Like yoga before it, mindfulness is now flourishing in every sector of society. It is a buzzword in everything from medicine to the military. In the new book From Suffering to Peace: The True Promise of Mindfulness, author Mark Coleman, who has studied and taught mindfulness meditation for decades, draws on his knowledge to not only clarify what mindfulness truly means but also reveal the depth and potential of this ancient discipline. Weaving together contemporary applications with practices in use for millennia, his approach empowers us to engage with and transform the inevitable stress and pain of life, so we can discover genuine peace — in the body, heart, mind, and wider world. We hope you will enjoy this Q and A w/ Mark about the book.
Tell us about your book From Suffering to Peace and what inspired you to write it.
I wrote the book after having taught mindfulness in a variety of places for the last twenty years, from meditation centers to Fortune 500 companies, in healthcare, United Nations, schools and prisons. Given that, I feel like I have a unique vantage point to talk about how mindfulness is growing and impacting every sector of society.
In addition, I have been concerned about the popularization of mindfulness and the over simplification of what is in essence a very rich and deep practice, path and tool. I wanted to share the depth and potential of mindfulness from the context of the original tradition (Buddhism) – that it is a path and practice that leads to wisdom, insight and true inner peace.
How do you define the word mindfulness?
Simply put – Clear Awareness. Knowing what’s happening as its happening. Present moment attention.
Longer definition: A non-reactive awareness of our mental, emotional, physical and environmental experience with an attitude of curiosity and care that develops insight and understanding.
The subtitle is From Suffering to Peace is “The True Promise of Mindfulness.” What are the main benefits of mindfulness?
Many. Inner peace. Non-reactivity. Self-awareness. Unhooking from negative mental and emotional patterns. Insight into oneself and reality. Capacity for empathy and compassion. Grounded embodied presence. The ability to meet the pain of life without creating any suffering around it. Development of equanimity, acceptance, and balance. Inner joy and happiness.
What is embodied awareness and how can we begin to develop it?
Embodied awareness is attention that is grounded and centered in the body. This is most easily understood by watching a professional modern dancer move. They are fully in their physical experience.
Talk to us about dissatisfaction and how mindfulness can help us deal with it.
Mindfulness gives us the clarity and discernment to discover first hand, moment by moment that everything in this world is impermanent and as such, it is ultimately dissatisfactory. When we see that, we stop expecting things to fulfill us that can’t, because we know they will change and fade. Dissatisfaction comes from expecting that which is transient to last and give us the lasting satisfaction we all seek. Mindfulness helps us unhook from that painful pattern.
You say in the book that letting go happens through the process of letting be. How so?
Some things in life we can let go of quickly – a negative thought, an impulse. However there are many things that we can’t just let go of. Physical pain, strong emotions, grief, and bigger life issues like the stress of our job, for example. So first we practice letting be, which means that we allow and accept and understand what is happening, like the grief for the loss of a loved one. Over time when we are able to fully be with something without reactivity, letting go often happens by itself.
Tell us about how mindfulness can help us manage triggering emotions.
Mindfulness is a key tool for working with triggering emotions. It gives us the self-awareness of knowing what is happening in our mind, body and heart, which is where triggers arise from and are felt. The more familiar we are with the intensity of our physical experience when triggered, or the more we are able to feel and tolerate intense feelings in our heart and see how our thoughts are often exacerbate by our triggered response, the more capacity we have to deal with such triggers
What is self-compassion and what are the three components that are necessary to foster it?
Self-compassion is the ability to take care of yourself with kindness, particularly when you are struggling. The three components are shifting from self-judgment to self-kindness, that suffering is universal so you aren’t alone, and developing mindful self-awareness
Can mindfulness help us become more kind? If so, how?
Mindfulness wakes us up to the human predicament that life is challenging, complex, and not easy. The more we are present to our own struggles, with care and understanding, the more empathy and compassion we can feel for others when they go through similar hardships of their own. Mindfulness also helps us see that kindness brings happiness and peace to the heart
What do you most hope readers will take away from your book From Suffering to Peace?
That mindfulness is within them and that they can develop awareness that leads to profound insight, well being, and peace.
Mark Coleman is the author of From Suffering to Peace, Make Peace with Your Mind, and Awake in the Wild. He is the founder of the Mindfulness Institute and has an MA in clinical psychology. Mark has guided students on five continents as a corporate consultant, counselor, meditation teacher, and wilderness guide. He lives in Northern California. Visit him online at MarkColeman.org.
Excerpted from the book From Suffering to Peace. Copyright ©2019 by Mark Coleman. Printed with permission from New World Library.