Mindfulness Based Meditation Essay -- Cultivating Mindfulness

This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was timed and the focus was on the out breath. I experienced numerous emotions, sensations and mental states while I practiced meditation. During my practice the focus was on the out breath and by doing so the idea was to have non-judgmental and non reactive awareness of emotions, thoughts and sensations that arise in my mind while I practiced meditation. Firstly, for me meditation served as a tool for self awakening, by ‘’awakening’’ I mean meditation made me realize the existence and dominance of mind wandering and ignorance. In a scientific study it was shown that mind wandering was the majority of the conscious experience (Hasenkamp et al., 2012). Before I practiced meditation I was unaware of the effects of mind wandering not only on performance towards certain task but also towards sustaining attention to the present moment. For example on my very first session of meditation I realized how I completely zoned out for the first few minutes until we took a break and that made me further realiz... ..., MA: Shambhala Publications. Ricard, M., & Chödzin, S. (2010). Why meditate?. Carlsbad, Calif.: Hay House, Inc.. Corey, G., & Corey, M. S. (2010). I never knew I had a choice: explorations in personal growth (9th ed., instructor's ed.). Australia: Brooks/Cole. P164 Craighead, W. E., Miklowitz, D. J., & Craig, L. W. (2013). Psychopathology(Second Edition ed.). New Jersey: Wiley. P200 Ricard, M., & Thuan, T.X. (2001). The quantum and the lotus: A journey to the frontiers where science and Buddhism meet. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. [Chapter 1] Arch, J.J., & Craske, M.G. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness: Emotion regulation following a focused breathing induction. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44, 1849-1858. Filaber, D. (2013). Transform Your Life with Meditation:The Lives and Legacies of the Greatest Meditation Masters. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. P33

Survival of Pi

In the novel Life of Pi, Pi goes through an unexpected journey for 227 days that adjusts his morals and needs to survive. Pi depends on his survival by over looking his morals, having faith, and creating his own version of the situation rather than facing reality. The human mind will go to great lengths to escape itself out of traumatic real life situations. Survival is the state of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances. Pi is faced with a serious situation involving death of loved ones, and the need to survive.The actions humans do to survive seem extraordinary and unimaginable. Pi’s needs to survive alter his life style. To begin with, Pi grew up a vegetarian as well as his brother Ravi, and his mother. The whole journey, Pi was surrounded by food and water but unfortunately the water was salt water so it was undrinkable and Pi could not apprehend any fish nor wanted to eat any. Pi had to depend on fish and turtles to give him some nutrients for survival. Pi believed eating meat was morally wrong. In Pi’s second story, he was surviving on the boat with a young sailor, a cook, and his mother.The cook could no longer sustain his humanity and he turns to cannibalism because he considers it the last option. The whole journey, before Pi was stranded on the lifeboat he was given food, water, love, and all the essentials to survive. On the lifeboat Pi fended for himself and had to change his morals and lifestyle to survive. Once Pi survived his journey and was interviewed by Mr. Chiba and Mr. Okamoto, Pi informs them, with: â€Å"I know my survival is hard to believe. When I think back, I can hardly believe it myself. † (223) Pi was against all odds of his journey to live, and survived.Faith is an important factor of Pi’s survival. Furthermore, faith is a significant factor in Pi’s survival. Pi should have passed away several times but faith kept him remaining on his jour ney. Pi is unsure of what religion he believes in. He is Hinduism, Islam, and Christian. Pi believes all religions lead to the same God. Without faith, Pi would have given up multiple times but Pi knows his life has a meaning. Pi understands out loud, â€Å"Only fear can defeat life. † (161) This quote explains how Pi believes faith can keep you surviving as long as you have faith in yourself.After the ship sank, and Pi remarkably survived he verbally realized, â€Å"Every single thing I value in life has been destroyed. † (108) The trauma Pi is going through is fierce and too much to tolerate. Pi lost all of his family, left his home and friends, and is now gone astray out at sea. He has lost everything and anything close to him. By believing in the three different religions, Pi shows that he is strong with a high spirit, which helps him survive out at sea. Pi had knowledge from three different religious groups, so he always had help and a solution to all of his probl ems.Faith is powerful. Faith gave Pi a reason to keep going and not to give up. Lastly, Pi created a ‘second story’ so he didn’t have to face the reality. People can often prepare a story to convince people and themselves that it actually happened, so they can escape reality and believe in this fantasy. Pi created Richard Parker so he didn’t feel alone; Richard Parker was a figment of Pi’s imagination. Richard Parker is the will inside Pi for survival. Richard Parker was Pi’s fighting source. Richard Parker killed the hyena after the hyena killed the zebra and orangutan in the second story.Richard Parker only comes out of hiding when Pi becomes angry after seeing his Mother (orangutan) and young sailor (zebra) be killed by the Chef (hyena), I think when Richard Parker comes out of hiding that demonstrates Pi’s fighting source coming out of his personality. Throughout the book, aspects of Richard Parker come out in Pi. For example, Pi s tarts eating meat even though it is against his morals and beliefs, his personality becomes strong like a tiger because he becomes in charge and doesn’t let Richard Parker take control.Pi created the second story and Richard Parker so he could escape reality. Pi would not have been able to survive without Richard Parker. Richard Parker killed the chef for Pi. Without each other, Pi and Richard Parker would have died. In retrospect, Pi survived under adverse and unusual circumstances. Pi would have not survived without overlooking his morals, having faith, and creating his own version of the daunting situation. The actions humans do to survive seem extraordinary and unimaginable. Pi’s needs to survive alter his life style.

