Ahhhh...at last this thread comes to the crux of mindfulness as I study it from a Buddhist/spiritual perspective.

Being mindful not of thoughts and form but of being.

Christina Jordan sent me a book a while back from Uganda - "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle.

It is a strange book for me. Tolle is a Westerner for sure. But mainly what he is sharing is the influence of Eastern thought. There are times when I am reading him and thinking that the only thing new in the book is his ego and arrogance....you would have to have read part of the book to appreciate the caustic in that statement. Claiming to "KNOW" what Jesus meant is a bit over the edge for me.

And then there was the story I heard the other day where Rene Descartes was talking with Galileo and said "....but I didn't think..." and promptly disappeared.

There comes a stumbling point for me where Buddhism - and I think this is particularly true of Theravada Buddhism - becomes too focused on the being and not the form that it belittles and seriously neglects the importance of form. I don't think that is true of the Buddha. There is a sutra about the Buddha walking a long distance specifically to preach for the sake of a specific man. The man was late because of real life problems and when he got there he was hungry and the Buddha advised his disciples to feed the man. Only when the man was fed and comfortable did the Buddha preach and the man was able to understand and entered "the stream" of understanding. Theravada Buddhism seems to me to be the least socially active of all of the Buddhist traditions. And I find that irritating. Being in the present moment means attending to physical as well as spiritual needs.

I work very hard at stripping away my ego and becoming unattached. I often don't do very well at it. I think also that not only the Buddha calls us to this but also Jesus and Mohammad.

The Christian story of the sisters, Mary and Martha....I am definitely a Martha. I try to be Mary....I don't always succeed. I think I have gotten past the whining. :-)

David, we are in much the same place. In my trying to be mindful, I use my simple brain and its understanding of form and try to not focus on the form but rather to apply your "Vigilance, Industry and Patience" and pray like crazy that people around me will do the same with me. God knows I need people with patience around me.

I will keep looking for the being and trying to appreciate the present moment but forgive me if I am worried about whether you have something to eat, are comfortable and not too hot or cold.