{"id":4420,"date":"2016-11-16T16:19:06","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T21:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=4420"},"modified":"2016-11-13T16:22:25","modified_gmt":"2016-11-13T21:22:25","slug":"mindfulness-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2016\/11\/mindfulness-matters.html","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been writing about mindfulness for almost ten years now, practicing it for almost thirty (a few years shy of that). Despite the fact that there are too many mindfulness books in the world already, I can’t help myself–I keep writing!<\/p>\n

My two mindfulness-focused book are now a lovely matched set–each a collection of 108 short chapters. These books are gifty in that sense that they don’t need to be read straight through. You can keep them on your night stand and dip into them as you please.<\/p>\n

\"Cover_108Metaphors\"<\/a>I am also pleased to announce that my first book\u2013Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness is being re-released under the title 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness: from Wild Chickens to Petty Tyrants. It has the same metaphors that many people have grown to love and trust in their daily mindfulness practice in a new book design (astute obersvers will notice that it is very similar to Mindfulness A to Z. Here is an excerpt from the preface that I wrote for the new edition:<\/p>\n

Since the initial publication of 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness in 2009, I\u2019ve come to appreciate further the Buddha\u2019s mastery with metaphors.\u00a0Indeed, Buddhist scholar Damien Keown said, \u201cThe Buddha\u2019s skill in teaching the Dharma, demonstrated in his ability to adapt his message to the context in which it was delivered. Parables, metaphors, and similes formed an important part of his teaching rep- ertoire, skillfully tailored to suit the level of his audi- ence.\u201d The Pali Canon, which is the written record of the Buddha\u2019s teachings, contains over 1000 met- aphorical references addressing over 500 different concepts.<\/p>\n

Top 5 Metaphors for Mindfulness: Interview with Arnie Kozak Ph.D.>><\/em><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Mindfulness-A-to-Z-cover18\"<\/a>Mindfulness A to Z is something of a memoir because it contains a variety of personal stories about times that I was mindful and times that I was not. The book is organized as the title suggests as a dictionary of mindfulness terms with listings literally from a to z. You\u2019ll find entries on acceptance, Buddha, compassion, equanimity, and so forth.<\/p>\n

The book has been beautifully produced by Wisdom. It\u2019s not the kind of book that you\u2019ll read cover to cover. You can march through the entries in order or you can skip around. You\u2019ll want to read one or two per day and sit with the wisdom and guidance that it sets forth.<\/p>\n

It is my hope that this book through its candid revelations about my own attempts to live a mindful life can help you to live more mindfully too. Each brief chapter contains some important teaching relevant to mindfulness and grounded in the teachings of the Buddha.<\/p>\n

Here are some samples:<\/p>\n

\n

\"11951100_955049484553827_7661023066388418156_n\"E is for Effort<\/em><\/h3>\n

Mindfulness A to Z<\/em>\u00a0official release is tomorrow!Here is an excerpt from \u201cE is for Effort\u201d<\/p>\n

We may need to encourage ourselves gently in the direction of practice. Challenges arise. Daily life is complicated and busy; it may seem like we have no time to practice. But the effort required to be mindful in any given moment is small. After we bring our attention to what is happening now, the onrush of life works to pull us back into our story. Effort is the aggregate of many\u00a0small moves, many small corrections in the direction of attending to the here and now. It is not about forcing our minds to stand still like statues. It\u2019s about simply bringing attention back again and again. Good effort is the art of the gentle return to now.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u2014Arnie Kozak<\/a>, Mindfulness A to Z: 108 Insights for Awakening Now<\/p>\n

Available right now from\u00a0Wisdom Publications<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0wherever books are sold >><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\"11951869_955039184554857_1925068064079962933_n\"N is for Nirvana<\/em><\/h3>\n

Mindfu<\/em>lness A to Z<\/em>\u00a0official release is 7 Days Away!Here is an excerpt from \u201cN is for Nirvana\u201d<\/p>\n

Nirvana is one of the most commonly misunderstood concepts in Buddhism. It literally means \u201cblown out,\u201d as when the flame of a candle has been extinguished. Because of its usage in popular culture, nirvana is often imagined to be a transcendent reality\u2014an ultimate existence that is more real than our ordinary lives. It is true that nirvana is a state quite different than our normal state of experience, but the idea has been blown somewhat out of proportion in\u00a0popular culture. The Buddha chose the metaphorical term \u201cnirvana\u201d to describe his enlightenment, not as an otherworldly transcendent experience, but as the final extinction of the fires of suffering in himself.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u2014Arnie Kozak<\/a>, Mindfulness A to Z: 108 Insights for Awakening Now<\/p>\n

Available right now from\u00a0Wisdom Publications<\/a>\u00a0and wherever books are sold >><\/a><\/p>\n

Here is a feature article <\/a>on Mindfulness A to Z that I wrote for the main Beliefnet website >><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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\/4420","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=4420"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4462,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4420\/revisions\/4462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}