Christian Critique of A Daily Dose of Dharma
Chapter 5 – Awareness/Mindfulness
Chapter 5 – Awareness/Mindfulness
Page 114: Unless you are aware (mindful) of yourself from moment to moment you are not grounded. If you are not grounded, you are not in touch with the ground, the reality, the truth, the Dharma of that moment.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Psalm 25:1.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 115: Once you are grounded with (mindfulness) awareness, you are in touch with reality or truth, moment to moment.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. Psalm 25:2.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 116: When you are unaware, and not grounded in Reality, that’s when accidents happen, misunderstandings happen, and mistakes happen.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Psalm 25:3.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 117: When you are not aware or mindful, save yourself the trouble by not acting (not doing anything). The way mistakes, misunderstandings, and accidents are less likely to happen.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Psalm 25:4.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 118: When you are aware or mindful you have a brief gap between impulse and action. That way you are less likely to act on impulse and more likely to hold back because of the awareness (mindfulness of impulse.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:5.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 119: When you are used to living in awareness, moment to moment, fewer accidents happen. Therefore your life is safer and you are more likely to keep your health.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Psalm 25:6.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 120: When you are aware or mindful you slow down the aging process. That is because you are living moment to moment in (mindfulness) awareness. Relatively, life seems longer to you. For those who are not aware (mindful), life passes by quickly.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. Psalm 25:7.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 121: When you become more and more familiar with awareness, (mindfulness) moment to moment, wisdom grows in you automatically.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 122: Awareness (mindfulness) allows you to dwell more in the mind than the body. As you dwell more and more in the mind, not only does life seem longer and longer for you, but as you advance to the highest level of meditation, dwelling in awareness (mindfulness) leads you to be an immortal, in essence.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. Psalm 25:9.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 123: To cultivate awareness (mindfulness) one should observe the basic precepts or morality code. The basic five precepts are:
• Not to kill
• Not to steal
• Not to lie
• Not to have sexual affairs
• Not to use intoxicants
Note: The commandments of God predate Buddhist philosophy.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:7-17.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 124: Without keeping the basic precepts or morality, there can be no cultivation of awareness (mindfulness).
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Psalm 25:10-11.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 125: When there is no cultivation of awareness (mindfulness), no wisdom can arise.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. Psalm 25:12.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 126: To have wisdom arise, there should be a proper balance between concentration and detached observation. That proper balance is referred to as right awareness (mindfulness). The right awareness (mindfulness) is the precursor to the rising of wisdom.
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. Psalm 26:1.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 127: To start the cultivation of awareness (mindfulness), one needs to start with the awareness of being alive and living. What better way to be aware of being alive and living than to be aware of one’s breathing?
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. Psalm 26:2.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 128: To cultivate the awareness (mindfulness) of the present moment, choose breathing as the object of concentration. By focusing one the in and out breathing, one is being aware of (mindful of) one’s moment to moment existence. Focusing on the in and out breath is the start of Meditation – the systematic training of the mind to be aware (mindful).
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. Psalm 26:3.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 129: For beginners, focus and concentrate on you breathing as the beginning level of meditation. Also getting used to sustaining your mind at each in and out breath, improves your power of concentration. After improving your power of concentration on breathing to a certain level, you can then practice some detached observation of your own breathing. The ultimate goal is to maintain a balance between the concentration and observation of the breathing to attain the right awareness (mindfulness).
Note: Christians will be grounded in the truth of God.
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. Psalm 9:1.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 130: Practice meditation, again, and again, and again. Practice regularly; two or more times a day, for at least half an hour each time, and attain the proper balance between concentration and observation on breathing to achieve the right awareness (mindfulness).
Note: Christians will mindfully pray in private to a personal God.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:5-7.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 131: Once you have attained and become familiar with right awareness (mindfulness) in meditation, try to maintain that frame of (meditative) mind of right awareness (mindfulness) in your daily living.
Note: Christians will be doing the will of God after mindful prayer.
So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.” Acts 10:30-33.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 132: As you get more and more familiar with living in awareness (mindfulness) then you will feel a sense of joy enveloping you and you will be more calm in your feeling as well as your outlook.
Note: Christians who are led by the Holy Spirit are filled with joy.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
Page 133: Keep trying to meditate and meditate and meditate. Be mindful of your breathing in meditation. Do not give up. Do not stop practicing. And when you become familiar with mindfulness of breathing in meditation, keep that mindfulness also in your day to day living. Living then become joyous and you will stay calm more and more.
Note: Christians are mindful of their genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:3-7.
Note: Buddhists do not believe that there is a God.
