tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166459572149699816.post8621142666004360849..comments2024-03-24T23:13:15.572-07:00Comments on Mind Deep: What Self?Marguerite Manteau-Raohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17956537059369707663noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166459572149699816.post-73942509848261764852010-09-26T14:50:57.156-07:002010-09-26T14:50:57.156-07:00Oh! yes. Not self, impermanence, unsatisfactorines...Oh! yes. Not self, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, are all linked . . .Marguerite Manteau-Raohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956537059369707663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166459572149699816.post-26096837316856616362010-09-26T13:03:14.155-07:002010-09-26T13:03:14.155-07:00"The self is inherently not a fixed thing&quo..."The self is inherently not a fixed thing" I have enjoyed the process of realizing this in my life ... though there have been enough frustrating moments that might seem to say otherwise. I remember when I started realizing it about outside things. For example, I would think: "if this house would just stay clean (fixed point) and I could get into shape (fixed point) I could relax and be happy" But if the cleanliness of a house, or lack thereof, has its own flow of life; how much more so do I? <br />Great post!Lorihttp://www.benefitsofmeditation.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166459572149699816.post-55897232864110243842010-09-26T08:53:29.642-07:002010-09-26T08:53:29.642-07:00Oh! Chana thank you so much for sharing your exper...Oh! Chana thank you so much for sharing your experience. This is very helpful in validating the reality of those who can no longer advocate for themselves. <br /><br />Viewed under the lens of mindfulness, dementia ceases to be the problem of the one with the illness. Rather it becomes a huge opportunity for us to acknowledge OUR problem with grasping to idea of self that is no longer there. <br /><br />With metta.<br /><br />margueriteMarguerite Manteau-Raohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956537059369707663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166459572149699816.post-10573974791990692502010-09-26T04:30:10.008-07:002010-09-26T04:30:10.008-07:00You say "In that sense, mindfully relating to...You say "In that sense, mindfully relating to a person with dementia is one of the best ways, besides meditation, to thaw any fixed ideas we may have about ourselves. "<br /> I had been practicing Buddhist mindfulness for 20 years when a good friend i saw once a week began to exhibit dementia. She was/is getting on in years and had a couple of surgeries that really started the process rolling. I watched as she went from being "normal" to being "very hard to relate to". You are so right on about it challenging your own mindfulness. At first it made me a little angry, and upset that she was not responding like I wanted her to. I even tried to make her "normal". It bothered me quite a bit. It showed how attached I was to my self, not her. I began to realize this, and then began to go with the flow of the dementia she was displaying. At times she would weep because she seemed to since the slipping away of "real" things, and yet i was sharing them with her. <br /> There is no permanent personal self, so we have a lot of room to adapt to our environment. :)Chanahttp://members.socket.net/~oldfreenoreply@blogger.com