, or is in the process of acquisition.

Jean Piaget
During the first half of the twentieth century Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist described what he believed to be the first stages through which human beings develop cognitively. These are:

Stage: Sensory-motor (birth-2 years)
Characterised by: Differentiates self from objects; Self as agent of action (acts inentionally); Achieves object permanence.

Stage: Pre-operational (2-7 years)
Characterised by: Language (represent objects by images and words); Egocentric; Simple classification (single feature).

Stage: Concrete operational (7-11 years)
Characterised by: Thinks logically about objects and events; Conservation of number, mass and weight; classification by several features; Order (e.g. by size).

Stage: Formal operational (11 years and up)
Characterised by: Thinks logically about concepts/ideas; Test hypotheses systematically; Concerned with hypotheticals (future, ideology).

Lawrence Kohlberg
In the second half of the twentieth century Lawrence Kohlberg used Piaget's work as the basis for his own research which led to the construction of his six stage theory of moral development. On the basis of this research he asserted that:

1. There are clearly defined stages.
2. The stages are sequential and in an invariant order.
3. There is a statistical tendency for stages to be related to age.
4. People tend to prefer to make judgements at their highest level of attainment.
5. There is a correspondence between cognitive development and development of moral judgment.
6. The existence of formal operational thinking is a necessary but not sufficient precondition for the higher moral stage.
7. Individuals can "role play" the stage below their level, but not above.
8. Individuals have no comprehension of arguments that are two stages above their level.
9. People can be pushed up by one stage at a time.

Kohlberg's six stages
The Pre-Conventional Level
Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation (How can I avoid punishment?)
Right is blind obedience to rules and authority, avoiding punishment and not doing physical harm
Stage 2: Self-interest orientation (What's in it for me?)
Right is serving one's own or others' needs and making fair deals in terms of concrete exchange.

The Conventional Level
Stage 3: Interpersonal accord and conformity (Social norms or the good boy/good girl attitude)
Right is playing a good (nice) role, being concerned about other people and their feelings, keeping loyalty and trust with partners and being motivated to follow rules and expectations.
Stage 4: Authority and social-order maintaining orientation (Law and order morality)
Right is doing one's duty in society, upholding the social order and welfare of society or the group.

The Post-Conventional Level
Stage 5: Right is upholding the basic rights, values and legal contracts of a society, even when they conflict with the concrete rules and laws of the group.
Stage 6: Universal ethical principles (Principled conscience)
Right is being guided by universal self-chosen ethical principles which all humanity should follow. the principles are justice, equality of human rights and respect for the dignity of human beings as individual persons.

James Rest and the Defining Issues Test (DIT)
The DIT uses a numerical scale to give quantitative rankings to a number of moral dilemmas, the data from which are then analysed to produce information about three areas of moral reasoning the Personal Interests Schema, the Maintaining Norms Schema and the post-conventional Schema. This test updates the original that was used to assess the transition of moral development from adolescence to adulthood. The new DIT has been dubbed "Neo-Kohlbergian" as it emphasises cognition, personal construction, development and post-conventional moral thinking, drawing on the work by Lawrence Kohlberg and his stages of moral development.

As was the case last week, we're given an activity in the second half of the session, to help us focus on relevant moral issues.

Andrew's Dilemma

Andrew worked in the development laboratories of a well known pharmaceutical company. The organisation was developing a pain-killing drug which would greatly improve the quality of life of chronic pain sufferers such as those suffering with arthritis and spinal complaints.

Andrew's job was to inject rats with a pain-inducing substance and then administer the pain-killing drug in controlled doses. He did not enjoy this aspect of his work, however, he felt that the expected end justified the means.

One day the head of Andrew's department informed him of the plan to accelerate the development by using chimpanzees for the tests. He promised Andrew a good increase in salary if he could conclude his testing programme on the apes within three months.

Andrew sat at his bench and loo0ked into the intelligent, accusing eyes of the chimps. He was saving up to get married and the final goal was a good one.

