{"id":987,"date":"2010-01-27T12:32:23","date_gmt":"2010-01-27T12:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onecity\/2010\/01\/sometimes-you-find-enlightenment-by-punching-people-in-the-face.html"},"modified":"2010-01-27T12:32:23","modified_gmt":"2010-01-27T12:32:23","slug":"sometimes-you-find-enlightenment-by-punching-people-in-the-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onecity\/2010\/01\/sometimes-you-find-enlightenment-by-punching-people-in-the-face.html","title":{"rendered":"Sometimes You Find Enlightenment by Punching People in the Face"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"4308281182_380a291914.jpg\"<\/span><\/p>\n

This week I’m curating a guest post from Jonathan Mead, a friend who inspires by living life on his own terms and sharing what he can with others.  To quote from Jonathan’s own site, Illuminated Mind<\/a>: “The reason for everything: To create a revolution based on authentic action. A social movement of people liberating themselves through living on their own terms.<\/i><\/b>”  <\/p>\n

While this may sound like a recipe for narcissistic individualism in the hands of the wrong guy, it can also be a pretty accurate description of mindful living when combined with the essence of compassion and an understanding of interdependence. Fortunately Jonathan has based his own life and what he offers to others on a well-grounded mindfulness practice.  Between Illuminated Mind and his free eBook The Zero Hour Workweek<\/a>, Jonathan offers insights from his own experience that can cut through the fog of your day like a lighthouse beacon. It’s good, authentic lifestuff. – Jerry Kolber<\/i><\/p>\n

SOMETIMES YOU FIND ENLIGHTENMENT BY PUNCHING PEOPLE IN THE FACE<\/b><\/p>\n

by Jonathan Mead<\/p>\n

Could it be possible to find enlightenment by punching people in the
\nface? How about while sitting on the toilet, or staring at peeling
\npaint on an old wooden fence?<\/p>\n

The formal practice for mind-training begins on the meditation cushion. Nothing can or should (in my opinion) replace that. Just sitting<\/i> is about as potent of a spiritual practice as it gets.<\/p>\n

But then there are those other 23 and half hours in the day. What do you do with those?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After all, it doesn’t matter much if you’re calm as a Hindu cow while you’re thinking the thought of no thought, but you’re as mad as a box of frogs while you’re not.<\/p>\n

In order to live effectively, we have to move our training beyond
\nthe cushion and into our relationships, our work, and our habits. We
\nrefer to these as mindfulness practices, and some of the well-cited
\npossibilities can be eating, walking, or standing in line at the
\ngrocery store. But there are some less obvious opportunities for
\ncultivating conscious awareness.<\/p>\n

One such opportunity I’ve found is punching people in the face.<\/p>\n

It’s easy to label something like martial arts as a chauvinistic,
\nviolent, or ego-driven pursuit. To be honest, the reason I first became
\ninterested in martial arts was almost purely rooted in an ego-based
\ninterest. I thought it was cool. I thought it was “manly.” I thought it
\nwould make me a badass.<\/p>\n

I still think some of those things are true. But practicing Jeet
\nKune Do (the martial arts system I practice, also known as JKD) has
\nbecome much more than just a surface-level endeavor.<\/p>\n

I now see my practice as an activity of self development. It’s an
\nopportunity to practice mindfulness. It allows me to practice humility,
\nfocus, and kindness. Yes, even that.<\/p>\n

When I practice I get direct response feedback of how mindful or
\nunmindful I am. If I’m not practicing self kindness (going against
\nmyself), my technique suffers. When I beat myself up for not being as
\namazing as I think I should be, I see it manifest physically and
\nimmediately. No delay, no lag time. I don’t have to wait for reality to buffer.<\/b><\/p>\n

That’s what I love about JKD. There is no duplicity, no hiding. It is 100% unadulterated truth.<\/p>\n

Transmuting pain<\/h2>\n

What I find particularly interesting is the irony behind it — that
\nan art rooted in violence can become a practice for liberation.<\/p>\n

But, isn’t this true in most other cases as well? Isn’t our deepest
\npain often an opportunity to connect more deeply with joy? Negativity
\nand falsehood is a practice for realizing positivity and truth. By
\nmoving through it, and facing it directly, we can grow.<\/p>\n

Whatever art you choose to pursue, you can transform it into a way
\nof liberation. Maybe that’s writing, maybe it’s break-dancing, or maybe
\nit’s Jeet Kune Do.<\/p>\n

Finding a physically mindful practice is a way for you to take your
\ntraining into visible, corporeal realm. The more you work at your art,
\nthe more you’ll start noticing the tangible results of your
\nmindfulness. When you are present, kind, and compassionate, you will be
\nrewarded. When you are not, it will be apparent.<\/p>\n

I’ve found that I can turn most anything into a practice of self
\ndevelopment. The way I train physically is just one expression of this
\nperspective.<\/p>\n

Nothing makes up for the formal practice of sitting on your ass<\/i>, but I think there are many other way we can practice living consciously.<\/p>\n

Punching people in the face just happens to be my preference.<\/p>\n

I guess sometimes liberation can often be found in the most unexpected of places.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For more, check out Jonathan’s free e-book The Zero Hour Workweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week I’m curating a guest post from Jonathan Mead, a friend who inspires by living life on his own terms and sharing what he can with others.  To quote from Jonathan’s own site, Illuminated Mind: “The reason for everything: To create a revolution based on authentic action. A social movement of people liberating themselves…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-right-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nSometimes You Find Enlightenment by Punching People in the Face - One City<\/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\/onecity\/2010\/01\/sometimes-you-find-enlightenment-by-punching-people-in-the-face.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sometimes You Find Enlightenment by Punching People in the Face - One City\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week I’m curating a guest post from Jonathan Mead, a friend who inspires by living life on his own terms and sharing what he can with others.  To quote from Jonathan’s own site, Illuminated Mind: “The reason for everything: To create a revolution based on authentic action. 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