{"id":2428,"date":"2012-06-02T20:15:20","date_gmt":"2012-06-03T00:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=2428"},"modified":"2012-06-02T20:15:20","modified_gmt":"2012-06-03T00:15:20","slug":"mind-over-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html","title":{"rendered":"Mind over Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Someone recently, said she was going to use mind over matter to deal with some discomfort that she was anticipating to arise during meditation. Insetad, I suggested she engage “mind with matter.”<\/p>\n

Mind over matter suggests a clear separation between mind and matter. I really don’t think this separation exists. All “mind” is influenced by matter and the experience of matter is influenced by mind. Mind over matter also suggests effort, strain, perhaps even struggle. “By force of will, I will overcome this unpleasantness.”<\/p>\n

It can certainly work. We can use aspects of mind to get through just about any experience.\u00a0Mindfulness offers a way to engage mind with matter where we don’t mind matter<\/em> and mind doesn’t matter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We are always dealing with matter–the experience of our senses, the stuff that we have, and the laws of physics–the material world. Of course, each experiences is filtered through mind, so these are really not separate. More to the point, we have strong opinions about our material experiences–matter matters<\/em> to us. We like and dislike. These preferences create tension. We try to exclude the things we don’t like and include the things that we like. Since we can’t control everything that happens to us, the pressure to include-exclude makes us vulnerable to anxiety, disappointment, and stress.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness helps us to be peaceful in any moment–even a difficult moment. Mindful attention helps us to get to the point where matter doesn’t matter so much–we don’t mind<\/em> matter.<\/p>\n

We are always dealing with mind–thoughts, images, memories, and emotions. Like material, we have strong opinions about what our minds produce. We like and dislike, push and pull, and create the same tensions that can arise with our stuff. Here too, mindfulness can help us to be with whatever is arising without getting stressed out. We don’t have to judge mind. Mind doesn’t have to matter<\/em> so much. We can just be<\/em> in all our imperfections.<\/p>\n

This discussion of mind and matter reminds me of a conversation between Bart and Homer Simpson.<\/p>\n

\n
Bart Simpson: \u201cWhat is the mind? Is it just a system of impulses or is it something tangible?”<\/div>\n

Home Simpson: \u201cRelax. What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Never mind!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Someone recently, said she was going to use mind over matter to deal with some discomfort that she was anticipating to arise during meditation. Insetad, I suggested she engage “mind with matter.” Mind over matter suggests a clear separation between mind and matter. I really don’t think this separation exists. All “mind” is influenced by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,9],"tags":[296,479,21],"class_list":["post-2428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddha-101","category-mindfulnesss","tag-equanimity","tag-mind-over-matter","tag-mindfulness"],"yoast_head":"\nMind over Matter - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mind over Matter - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Someone recently, said she was going to use mind over matter to deal with some discomfort that she was anticipating to arise during meditation. Insetad, I suggested she engage “mind with matter.” Mind over matter suggests a clear separation between mind and matter. I really don’t think this separation exists. All “mind” is influenced by…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-03T00:15:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2012\/06\/BS13027-300x254.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Arnie Kozak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mind over Matter - Mindfulness Matters","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mind over Matter - Mindfulness Matters","og_description":"Someone recently, said she was going to use mind over matter to deal with some discomfort that she was anticipating to arise during meditation. Insetad, I suggested she engage “mind with matter.” Mind over matter suggests a clear separation between mind and matter. I really don’t think this separation exists. All “mind” is influenced by…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html","og_site_name":"Mindfulness Matters","article_published_time":"2012-06-03T00:15:20+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2012\/06\/BS13027-300x254.jpg"}],"author":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html","name":"Mind over Matter - Mindfulness Matters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2012\/06\/BS13027-300x254.jpg","datePublished":"2012-06-03T00:15:20+00:00","dateModified":"2012-06-03T00:15:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2012\/06\/BS13027-300x254.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2012\/06\/BS13027-300x254.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/06\/mind-over-matter.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mind over Matter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/","name":"Mindfulness Matters","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Arnie Kozak","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8","name":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","caption":"Dr. Arnie Kozak"},"description":"Recognized as an innovator in the field of mindfulness-based psychology, Dr. Arnie Kozak is northern New England's leading expert in the field. Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2428"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2433,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428\/revisions\/2433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}