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Dr Jon Kabat Zinn - Insightful Quotes & Biography - Creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program

 

“The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.”

“It means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate it.”

“As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong with you.”

“It is indeed a radical act of love just to sit down and be quiet for a time by yourself.”

“Wherever you go, there you are.”

“Meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It’s about feeling the way you feel.”

“We take care of the future best by taking care of the present now.”

“The present moment is the only time that any of us have to be alive - to know anything - to perceive - to learn - to act - to change - to heal.”

“Wherever you go, there you are. Whatever you wind up doing, that’s what you’ve wound up doing. Whatever you are thinking right now, that’s what’s on your mind. Whatever has happened to you, it has already happened. The future is made up of only such moments. Whatever happens to you in the future, will simply be another present moment when it arrives. You can’t escape the present moment.”

“It means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.”

“In Asian languages, the word for ‘mind’ and the word for ‘heart’ are same. So if you’re not hearing it in some deep way as heartfulness, you’re not really understanding it. Compassion and kindness towards oneself are intrinsically woven into it. You could think of it as wise and affectionate attention.”

“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”

“We have only now, only this single eternal moment opening and unfolding before us, day and night.”

“It is not a matter of letting go – you would if you could. Instead of “Let it go,” we should probably say “Let it be.”

“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.”

“The real meditation is how you live your life.”

“It is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.”

“Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain.”

“If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear.”

“The most important thing is to remember the most important thing.”

“To let go means to give up coercing, resisting, or struggling, in exchange for something more powerful and wholesome which comes out of allowing things to be as they are without getting caught up in your attraction to or rejection of them, in the intrinsic stickiness of wanting, of liking and disliking.”

“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there – buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.”

“As we become more mindful of our speech, we learn to use fewer words and to use them more wisely, avoiding what the Buddha called “speech that leads to the harm and suffering of oneself and others”.”

“In meditation practice, the best way to get somewhere is to let go of trying to get anywhere at all.”

“It is simple and completely feasible, says Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. “Just by sitting and doing nothing, we are doing a tremendous amount.”

“One is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.”

“Our thinking minds are like restless monkeys, jumping from one thing to another. Meditation helps us settle down so we can witness the incessant activity of the mind without getting caught up in it.”

“The healing of our own suffering is not separate from the healing of the world.”

“Whatever is happening, is the path to enlightenment.”

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.”

"We don’t really know where we are standing…a good question to ask ourselves is “Where am I?””

“One moment can generate more insights than a lifetime of analysis.”

“The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.”

“Every moment is an opportunity to make a fresh start.”

“Breath by breath, let go of fear, expectation, anger, regret, cravings, frustration, fatigue. Let go of the need for approval. Let go of old judgments and opinions. Die to all that, and fly free. Soar in the freedom of desirelessness.”

“At the deepest level, there is no giver, no gift, and no recipient…only the universe rearranging itself.”

“As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong, no matter how ill or how hopeless you may feel.”

“One is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.”

“Be the silent watcher of your thoughts and behavior. You are beneath the thinker. You are the stillness beneath the mental noise.”

“Each time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to truth can deepen.”

“Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are.”

“Life unfolds in the present. But so often, we let the present slip away, allowing time to rush past unobserved and unseized, and squandering the precious seconds of our lives as we worry about the future and ruminate about what’s past.”

“The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment.”

“It is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that.”

“As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong, no matter how ill or how hopeless you may feel.”

“The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle.”

 

 

Jon Kabat-Zinn – Biography

Jon Kabat-Zinn is a world-renowned mindfulness teacher, author, and founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Born in New York City in 1944, he studied at Haverford College and MIT, where he received a Ph.D. in molecular biology. He became interested in the mind-body connection, and in the 1970s, he began studying meditation and its applications in stress reduction and healing.

In 1979, he founded the Stress Reduction Clinic, where he developed the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which combines meditation, yoga, and mindful movement. The program has been taught worldwide and has helped countless people manage stress, pain, and illness.

He has written numerous books, including the bestsellers "Full Catastrophe Living" and "Wherever You Go, There You Are." He has also been a speaker at TEDx events, and his work has been featured in various media outlets, including Time magazine and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

He has received numerous awards and accolades for his work, including the Impact Award from the American Psychological Association and the Pioneer in Integrative Medicine Award from the Bravewell Collaborative.

His legacy and impact on the field are immeasurable. He has helped bring it into the mainstream and has inspired countless people to live more mindfully and compassionately.

Major Works

- "Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness" (1990)

- "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life" (1994)

- "Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness" (2005)

- "The Mind's Own Physician: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the Healing Power of Meditation" (2011)

Awards and Accolades

2006 - Impact Award from the American Psychological Association

2013 – Recipient of the inaugural John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation Award for his work in the field of integrative medicine and healing

2018 – Recipient of the Calming the Brain Through Meditation Award from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland

2019 – Honorary doctorate from the University of Udine in Italy for his contribution in medicine and society

2019 – Recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU School of Medicine

2020 – Recipient of the Mind & Life 1440 Award for Contributions in Mindfulness Research

Legacy and Impact

He is considered one of the most influential figures in his field, having pioneered the use of its practices in medicine and society. His work has helped countless people to manage stress, chronic pain, and illness, and has paved the way for the integration into healthcare and education systems around the world.

His approach is secular and accessible to people of all backgrounds and belief systems. He has emphasized its importance as a tool for self-care and personal growth, and has promoted its use in areas such as education, business, and social justice.

He has authored numerous books and articles on its applications, and his work continues to inspire and inform researchers, clinicians, and practitioners around the world.

Bibliography

“Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness” (1990)

“Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life” (1994)

“Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness” (2005)

“Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment - and Your Life” (2011)

“Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief: Guided Practices for Reclaiming Your Body and Your Life” (2017)

Articles:

“Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context: Past, Present, and Future” (Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003)

“Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge” (The Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2014)

“Some Reflections on the Origins of MBSR, Skillful Means, and the Trouble with Maps” (Contemporary Buddhism, 2018)

He is a pioneer in the field and its applications in healthcare and society. Through his work at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Center for Mindfulness, he has developed and popularized the MBSR program, which has helped millions of people to manage stress, pain, and illness.

His approach is accessible and adaptable to a variety of settings, and his work continues to inspire and inform researchers, clinicians, and practitioners around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

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