(Wisdom Quarterly) When and where should someone be mindful? In all places, at all times, which includes the restroom. Graffiti reveals a great deal about the American psyche in the most secretive place we visit daily. But any serious consideration or discussion of it is almost impossible to find.
The Discourse on the Fourfold Setting-up of Mindfulness calls for constant mindfulness and clear comprehension: According to it, "whether you walk, stand, sit, lie down or sleep, whether you stretch or bend your limbs, whether you look round, whether you put on your clothes, whether you talk or keep silent, whether you eat or drink, even when you answer the calls of nature -- in all these and other activities -- you should be fully aware and mindful of the act you perform at that moment."
American anthropology in the restroom (toilet, washroom, lavatory, water closet)
That is to say, live in the moment itself, in the present action, undisturbed by useless thoughts of the past and future. (Note: the Buddha's Discourse on Mindfulness, or Satipatthana Sutra, deals with 14 meditation exercises constituting a complete system.)
- Simple mindfulness exercises (diy-stress-relief.com)
"Know thyself" is the great dictum of the ages. To know, we must look at ourselves. And Americans looking at America the way an anthropologist would is extremely rare.
We will sit fascinated watching aboriginal rites-of-passage involving feats of strength, but seeing a football game dissected with ourselves as the subjects -- we're insulted and turn away. Let's go behind the scenes, into the stalls and private chambers, that we might see ourselves as we really are. Filmed in Austin Texas in the mid 1990s, this documentary questions the origins of bathroom graffiti. What does it mean? When did it start? What is it for? And what can we learn from it? Exploring toilet stalls>>
When the Buddha was asked why his disciples were so radiant, he replied: "They do not repent the past, nor do they brood over the future. They live in the present. Therefore, they are radiant. By brooding over the future and repenting the past, fools dry up like green reeds cut down (in the sun)." More on mindfulness>>
Enlightened Potty Training?
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