(Quoted from Assignments in Business Studies by Commons, Greensmith and Moore - McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK) Ltd, 1983)

Activities

In a small group you will be asked to address the following questions:

"What is the moral dilemma facing Andrew?"

"What should he do? Should he undertake the new programme?"

"Why, why not? Give your reactions and share your feelings about the case."

I won't be attending next week's session. I'm giving a presentation to the Interfaith Forum for Leicestershire at County Hall, Glenfield, on "Religion and the Media" with Nick Carter and John Florance. I've made a general appeal for guest blogging of next Monday's session here (which might be put together from notes taken by more than one person).

In the photo above: Barbara Butler and Beatta Dehner, two of the mainstays of Christians Aware, sponsors of this course.

MINDFULNESS & MORALITY 1: EXPECTATIONS, GROUND RULES, PROCESSES

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park, this evening for the first session in a new course, "Mindfulness & Morality", offered by Christians Aware as part of their Faith Awareness programme.

The 12-week course has been devised by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons (photo above) from the Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group. There are 24 people present this evening, half of whom are new faces to me.

Now I swear that the first two words I heard as I entered the room were "blog" - and "blog". Ian, Kevin and Barbara Butler (who runs Christians Aware) were standing talking together as I came in and they asked me right away if I'd be writing up this course. As if I'd be doing anything else!

This time last year, Ian and Kevin facilitated a course of similar length on Mindfulness Through the Senses. I blogged extensively throughout that course (see entries passim). I found it a very interesting and rewarding experience and am only too glad to have signed up for this new course. There were a number of issues raised in that course that couldn't be addressed then - so this course is something of a follow-on although it will still be accessible to newcomers. One such question brought up this evening, regards the nature of a mindful sniper. From a Buddhist perspective, the moral dimension emerges from "right mindfulness" not just mindfulness alone.

The first two introductory sessions are described as being "faith-neutral", serving as a launchpad for the "faith-specific" presentations to follow. The Council of Faiths leaflets for the faiths involved are being given to attendees, as a way of saving presenters from having to do a basic introduction to their respective faiths and get right into the moral issue in question.

In this first session, we're considering groundrules. To help us in our reflection and discussion, we're given a handout with some "exemplars" (adapted from the work of P. Senge):

Suspending assumptions and agendas

Typically people take a position and defend it, holding to it. Others take up opposite positions and polarization results. In this session, we could like to examine some of the assumptions underlying our direction and strategy and not seek to defend them.

Acting as colleagues

We are asking everyone to leave his/her position at the door. There will be no particular hierarchy in these meetings, except the facilitator who will, hopefully, keep us on track.

Spirit of inquiry

We would like to have people feeling able to explore the thinking behind their views, the deeper assumptions they hold, and the evidence they have that leads them to these views. So it will be fair to begin to ask other questions such as "What leads you to say or believe this?" or "What makes you ask about this?"

Expectations & concerns

We're given a few minutes to discuss these in small groups, then speak up to have them added to the flipchart.

• is it limited to human beings?
• relation between law and morality
• not just knowing but the power to do good
• will representatives of the different faiths be fundamentalist or liberal
• religious correctness or morality
• the idea of decency as a moral construct
• how much common ground will we actually find among the religions?
• which is more important: the individual or the group?
• who decides?
• can a coerced action be a moral action?
• place of compassion and concern for other people

We're given an exercise to carry out, once again in small groups before reporting. back to the whole class.

Cave Rescue

The Abbeydale National Park has recently opened up a new show cave to the public. Although great care was taken to ensure the safety of this attraction, extreme weather conditions have caused a roof-fall, blocking the main entrance and exit and partially blocking a service tunnel which now the only route out. Thirteen visitors together with the cave's resident guide have now been trapped in the main chamber of the cave for six hours - two other died instantly in the rock-fall. The cave is now in total darkness and the survivors are cold, wet and beginning to show signs of shock.

