2011

Mindfulness is a primary tool to help clients get in touch with their inner selves. Although mindfulness originates in the Buddhist doctrine of faith, practices from Jewish and Christian scripture, as well as patristic fathers and mothers, support the same principles. Mindfulness provides a door to the exploration of the core principles of The Four Noble Truths. Stated simply the Four Noble truths are: a) to live life is to suffer, b) attachment is the cause of suffering, c) there can be an end to suffering, and d) follow the path of the Middle Way or the Eight Fold Path (Gunaratana, 2002; Kumar, 2002). Life is suffering; this truth is seen repeatedly in the Gospels. Two examples among many that could be cited are the paralyzed man at the pool in John 5:6, and the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:45.