Creating a mindful and authentic life

Dong Zen Buddhist College lecturer Venerable You Deng was invited to give a talk on the “Mindful Way of Living on 12 July 2019 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus. The talk was organised by the Centre for Extension Education (CEE).

Venerable You Deng

The talk aimed to educate participants on the meaning of mindfulness and the attitudes associated with it. It also aimed to teach participants the right ways to practise mindfulness.

“Mindfulness is important because by practising mindfulness, we will learn to value our lives at the present. It reminds us of what we are supposed to do. If we are meditating, it brings us back to the focus of meditation; if we are washing dishes, it reminds us to pay full attention to the washing process. When we are mindful, we see things as they are. Our thoughts have a way of pacing over reality, concepts and ideas that we experience. Mindfulness sees the true nature of a phenomenon. We directly see the three characteristics or marks of existence which are imperfect, temporary and egoless,” said You Deng.

“We practice mindfulness by waking up from the autopilot control and connecting deeply with ourselves and our lives. The more mindful we are, the more easily we see our own values and beliefs as an observer, which allows us to change the ones that hold us back,” mentioned You Deng.

“Do not go back to the past or fly into the future; learn to live in the present and learn to be aware of the things that are happening around you. When the time comes, we need to react and break the autopilot to move forward,” advised You Deng.

You Deng ended the talk by conducting an exercise session.

Participants at the event

Participants answering questions posted by speaker

You Deng (left) receiving a token appreciation from CEE Instructor Kalai Mathi Kernagaran

Group photo with all the participants


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