Attention and Awareness Archives - Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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Attention and Awareness

Thursday, June 4, 2026

Posted on June 3, 2026
in #Reading Poetry, Attention and Awareness, Creativity, Imagination, Oral Stories, Well Being
2 Comments

As a college student, I admired poets and those who enjoyed reading poems, but rarely did I read poetry myself. Later in life, my younger daughter, Zoon gifted me Pablo Neruda’s Odes to Common Things. I read and reread the poems, and loved each one of those jewels, simple yet stunning.  To understand the structure and methods of writing poetry, I read Edward Hirsch’s How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry and Molly Peacock’s How to Read a Poem and Start a Poetry Circle. Several years went by without my reading another poem. Writing one had not even occurred to me. Between 2007-2011 my website blogs were commentaries on several sacred text, all written in verse including Taoist, Tao-te Ching, Buddhist Dhammapada and Hindu Bhagavad Gita. Each week I copied one chapter from one sacred book from...

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Thursday, May 14, 2026

Posted on May 13, 2026
in #Authentic Self, #Awareness, #Neuroscience and Meditation, Flourishing, Imagination, Spirituality, Well Being
0 Comments

Red Roses, Ashby Ponds, May 2026 The Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s insight that both science and spirituality share common goals to “pursue truth and serve humanity” is shared by avant-garde neuroscientists as well. A mind free from disturbance alleviates stress and suffering, a goal shared by science and meditative paths alike. Apart from contemplative calm and composure there is more practical potential within each and every one of us. Such a life is best described as flourishing or a life of Utter Wellness.  Aristotle proposed the goal of life as the “Right Mean,” a quality between extremes such as risk-taking and cowardice, between self-indulgence and ascetic denial. He also stated that we are not virtuous by nature but we can become so by self-monitoring. Self-monitoring means the practice of noting our thoughts and acts in silence and...

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Thursday, May 7, 2026

Posted on May 6, 2026
in #Stillness and Quietude, Attention and Awareness, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Sharper Brain after Retirement
4 Comments

Nancy Bishop, AP Resident, Watercolor, 2025 Practicing meditation frequently can produce pleasant states but real payoffs are lasting traits that result from practicing it diligently. Our character alters. Altered traits shape how we behave in our daily lives. The most compelling impact of meditation is not better health but a development of better nature. With years of practice it cultivates selflessness, equanimity, a loving presence, and compassion.  In 1987 the Dalai Lama organized meetings of leading scientists at Mind and Life Institute he has established in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India where he now lives. Its mission “to alleviate suffering and promote flourishing or utter wellness by integrating science with contemplative practices.” To debate, discuss and engage in serious research on meditation he brought together a community of like-minded scholars and scientists from...

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Tuesday, May 4, 2026

Posted on May 4, 2026
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Attention and Awareness, Awareness, Meditation, Spirituality
3 Comments

Nancy Bishop, AP Resident, Watercolor This month we’ll focus on Mindfulness and Neuroscientific research done on meditation. Mindfulness is part of an ancient tradition with countless benefits. It teaches how to calm down and pause instead of reacting with anger or irritability, how to act without getting stressed or anxious. But originally the practice was not intended for such purposes. These are simply its side-effects.  Easy and brief meditation practices are spin offs that has been recently adopted in western countries. The original aim of meditation, still embraced in some cultures and circles, focusses on deep exploration of the mind to get insights into human consciousness.  Using fMRI and EEG (explained below) and a battery of cutting-edge data analysis for the last thirty years or so neuroscientists have been studying minds of Tibetan monks...

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Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Posted on April 27, 2026
in #Authentic Self, Attention and Awareness, Spirituality
5 Comments

In 1957 an entire monastery in Thailand was being relocated by a group of monks. While moving the giant clay Buddha, the monks noticed a large crack. On closer investigation they noticed a golden gleam emanating from inside. Using gentle hammer and chisel strokes they chipped away the clay exterior until an image made of solid gold was revealed. Art historians believe that centuries earlier, older generation of monks had covered the image of the Buddha, made in solid gold, with clay to protect it from attack by the Burmese army. This fascinating discovery became a perfect metaphor for human life. Our Authentic Self (awareness of who we truly are) is the gold Buddha shining inside you. It is not somewhere in future, it is not in your much-loved spouse or...

