“MINDFULNESS IN A MODERN WORLD
Jack Kornfield
In Conversation with Kelly McGonigal
Thursday, May 12, 2016, 7:30 pm
Venue: Nourse Theater
Series: Conversations on Science
Once seen as fringe practices in the western world, yoga, meditation and mindfulness can now be found in our schools, health care system, prison reform institutions and elsewhere,. Mindfulness has gone mainstream. A practitioner of Buddhist teachings for over fifty years, Jack Kornfield is the co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California and the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. In addition to creating cornerstones for Buddhist practice in the western world, Kornfield has taught in centers and Universities worldwide and led International Buddhist Council meetings with the Dalai Lama He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is the best-selling author of numerous books on meditation. Jack Kornfield will be in conversation with Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University. Her work demonstrates the various applications of psychology, neuroscience, and medicine to personal health and happiness, as well as organizational success and social change.”
Tickets Sold OUT … oh nooooo (but this will broadcast on KQED City Arts & Lectures programming so it’s alright.)
Last week just heard Kelly McGonigal at a talk promoting her book “Upside of Stress”. Some of us may have a cynical leery view thinking – well, Obviously it’s so much easier for a white middle to upper class woman working in academia at an elite educational institution to study “stress” -so ivory tower – not really live it. Otherwise, who could afford to see the silver lining in “stress” where day to day is a struggle. Who can afford to research Stress – when one is placed actually right in the eye of that storm …One might think that but where there is expectation of high achievement, i.e., there’s tremendous amount of stress when expectation you set up for self and from others is so high that sometimes that “perfect” life may not be attainable. She hypothesized and then made a case that stress is not all bad. Stress does not kill. To live stress-free is to live a meaningless life.
She referred to how psychologists “manipulate” the mind – and while that word “manipulate” was rather disconcerting to me, I am sure many would benefit. I am more interested in things beyond manipulation… because life comes and you cannot manipulate or control life. You can control or “manipulate” how you react to life’s event and that’s what she is referring to – the scientist can manipulate to make things better… It takes away the magic -the mystery out – and it’s no longer spirituality or the divine intervention or … magic … that fairly dust and sparkles from nature – but more the clinical sounding intellectual and calculated “manipulation” formula to yield the outcome you want – if that’s science, I prefer mysticism or fantasy …imagination not rationale for stress relief. She managed to enlighten some in the audience who were probably mostly comprised of rather well heeled folks – to quote – Privilege does not protect the entitled or the privileged from suffering. The privileged may have all the resources, yes, but still … that class is not exempt from suffering. Case in point, Palo Alto has 4-5 times national average of suicides especially among young adults… We all suffer even if we may perceive someone to live a charmed life. And she is postulating that by “manipulating” the mind in how we deal with stress, we can become more resilient. Yet such understanding could actually negate the positives … the irony is that charity really has to come altruistically from the heart; not from the over thinking mind.
Rather than getting too intellectual and heavy in head space on this, I like to just learn from the wise sages all around us – for example, go with the Native American custom… age old indigenous tradition before them being corralled into reservations – In the old days, I learned, if one Native American family had particularly abundant harvest, or a successful hunt, that family would not keep the riches themselves. Rather, they will host a very big party serving up the fruits from their labor for the entire tribe/community – they share the harvest or a great hunting season. Good luck was shared because they truly believed that singular happiness was not possible and that happiness came only when the entire tribe shared the good luck and reaped the same benefits. It does not take manipulating the mind, or shift the mindset one has about the notion of “stress” – just kindness and love. Most basic and the simplest is sometimes the hardest at times.
Maybe studying the eight limbs of yoga will do.
Happy to share this yoga : )
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do what? It does not take a PhD with mega-research to figure out what’s worked for thousand of years. BUT if that’s needed to persuade and convince … to go “mainstream”, then all gratitude. (once a fringe practice?) Even more respect to Judith, one who plunged into that “fringe” practice when it wasn’t in vogue and kept at it for decades… one who raised children – not one, not two but three is my understanding – into fine adulthood (that alone is a feat – Mother’s Day coming up!) and lived as a giving partner , sister, daughter, all these roles – etc. all along … a teacher, writing and practicing yoga. How does one accomplish so much in a lifetime? The key is in the practice she is most known for while she draws on solid Iyengar style foundation – Learning a lot from these strong, intelligent women. Some of us – we already do a lot – we already sweat a lot and we already worked out enough, already made loads of effort to serve others – done enough work, so much we even worked at our play and vacations – before we show up.
