Right Mindfulness

December 2014

Dear Readers,

Thank you for continuing to learn about the Noble Eightfold Path. If you want to see the old newsletters about the Noble Eightfold Path, scroll down to the "Old Newsletters" section and click on the links. This month, we will be learning about the eighth and final step on the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Mindfulness. But first, lets review.

Life has dukkha (suffering). The way to be free of suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path by practicing eight points: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Concentration, and Right Mindfulness. Try to follow the Noble Eightfold Path in your life, and you will have complete happiness, free from suffering.

What is Right Mindfulness? Right Mindfulness means being aware and mindful of what is happening in your life. By staying mindful, you can be focused and aware of everything that is happening around you. Having this wisdom will help you prevent dukkha from entering your life.

Here's how to use Right Mindfulness:

1. Focus on the body.

2. Focus on feelings.

3. Focus on the mind.

4. Focus on mental qualities.

Right Mindfulness is all about focus. Pay attention to your surroundings and live in the present, not the past or future. When you observe something, you watch without judging or thinking greedily. Take a few minutes and check to make sure you're living in the present. Just sit back, breathe, and just watch everything. Take in all of your life without making any judgment. A good way to do this is throughmeditation. You'll see that you will have a greater understanding about life that way.

Although it may seem difficult, you can use Right Mindfulness in your life everyday! Stay focused, clear your mind, and make your decisions with wisdom. When you do this, you will be on your way on the Noble Eightfold Path. Remember if you make any mistakes on your path, it's okay. Just remember to learn from them!

Now we have completed learning about all eight steps on the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Concentration, and Right Mindfulness. We finished all of them! It's important to remember that all eight steps, when combined together, will allow you to free yourself from dukkha. Remember to use what we learned in your life and follow the Noble Eightfold Path! Check back next month to learn more about a new topic!

I hope 2014 was a great year for you! I hope that you all learned a lot and next year you will learn even more!

Thank you for learning!

Ruvini