You are the local cave rescue team

The guide's two-way radio has enabled you to talk to the survivors whilst two of your team have been clearing their way through the service tunnel. They have just returned with the worst news of all - the severe rain coupled with the rock-fall is causing the cave to flood.

All of the trapped visitors are local villagers who won tickets to the attraction in a raffle organised by the Abbeydale Natural History Society. As local people yourselves, you have got together with the Site Director and her staff to produce some brief profiles pooling what you know about the individual survivors.

Because of the damage to the service tunnel, you are only able to rescue one person at a time and it will take 30 minutes per person. You calculate that the cave will completely flood in three to three-and-a-half hours and you will have to decide who you will rescue and in what order.

Your decision will determine who will live and who will die.

We're presented with a list and biographical sketches of 14 people trapped below and we have to pick the ones to save: and we can only save, at most, half the people down there.

Winston Barnes (38) Official Cave guide: ex SAS - very fit and cool under pressure. Has had difficulties adjusting to civilian life after being caught behind enemy lines and tortured during the Gulf War. His wife has left him following repeated bouts of unpredictable behaviour and violent outbursts.

Humphrey St John-Smythe (68) Ex MP and leader of the local Hunt. Owns a factory employing 72 local people which is unlikely to keep going once he has gone. The factory is the major employer in the nearby village. 

Edwina St John-Smythe (64) Wife of Humphrey. Well known for her charitable work - has raised many thousands of pounds for good causes over the last five years. 

Paul Gallimore (19) Mildly autistic. Attends nearby special day centre with Molly. Both he and Molly were chosen to join Stanley Walker (their care worker) for what was to be a very special day out.

Molly Croft (22) Severely learning disabled. Attends nearby special day centre (same as Paul). It has recently been discovered that she is three months pregnant. 

Stanley Walker (38) Married with five children (8 months to 14 years). Popular with both staff and service users. He is thought to be having an affair with a colleague at work. 

Prakesh Acharia (49) Unmarried. Religious leader for the small local Hindu community. He did a great deal to help integration and ease tensions after a spate of racially motivated arson attacks on Asian businesses during the late 1980s. He is the new Labour candidate for the constituency. 

Katie Carre (22) Local singer and dancer. Has recently been spotted by a record company talent scout and is about to sign a recording contract. 

Brian Conroy (54) Brilliant research scientist. A bit of a loner - convicted of a relatively minor sexual assault on a young boy 15 years ago and was forced to resign as the local scout leader. He is thought to be close to making a breakthrough in cancer research.

Leanne Drury (39) Unmarried, single parent of three children (16, 18 and 22 years). She seems to be winning a long battle with an alcohol problem and now attends adult literacy classes. Her 16-year old daughter has just given birth to twins. 

Baz Baker (19) Baz has a criminal record starting when he was 12 years old - including a serious assault on a pensioner. He appears to have turned over a new leaf since starting community service at the nearby day centre for young people with learning disabilities. He now wants to get an NVQ in Care.

Madge Byers (72) "Super Gran" - has been campaigning for better leisure opportunities for the elderly. She promotes an active lifestyle, by example - she recently parachuted from a balloon to raise money for Age Concern. 

Richard "Blinkey" Byers (78) Madge's husband - a Second World War hero. Repeatedly risked his life to save trapped and wounded civilians and soldiers, whilst under heavy enemy fire and having been wounded twice. He is well known for his generosity and kindness.

Gary Needham (27) Local gay rights campaigner. He gives up a lot of his spare time working for the Samaritans and visiting a nearby Hospice for terminally ill children.