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Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Posted on April 6, 2026
in #Awareness, #Neuroscience and Meditation, #Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Flourishing, Nonverbal Activities, Originality, Sharper Brain after Retirement
2 Comments

The Hopeful Immigrant, Our Friend 1978, Acrylic on Canvas What does neuroplasticity mean?  Neuroplasticity means that our brain structure changes in response to whatever training we practice. It goes on all the time. Drugs temporarily alter our brain. We feel differently until they are in our system. But meditation alters each and every nook of our brain and our body and impacts our day-to-day life.  4 Pillars of neuroplasticity are Awareness, Connection, Insight and Resilience1. AwarenessMetta (loving friendly) Awareness means knowing where your mind is and what it is doing, and bringing it back to the breath over and over again. 2. ConnectionHealthy social relationships. 3. InsightIntroducing oneself to Self and having positive self-image. It ranges from positive self-image to not ever introducing oneself to Self to extremely negative self-image. 4 ResilienceHaving the ability to recover from adversity. In order to...

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Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Posted on March 30, 2026
in Attention and Awareness, Flourishing, Imagination, Journaling, Meditation, Originality, Spirituality
1 Comment

Daffodil Field, Ashby Ponds A gift! These words rarely come to mind when we wake up to a brand-new day. Instead, our mind is already occupied with memories and anticipations. The blank page of the day stands waiting to be filled with feelings of comfort, joy, and moments that are uniquely ours. But we are not present for it. What if you open your eyes in the morning and feel grateful for another new day. Wash your face, brush your teeth, drink a glass of water, and sit at your Sacred Power Spot. You meditate. Your journal. Then comes several minutes of deep reading – a poem or a short chapter from an anthology meaningful to you. By this time, your mind is bound to feel enriched with benevolence and peace. With positive energy, the...

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Tuesday, 10 March, 2026

Posted on March 9, 2026
in #Awareness, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Well Being
4 Comments

Lovable Sweet Mother, Oil on Canvas, 1978 You’re learning to connect with your Authentic Self, your awareness that is nothing but joy, contentment and peace. This conscious Self knows you better than you know yourself. When awakened, it never fails to lend its ear or point you toward the right direction. You may converse with it in journaling, in meditation, paying attention to your intuitions at any time, any place. It is your personal therapist—wise and kind.  We are learning to differentiate between conceptual thought and deep awareness. We discussed how attention can be cultivated and how awareness rises when you stay embodied and live in the present. Attention on breath and being alive to the present moment is the beginning of the practice of mindfulness.  You continue to practice Silent Meditation and Body...

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Thursday, February 26, 2026

Posted on February 25, 2026
in Attention and Awareness, Creativity, Flourishing, Originality, Well Being
4 Comments

Snowscape, 1977, Oil on Canvas In the book titled, The Happiness Project: Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, the bestselling author Gretchen Rubin writes that she had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places – a city bus.  “The days are long, but the years are short,” she thought. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” (Money doesn’t buy happiness!) In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her own happiness. Reading her musings, I remembered how many decades ago it occurred to me that I could not change the world but I could only change myself. But how? I reread the world wisdom books,...

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Tuesday, February 22, 2026

Posted on February 24, 2026
in #Awareness, #Neuroscience and Meditation, Attention and Awareness, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Spirituality
4 Comments

Winter Landscape Just as plants have the capacity to bring scented flowers to life, just as black rock can crystalize into a glittering diamond, and just as an egg can grow to become a captivating peacock, you too can transcend into your Authentic Self. When you are fully present in the now, when you are embodied, and grounded, you are at your truest self. Let the intelligence of your body, your mind and your heart inform you, awaken you, and guide your day. How can you actualize this? How can you become your Authentic Self? How can you connect with and experience your inner body? By being self-aware and attentive of your surroundings with the practices of journaling and meditation.   These practices remove the masks and self-protective shields you tend to cover yourselves...

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