Anne Moody s Coming Of Age Essay - 1088 Words

Anne Moody, a black activist in the twentieth century, wrote an autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, which illustrated how life was like growing up poor and black in the rural south. She wrote in details of her life living in the racist society and what it meant to be black in the South twentieth century. Readers were able to understand her personal thoughts as well as her memories of the fight growing up in the south and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Moody grew up with a poor family and faced many challenges throughout her life. Anne Moody’s life is representative of the black experience in the American twentieth century by experiencing racism, and unfair prejudice; but also being persistent in her life and with the struggle to defeat white oppression. In her autobiography, Anne Moody emphasized racism and how it affected her life growing up in the twentieth century. All throughout Anne’s childhood, white people asserted that they were superior to whites. Anne’s mother, Toosweet Davis, worked as a maid for a white family. One of Anne’s first encountering’s with racism is when her mother brought home leftovers from the white families home. Anne stated that the food her mother had brought home was the best food she had ever eaten, and that was when she had discovered that the white people seemed to be different that her. Also, being that Anne was a quick-witted child, she was able to identify racial situations around her growing up. For example, as aShow MoreRelatedAnne Moody s Coming Of Age1189 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Moody is the author of Coming of Age in Mississippi which was originally published in 1968. Anne Moody is a famous African American Mississippi author who was born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi on September 15, 1940. She was the eldest of nine children born to Fred and Elnire Moody. While growing up in Mississippi, Moody attended a segregated school where she was an outstanding scho lar. Moody cleaned houses in order to keep food on the table and clothes on her family members’ backs. In 1961Read MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age897 Words   |  4 PagesIn the story, Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, Anne known as Essie Mae found out the meaning of racism at a young age and also see or heard what whites do to black people if they did not like what they was doing. She did not know that whites and blacks had their own place to sit and eat or why whites went to one school and blacks went to another. She just assumes that whites went to the school that was close to their neighborhood, but Essie Mae experience her first meaning of segregationRead MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age Essay1826 Words   |  8 PagesHIST278 Essay One - Joseph Malthus, 42863655 Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi is a story of a black girl growing up in the American Deep South during the development of the Civil Rights Movement. Moody notices the racism that envelops her life and attempts to understand why it exists, despite the absence of reasonable grounding. Suffocating under the restrictions and fear caused by systematic racism, she ultimately decides to become an activist, and takes an active role in demanding equalityRead MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age881 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Dial, 1968. Print.† Anne Moody was a determined, educated, and an inspiring civil rights activist who was born in Gloster, Mississippi. Born on September 15th, 1940-passed away February 5th, 2015 Anne Moody dedicated her life to making the United States a better place for not only African American’s, but pleaded for equality amongst all races as well. Awarded best book of the year in 1969 by the National Library Association, Anne Moody writesRead MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age During Mississippi And Non Violent Vs. Violent Protest For Civil Rights1640 Words   |  7 PagesSamuel Conner Professor M. Du Bois HIST1025-002 October 30, 2015 Dreamers Instead of Leaders: Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi and Non-Violent vs. Violent Protest for Civil Rights The American Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s generated massive international following and controversy, which made the movement one of the most important in U.S. history. The movement’s legacy can still be felt today, with the positive aspects, such as voting rights to African Americans and wideRead MoreComing Of Age Throughout Mississippi By Anne Moody1362 Words   |  6 Pages Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay Fredric Stanley HIST 3881 Professor James Conway 7 November 2015 â€Æ' Though we Americans, in all of our efforts, feel as if the day of racism is coming to an end, I feel it is merely evolving into a much more subtle approach. Seeing life through the words of Anne Moody in her book entitled, Coming of Age in Mississippi, shows that racism, even back then, is treated with remedies versus a cure. After the many anti-discrimination legislations passed as well asRead More Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody Essay examples1005 Words   |  5 PagesComing of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The autobiography Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody is the story of her life as a poor black girl growing into adulthood. Moody chose to start at the beginning - when she was four-years-old, the child of poor sharecroppers working for a white farmer. She overcomes obstacles such as discrimination and hunger as she struggles to survive childhood in one of the most racially discriminated states in America. In telling the story of her lifeRead MoreComing Of Age Throughout Mississippi By Anne Moody1388 Words   |  6 PagesIn the autobiography â€Å"Coming of age in Mississippi† by Anne Moody known as Essie Mae in the book she writes in great detail the struggles her and other people of her color had to go through in order to gain their rights. From such a young age she saw the differences in the way people of color were treated in comparison to whites, things that no one should go through much less a kid. From the beginning you see that Essie Mae i s such a brilliant kid and all the trials she goes through and the knowledgeRead More Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay example639 Words   |  3 Pages The first main event that I believe led to Anne Moody becoming an activist for Civil Rights was when she was younger, her cousin George Lee was babysitting and he burned down the house in a fit of rage and when Daddy gets home he blames it on Essie Mae (Anne Moody). This foreshadows all of life’s injustices that will be thrown her way. The next time was when she made friends with white neighbors and they decided to go to the movies, Anne couldn’t sit with her friends, she had to sit in the balconyRead More Anne Moodys Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Moodys Coming of Age in Mississippi Coming of Age in Mississippi is the amazing story of Anne Moodys unbreakable spirit and character throughout the first twenty-three years of her life. Time and time again she speaks of unthinkable odds and conditions and how she manages to keep excelling in her aspirations, yet she ends the book with a tone of hesitation, fear, and skepticism. While she continually fought the tide of society and her elders, suddenly in the end she is speaking as