Well, faithful reader: it's the Kobayashi Maru, isn't it? I'm sure you can imagine what sort of calculations and deals were made as we tried to decide who should be saved and who left behind. Some favoured the elderly, some the young, some held to that old-fashioned British way of doing thins, "Women and children first!" Some complained that it was an impossible task, some refused to take part, some protested that it was unfair to be asked to make our choices in just 15 minutes and that we should have been given this as homework so that we had more time to decide. Some tried to work out who should be left behind, rather than who should be saved - but  by the time that would have been done, everyone would have died and no one would have been rescued. We made our choices, in our group of five. Basically, we just went round and picked one each. When one member of the group couldn't pick, the next one in turn got to pick two. We completed our task as a matter of expediency. The group[ next to us couldn't decide, so ended up picking no one. Another group put the names form the list into a hat and picked them out at random. Ian, facilitating this activity, asked if that was a moral choice or whether it was a way of avoiding a moral choice. I felt it was moral, inasmuch as it would have spared the rescuers from sleepless nights worrying whether they'd made the right decisions and what would if happened if ... (analogous to a firing squad being given one blank bullet, so that each soldier could convince himself that he was not one of those who fired a fatal shot). What we couldn't account for, of course, was the attitude and behaviour of those who were supposed to be trapped and in need of rescue. Would they have been moved by acts of heroism, sacrifice or selfishness? it would be a very different sort of game if we had been asked to play it from their side.

I'm sure you see the point of this game in the context of this course. It helps make us aware that there are processes, prejudices behind how we make choices, decisions, judgements - and how other people may be led to make different ones from us by processes and prejudices of their own.

mindfulness (8)

This evening I'm at the eighth - and final - session in the course on "Mindfulness" offered by Christians Aware at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road. The emphasis this evening is on establishing and maintaining our own practice.

To start, Kevin leads us through discussion of "object-based meditation" - on the body (breath, heartbeat, physical sensations), a mantra or visual objects (such as a mandala). This leads into talking about "just sitting", the style of meditation practised in Soto Zen.

The phrase "monkey mind" is used several times, meaning the tendency of the mind to run off if left unattended. When we're meditating and a thought arises naturally, we may notice it, but not engage with it. The same goes for any sensory stimulation.

One of the basic aspects of practising meditation is sitting comfortably - in a chair, on the floor, on a small individual bench (padded or unpadded), using cushions of different size and shape. We should be able to relax into a comfortable position - upright, but not "fiercely upright". We should not be trying to make a martyr of ourselves, physically.

We rearrange the seating, dim the lights (I'm designated "light monitor") then sit together in silence for fifteen minutes. Kevin starts and ends this period of group meditation by lightly tapping a brass bowl; the first ring signifies the start of the period of meditation, the second, a quarter of an hour later, its end. It's an unusual thing to do, just being with people rather than having to do something with them.

As the session - and the course - come to an end, we're encouraged to consider establishing our own practice, if we don't have one already. We're encouraged to find the opportunity to meditate regularly, either on our own as individuals or with others in a group - either an existing one or one that we might be able to form in our own community of belief.

Barbara Butler expresses our collective thanks to Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons (from Leicester's Serene Reflection Meditation Group) for having led us through this fascinating journey over these eight sessions. And for those of us who've taken these first steps together, we're aware that the journey has only just begun.

mindfulness (7)

Seventh (penultimate) session in the course on "Mindfulness" offered by Christians Aware at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road.

Having led the group since the first session, Ian Grayling hands over to his colleague from the city's Serence Reflection Meditation Group, Kevin Commons, who's been here, if in a back seat, since the first. Kevin presents us with a plan for the evening. This evening's topic is "Beyond Thoughts and Feelings" and it turns out to be the most overtly Buddhist of all the sessions so far.

We begin with a short period of guided meditation, in which we are able to relax physically and reflect mentally on the themes of the first six sessions. Then, in small groups, we're asked to discuss the question "What is the purpose of religion - or faith?" As usual, we come up with a variety of answers, which reflect both the positive and the negative:

"It gives a sense of belonging"

"It gives a narrative that you can be part of"

"It provides a sense of mutual obligation"

"It provides a framework for human searching and longing"

"It offers transcendence above the self"

"It can offer hope for something beyond this life"

"It can provide membership of a worshipping community"

"It can offer the chance to become sanctified"

"It can help to integrate and interpret"

"It makes us think"

"It helps one understand oneself"

