The Experience of Insight

While farming in Thailand I had many opportunities to learn about meditation from many practiced-meditators and teachers, and was even able to work on a few farms where meditation was a part of the daily structure. I found the experience extremely eye-opening, humbling, and even spiritual. While living on one particular "Meditation Farm", I had some time to read a book during one of our mid-day Siestas. I chose "The Experience of Insight", by Joseph Goldstein.

The following is a short excerpt from the book that I enjoyed because it reminded me of the purpose and the destiny of the human life (death), and how we take advantage of life so often, just to find that time has slipped by. Living in the awareness of the presence of death could be viewed morbid, but it actually allows us to live in the moment mindfully. It teaches us to be grateful for each moment, and to live humbly, in harmonious meaning:

"Often in forgetfulness of our destiny, we become over-involved in collecting things, in attachments and possessions, in wanting to become someone special. We get involved in many of the activities of the LITTLE MIND, taking our ambitions, our desires, ourselves very seriously. We lost the perspective of BIG MIND, we lose the perspective of death."