..续本文上一页 fact it is done discreetly without anybody ever knowing that you are watching the mind states, feelings and checking the thinking, etc. because you appear to be doing nothing out of the ordinary. All that differs from normal behaviour, but is not apparent to others, is that the meditator has more ”presence of mind” in whatever they are doing.

　　In the relentless busyness of most people”s lives, there is a need for the practitioner to have a reference point to anchor their attention to. This will act as an aid to help maintain presence of mind. Such a reference point can the predominant “touch point” with any body contact, such as the sitting touch points. But it has to be habituated or ingrained so one does not have to think about doing it. Bringing the attention back to the body will keep one grounded during the busyness of the day”s activities and thus less likely to get lost in “unmindful” wanderings.

　　We lose a lot of energy and create unnecessary stress through the random wanderings of the mind while not focused sufficiently on the job at hand. So checking the wandering mind has to be targeted, as it is leaking energy. Intellectual work is more efficient and done with less stress when we are fully focused. Daydreaming needs to be checked by noting the wandering mind as ”thinking”, ”thinking”. If one is persistent, a lot of mind wanderings will be inhibited and there will be more peace and clarity. The way to relate to all superfluous thinking is as a witness watching the passing traffic of the mind without being involved in it, until eventually interest is lost and the mind becomes naturally still when not engaged in any particular task.

　　One can also be monitoring one”s mind states throughout the day. Just naming them as they arise: happy, sad, elated, depressed, whatever. We are simply noticing, not evaluating them or trying to change them. When the mind states are not noticed, we tend either to indulge in them, if they are pleasant, or resist them when they are unpleasant. By noticing mind states as they change, we go with the flow, not getting stuck, being with the natural changes and rhythms of the day”s activities.

　　If the presence of mind can be sustained for two or three hours in the daily routine, the mindfulness will noticeably improve. If one is so inclined, a check of one”s state of mindfulness every hour on the hour can be performed. This will help bring one back to the present moment awareness and reduce the times when the mindfulness is lost.

　　A useful way to manage the awareness practice is to review the day”s mindfulness work at the end of the day, or by keeping a meditation diary. In this way, the patterns of one”s practice will become apparent, allowing adjustments to be made.

　　Avoid making negative judgments or evaluating the practice, as the reviewing will probably expose some weaknesses. However, reviewing can also be helpful as it can suggest new strategies to improve the practice. So reviewing the day”s practice is a very worthwhile thing to do, as one needs to be continually reinforcing the practice of mindfulness in daily life.

《The Vipassana Retreat: 14· Continuing the Practice at Home》全文阅读结束。