"It can stunt and distort"

"It can provide social control"

"It provides a source of authority"

"It can provide one with the means of 'individuating'"

"It can lead to the loss of ego as one's dominant function"

"It offers the opportunity to grow in holiness"

"It can engender feelings of satisfaction - or dissatisfaction"

"It can transform the experience of suffering"

"It can give feelings of guilt"

"It can lead to loss of a sens of self-worth"

"It can be a source of power greater than oneself"

"It is a pull from eternity"

Kevin leads us through a quarter of an hour or so, where he explains how the practice of mindfulness can be mapped on to Buddhism. Clearly, Buddhism is a very diverse way of thinking and being, so he has to be pretty general in doing this. However, it's definitely useful and interesting. He then takes on the (even more) difficult task of organising us to look at how to map mindfulness and meditation on to our own belief system and practices. Considering that the group this evening is made up of eight Christians (of various denomination), four Buddhists, two Hindus, one Baha'i, one Humanist and one Unitarian, a few of the groups are a bit pik'n'mix. But once again, it's a useful and interesting exercise, which allows us to share with each other and learn from each other.

In our discussion, I recall that for a few years when I lived in Oakham, I was involved in a monthly meeting of the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer, which I found very beneficial.

Find out more about the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer:
http://www.contemplative-prayer.org.uk/

mindfulness (6)

Sixth session in the course on "Mindfulness" offered by Christians Aware at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road. Leading the session is Ian Grayling (backed up by his colleague, Kevin Commons) from the city's Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

This evening's topic is "Beliefs and Values". We consider how they can form spectacles that stop us from seeing things as they really are - which could be good or bad, all things considered. Our beliefs and values can, of course, prevent us from seeing, acknowledging or appreciating other beliefs and values as well (arguably) as other people who hold them.

Having been listening to Alexei Sayle speaking earlier today about his childhood being raised in a strictly Communist household, I find this a "join-the-dots" moment here.

If one is hostage to one's beliefs and values, then one is powerless before - or under - them. I'd link that back into a point made at last week's session: Once we become aware of how we think, we become more aware that we can be the author of what we think. This reminds me of that phrase in the Council of Faith's Buddhist leaflet: "that mind can be cultivated". But what if one's beliefs and values are of the sort that don't permit change ... well, let's leave that sort of double-bind for the moment, shall we?

To start with, we were each given a page with reflective and inspirational short passages, some no more than a sentence long, some overtly relgious, others spiritual, some others more of a hmanist nature. All of them are shown below:

"There will never be any more perfection than there is now. Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now. ... Why should I wish to see God better than this day?" (Walt Whitman)

"Paradise is still upon earth, and only because of our self-thinking and self-willing we do not see and hear God." (Jacob Boehme)

"It is eternity now. I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it, as the butterfly floats in the light-laded air. Nothin has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is the immortal life." (Richard Jeffries)

"Better keep yourself clean and bright: you are the window through which you must see the world." (George Bernard Shaw)

"Truly my soul is silently waiting for God." (Eckhart)

"In the true silence of the flesh, and in the pure Stillness of Spirit. ... Tasting the hidden life, the hidden manna in the heart." (Isaac Pennington)

"Speech is of Time, Silence is of Eternity." (Thomas Carlyle)

"Go, sweep out the chamber of your heart.
Make it ready to be the dwelling-place of the Beloved.
When you depart out, He will enter in.
In you, void of yourself, will He display His beauty."
(Marmud Shabistara)

"God be in my head
And in my undesrstanding
God be in my eyes
And in my looking
God be in my mouth
And in my speaking
God be in my heart
And in my thinking
God be at my end
And at my departing.
(Walford Davies)

"When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself." (Shunryu Suzuki)

Consideration of these gave rise to interesting reflections. Some describe the passages as being richer in feeling than they are in logical thought; some say the passages were struggling to say something rational, but still something worth trying to say; others speak about the extracts conveying something of acceptance and appreciation of the moment; but then there's something more, something of awe, of wonder - something of which we've all surely had some experience.

