Mind Full to Mindful: Zen Wisdom From a Monk's Bowl

by Om Swami

When you children peel a tangerine, you can eat it with awareness or without awareness. Anything you do in life – there are two ways to do it. You can either do it with awareness or without awareness. When you do it with awareness you are awake; when you do it without awareness, you are sleeping. Most of our reactions are without awareness. What does it mean to eat a tangerine in awareness? When you are eating the tangerine, you are aware that you are eating the tangerine. This is called being in the present moment.4 Maintaining awareness of the present moment requires doing one thing at a time so as to focus on your chief activity. Multitasking is the nemesis of mindfulness. If I am eating food and not thinking about other things and not watching the TV, not on a phone call, not sending a text message while I am eating, then I am actually aware I am eating my meal. As Buddha said, ‘You fully experience its lovely fragrance and sweet taste. When you peel the tangerine, you know that you are peeling it; when you remove a segment and you put it in your mouth, you know you are removing a segment and putting it in your mouth.’ This comes only when you slow down a bit. Imagine peeling an orange, removing a segment, putting it in your mouth and biting down onto it. Its juices bursting in your mouth and hitting your taste buds; your mouth feels alive with the tangy flavour. This is called eating with awareness. Nearly everybody is rushing to get somewhere. And when they get to th...