Sunday, July 31, 2005

Shi-ne

According to the Buddhist masters, we are not necessarily stuck with our neurotic anxieties. We can develop what Trungpa Rinpoche called 'Basic Sanity,' which is simply the ability to synchronize what our mind is doing with what our body is doing.

The most basic way to train oneself to be more aware of what is actually going on in any situation, including various aspects of ones health, is a certain type of meditation practice, called shi-né (she nay) in Tibetan (Sanskrit shamatha). This term has been translated into English as "mindfulness practice"; however, a more literal translation of the Tibetan term would be "abiding in peace of mind."

Shi-né is the most common form of meditation, not only in Tibet but in other Buddhist countries. It is the basis of Zen, of Theravadin or Insight meditation, and of the Tibetan meditation practices involving visualization. It is also the basic practice of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction approach developed to help patients deal with illness.

http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/meditation.htm

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