We udnergo an exercise to help each of us identify our core values and get the chance to talk about these. We also discuss the difference between mindfulness and other terms that are bandied about in these contexts (e.g. concentration, contemplation, meditation). We're going to pick this up again next week.

Ian Grayling, who's been leading these sessions, isn't entirely happy at how it's gone this evening. He wonders aloud if he's not been as good as he could have been at communicating what he's wanted us to do. I don't think he should be so hard on himself, and tell him so in front of the group. Each week we've gone deeper into this topic and have dealt with increasingly subtle areas. Digging into our core values and central beliefs is a bit more demanding than closing our eyes, sitting quietly and thinking about what me might be hearing.

mindfulness (5)

After a one-week break for half term, it's back to the course on Mindfulness, offered by Christians Aware at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road. Leading the session is Ian Grayling (backed up by his colleague, Kevin Commons) from the city's Serene Reflection Meditation Group. I know it's still winter so I probably shouldn't complain, but I must say it's bloomin' freezing tonight! I'm wearing two jumpers, that's how cold it is. the walk from my house to Clarendon Park Road and back is crisp!

This evening is our fifth session and the theme this time is "Thoughts and Feelings". We begin with a quick recap in small groups. We share our varied experiences, listen to diverse understanding and apprecitions of what has happened so far. One of the most intersting, from my point of view (or perhaps, one suited to my taste) is how the practice of mindfulness brings an enhanced awareness of the body, an acceptance of the physical. It's not an attempt to deny our bodily nature or flee the material world. We spoke about how mindfulness may be seen as a state of reverence toward creation and our place in it. This appears to sum up our first four sessions and offers a bridge into the second part of the course. So far, we've been trying to be mindful of the world around us, mediated by our senses. Now we're going to begin to look within.

Ian asks us to consider how we think: "What is the stuff of thought?" Why is it so hard to express in terms that are comprehensible or meaningful to ourselves or to other people the nature of our constant experience of thinking?

Is it visualising - seeing images inside our head? Is it hearing a voice or voices? Is that voice our own, someone elses's or does it vary? Do ideas exist independent of words? Are they in a place that is somehow pre-langauge? If so, then by what means do we access them? Do different people think in different "sensory modalities" - an internalised version of the senses that mediate our external experiences? Is it all random and uncontrollable?

We try a number of thought experiments, imagining some everyday sensory experiences. While some of those present appear to be reacting as if they are undergoing those experiuences inside their heads, to me they are felt at arm's length. It's not too hard to imagine my favourite song (the one that leaps up, unbidden, is XTC's "Life Begins at the Hop") or to see a nice garden, but I can't feel the taste of lemon juice, the touch of sandpaper on my skin or the smell of freshly cut grass. This leads us back to something we discussed at the alst session, how the senses of taste, touch and smell or invasive, how they take place inside the body, as distinct from sight and hearing, which show us things that are "out there". Other interesting questions arise from this exercies: when you imagine a piece of music in your head, are you the performer or are you listening to a performance? Are you originiting something or remembering something - and what's the difference between the two?

Arguably, there are only two ways in which people can think: through "internalised senses" and verbally. Once we become aware of how we think, we become more aware that we can be the author of what we think. This reminds me of that phrase in the Council of Faith's Buddhist leaflet: "that mind can be cultivated".

We're asked to go back into the small groups in which we started the evening and to make a list of as many emotions as we can. We come up with 34. Ian starts to make a list of some of these on the flipchart (no more than half a dozen though) under two columns: "good" and "bad". But that's too simplistic, too value-laden (deliberately on his part, I'm sure). We plump for a list of emotions that we like to have and emotions that we con't like to have. But there's general agreement that we can't have the former without experiencing the latter. That would be like never being asble to experience the pleasure, contentment of satisfaction of eating if we hadn't known hunger or emptiness.

