[Avodah] What is Mindfulness and does Judaism have it

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Nov 19, 2007 12:00 PM, Yonatan Kaganoff <ykaganoff at yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>
> 5) R. Richard Wolpoe talking about not being distracted while involved in
> learning.  How is this any different than being so involved in playing video
> games that one doesn't notice the cold (or hunger or other people in the
> room with him)? Being absorbed in Torah learning is not Mindfulness.
>

Some quick points:

   1. My understanding that lack of distraction is approximately the same
   as being in the present moment. It is possible that betrays my concept of
   mindfulness as a bit superficial but that is about where I am holding on the
   mindfulness scale!
   2. I davka was pointing out that this Mishna was NOT davka about
   Learning Torah per se! and I used the illustration of an absent-minded or
   distracted surgeon.  Truee, the popular peshat of this Mishna IS with regard
   to Learning Torah, but persoanlyl I have  FELT it was more about paying
   attention to what you are doing than about learning Torah per se.  Again, if
   paying attention to what one is doing is NOT equivalent to being in the
   present moment then My understanding of mindfulness is somewhat flawed.



>
> So I am left with my original question.  Is Mindfulness or being Present
> in the Moment a Jewish virtue?
>
> ------------------------------
>
> I dunno for sure!  AISI it should be deemed as a valuable means to an end
in Judaism, but not an end in itself.   It is  jsut my understanding that
wheter it be Torah, Tefillah, or Shechita, one should be  "mindful" of what
one is doing, but re: mindfulness itself I am not so sure

-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
Please Visit:
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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