Pocket Mindfulness –Vol. 2 The pathway to true contentment Alfred James

93 Pages·2014·0.37 MB·English

by  Peter Litchfield

Pocket Mindfulness
The Complete Series
Alfred James

Second Edition.
About the Author & Series
Alfred James was born in London in 1978. A mindfulness teacher, he
is the founder of Pocketmindfulness.com and author of the book series
of the same name.
James teaches mindfulness as a pathway to self-acceptance and inner
peace, a pathway that helps release the attachment, aversion and desire
responsible for the day-to-day suffering of mind that prevents us from
discovering true contentment in life.
A qualified Life Coach and experienced student of Eastern
philosophy, James has travelled extensively in South East Asia,
learning mindfulness meditation from a number of notable teachers,
including Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev), and Tibetan Dzogchen Lama,
Sogyal Rinpoche.
The Pocket Mindfulness series unravels mindfulness philosophy, bringing
it into the awareness of the Western world through succint, profound
teachings. James’ approach encourages the reader to awaken their
awareness to the true nature of existence, which in turn reduces stress and
anxiety and improves overall health and wellbeing.
Pocket Mindfulness began as a short tapestry of teachings that define the
purpose of mindfulness practice. However, its success as an Amazon
bestseller, and as a popular source of quotation for teachers and
mindfulness practitioners alike, encouraged James to write two further
instalments and create a three-part series – the second exploring how
mindfulness relates to love, ego, the purpose of life and the acceptance of
death, and the third focusing on the cultivation and manifestation of
mindfulness through meditation practice.
James continues to share his teachings with numerous stress and anger
management programs and other mindfulness therapy initiatives around
the world. His work has been featured in a number of notable magazines,
including The Huffington Post, The Guardian, and Mindful Magazine.
Pocket Mindfulness
A pocket-sized guide to daily mindfulness
Alfred James

Second Edition.
CONTENTS
Author’s Note
1 A Definition of Mindfulness
2 Mindfulness and Happiness
3 Mindfulness and You
4 Mindfulness and Others
5 Mindfulness and Living
6 Mindfulness and Meditation
7 Mindfulness and Buddhism
8 Mindfulness and Daily Practice
9 Mindfulness and The Moment
10 Mindfulness and Striving
11 Mindfulness and Self-Kindness
12 Mindfulness and Thinking
13 Mindfulness and Goal Setting
14 Mindfulness and The Heart
15 Mindfulness and Letting Go
Author’s Note
While many spiritual teachings complicate the definition and application
of mindfulness, its core essence and meaning is very simple. My intention
is to dissolve ambiguity and provide a clear, concise interpretation of
mindfulness that assists in bringing the benefits of this spiritual pathway
into your daily life experience.
Mindfulness is about being here, non-judgementally in this moment,
while peacefully acknowledging and accepting how you are thinking and
feeling. The essence of mindfulness is just to be, by realising what is.
The wonder of mindfulness is that it is already in our ownership,
something we are all capable of connecting with. We all have an inherent
understanding of how to cultivate mindfulness, yet most of us – albeit
unconsciously – ignore our ability to manifest its presence, instead
suffering amidst the constant judgements and projections that consume
the mind. As a spiritual guide, my endeavour is to reconnect you with
mindfulness, which in turn will bring you greater contentment in life.
In this digital age, we are continually bombarded with information, be it
through television, email, blogs or social networks. Our attention is
pulled all over the place, seldom remaining on one subject matter for
more than a minute or two. With the ‘monkey mind’ fed steadily in this
way, it is difficult to engage people with lengthy texts regarding the
benefits of focussing attention, meditation and the intention to be
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purposely present. Let’s face it, most of us find it difficult to commit to
five minutes of meditation, let alone read a book on dharma.
So I decided that Pocket Mindfulness would form a resource that could
be read intermittently, enabling the reader to choose the section most
relevant to their thoughts and emotions at the time. It is also written in
an easily quotable way, making it ideal for sharing through social
mediums and among friends.
And so Pocket Mindfulness stands as a succinct, straightforward guide to
the definition of mindfulness and how it can be applied to daily life.
I hope the words among these pages will inspire and motivate you to let
go of attachment and aversion and cultivate non-judgemental, true
awareness in the present moment, enabling you to cultivate a deeper self-
unity with all living things.

Alfred James
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1
A Definition of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention in the present, without
judgment of one’s feelings, emotions, thoughts or sensations, on a
moment-to-moment basis.
Mindfulness is to let go of the past, release anticipation of the future and
accept the moment as it is.
Mindfulness is to realise and embrace life’s impermanence, to understand
that the only thing that exists is this moment, a moment that we must let
go to truly embrace the next.
Mindfulness is to see the intrinsic beauty of the world, to understand that
all things, no matter how apparently insignificant or important, are
interconnected and interdependent, relying on each other to function and
thrive.
Mindfulness guides us to fall awake into the world, helping us cultivate
the pure awareness required to see the true reality of life.
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2
Mindfulness and Happiness
Mindfulness is the pathway to happiness: a state of contentedness, both
within our inner being and external world experience.
It is important to recognise, however, that although our inner person and
external experience of the world are often referred to as separate entities,
they form our one being. Mindfulness enables us to understand and
synchronize the inner self and external experience, paving the way for true
oneness.
Mindfulness leads us towards happiness through the manifestation of
equanimity. Its practice helps us manifest mental calmness, composure
and evenness of temper in the most challenging circumstances.
Mindfulness teaches us that happiness resides in simply accepting what is,
not in constantly grasping at what could or might be if circumstances
were different.
Happiness is not a destination to be reached once specific conditions are
achieved. Happiness is a state of being that can be accessed through
acceptance of the true nature of things in the present moment.
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