We spend the last quarter hour or so considering the triune model of the brain, which we touched on at the end of session four: the reptilian part, which deals with the basic functions of life, is rigid and compulsive; the limbic, shared by all mammals, which deals with memories and emotions, is the basis of value judgments in humans and has unconscious influence over behaviour; and the neo-cortex, which deals with language, thought and imagination and is the seat of planning and intentional behaviour and problem solving.

mindfulness (4)

Fourth session in the course on "Mindfulness" offered by Christians Aware at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road. Leading the session is Ian Grayling (backed up by his colleague, Kevin Commons) from the city's Serene Reflection Meditation Group. This evening's topic is "the other senses" (in what Ian describes as "a job lot").

Ian shows us two "calming techniques" using accupressure which we can apply ourselves, on our wrists, then our hands. Ian wonders aloud if these techniques actually work or if it's just the practice of doing something mindfully that brings a sense of calm.

We are each asked to pick a single raisin from a tub that is passed around the room. We hold it between thumb and forefinger and roll it around. How does it feel? Then hold it up to our noses. How does it smell? Then place it against our lips: how does that feel? Pop it in our mouths, roll it around on your tongue - but don't chew it! How does that feel? Start chewing, but don't swallow it until you feel compelled to.

Later we try standing perfectly still. This is rather like our attempt to be completely silent last week. When we're trying to be silent we hear stuff going on inside our bodies and inside our heads. When we try to stand still, we feel our body making adjustments to our position as our brain checks and fixes our balance.

mindfulness (3)

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road this evening for the third session in the course on "Mindfulness" offered by Christians Aware. Leading the session is Ian Grayling (backed up by his colleague, Kevin Commons) from the city's Serene Reflection Meditation Group. Our topic this time is "Listening". We begin with a guided meditation, helping us recognise the difference between being tense and being relaxed. We finish up with quiet listening and consider if the room is really silent when no one is speaking. It's not, of course, but it's interesting how many different sounds people can hear, either outside (the clock on the wall ticking, flourescent lights humming, traffic in the distance) or inside (their own heartbeat, the rush of blood in the ears, the effects of tinnitus).

From week one, we've been becoming familiar with the Mandarin Chinese symbol for the verb, "to listen". It includes the symbol not only for the ears (which we'd expect for listening) but also for the eyes, for undivided attention, for the heart and for the whole person. Listening requires more than just hearing. Tonight we practise some of the skills needed for using the ears and eyes in giving undivided attention - including dialogue, paraphrasing, open questions, empathy. These aren't anything new or startling of course, but the brief experience of practice in small groups tonight is instructive and worthwhile. Listening demonstrates respect; empathy demonstrates compassion; giving the speaker your undivided attention draws the heart into the process. We come to the conclusion that listening and getting it wrong is better than not listening and still getting it wrong!

It's a four mile round trip to Christchurch from my place, on foot. I enjoy the walk (even on a freezing cold evening like this one) and enjoy listening to Ian Dury on the way there. But after having done this session on listening, I find that I walk all the way back without benefit of iPod - not intentionally, but that's unsual for me to do three quarters of an hour in silence. I guess whatever we were doing had some kind of effect ...

Mindfulness and Meditation (2)

Second session in the course on Mindfulness and Meditation offered by Christians Aware at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road. Leading the session is Ian Grayling (backed up by his colleague, Kevin Commons) from the Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

This evening's topic is "seeing". What we understand we see is more than just what enters through the eyes. The brain's need to make sense of things allows it to be tricked into seeing things that might not be what they appear. Often we don't see what is actually there, but try to represent what we think is there - or that we believe should be there. This requires us to look closely, attentively, mindfully. We're given some practical experience in this by Beatte having us do some drawing. I used to draw quite well, but am I ever out of practice! Less overtly "spiritual" content than last week, though we still do a few exercises on our breathing.

On the way to Christchurch, I stop in at Sansome's bar on Queens Road for a coffee. They have a flyer for a "Faith Discussion Group" that meets there on Tuesday evenings. "Meet some friendly people for a spiritual based discussion followed by a curry and pub quiz" it says. Right now I have another commitment Tuesday evenings, but I leave my card with the fellow behind the bar and ask if he'll pass it on to whoever organises this event.

Mindfulness and Meditation (1)

To Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road, this evening, for the first session of the new season's Faiths Awareness programme, run by Christians Aware. I enjoyed the course they ran at the same venue in the autumn, "Exploring the Diversity of Hinduism" (see earlier blog entry, "top ten 2009: special mentions").

This new course looks right up my street: a subject in which I've long been interested, with a useful practical dimension to it. I was surprised to see that there were only two people there who had been on the Hinduism course - a dozen or so faces were new to me. I was more surprised, though, to see that the course tutor was Ian Grayling, who had taught me on the Professional Certificate in Education with Leicester University several years ago. Ian is currently Executive Director of the East Midlands Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (EMCETT), based at South Leicestershire College. He describes himself this evening as a practising Buddhist, living a contemplative life and adhering to a set of universal values. He said that, as far as he's concerned, mindfulness could be described from the standpoint of psychology, physiology or faith and it would be the same thing from each of these perspectives.

Ian (and his colleague Kevin Commons, also attending) are members of the Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

The course will make use of a range of delivery techniques, including hands-on activities. The aim will be to promote active and reflective earning in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. More specifically, the programme seeks to enable us to:

• use a range of mindfulness skills in daily life;
• increase our knowledge of ourselves, and awareness of ourselves in relation to others;
• develop a positive attitude to the simple activities of daily life;
• value stillness.

As an ice breaker activity, we are asked to write, on a PostIt note, one thing that we would say about ourselves that helps define who we are - one think about us that we think other people wouldn't know. Then we had to fold it up tight and throw it on the floor in the middle of the room. Ian unfolded the notes, read them aloud and we had to try and guess who had written each one. Here's a few of them:

"Meditation gave me the insight to manage difficulties at work and eventually led me to move to a new job."

"Through using my senses I can love others more."

"I lead a hectic life; I may appear calm but there is always a tension in me between mental activity and inwardly closing my eyes due to God's presence."

"Love for Africa through being brought up on a farm."

"A retired insurance broker."

"I enjoy riding my bike."

"I love questions, running every morning and being loved."

"I don't think there is one thing only that I am, and being is richness."

"I am silenced by being questioned."

"Searching for inner peace and calmness."

"The fact that I'm an identical twin has affected my life in certain ways."

"I once sang 'Mary's Born Child' on stage at the age of 4 in a crowded theatre."

"I love teasing."

"I recently found out that I am half an inch taller than I thought I was."

"Quite independent."

"Born in Yorkshire and didn't leave willingly."

Can you identify mine from the list above, faithful reader? Since I only knew three people attending, I didn't have much chance. A further complication would have arisen from the fact that those who might regard themselves as introverted may have written something about their outward-facing selves and vice versa - since they are meant to be things that we thought others wouldn't know about ourselves. A bit of a double-bluff - even on ourselves!

This led us to consider together the many ways of defining who we are, what we are: by our occupation; by where we were brought up; by how we were brought up; by our social networks; by our family; by how other people treat us (especially in childhood, by teachers, parents, siblings); by our beliefs and values.

As well as being an introduction to the course, this evening's meeting is devoted to establishing ground rules for the conduct of future sessions. The weeks ahead are laid out as follows:

• Session 2 (25 Jan) Seeing (using perception and drawing exercises)
• Session 3 (1 Feb) Listening (using activities to explore attention and deep listening)
• Session 4 (8 Feb) The Other Senses (using exercises related to the other senses - followed by half term week)
• Session 5 (22 Feb) Thinking and Feeling (material about the three levels of the brain)
• Session 6 (1 Mar) Beliefs and Values (exploring individual perspectives)
• Session 7 (8 Mar) Pointing Beyond Thinking and Feeling (the place of meditation or contemplation)
• Session 8 (15 Mar) The Faith Specific Context (representing all faiths and none)