provide one specific example similar H u m a n i t i e s

Most of the answers to the questions below come directly from the podcast and article. There are a few questions which are considered “Personal Reflection” questions and are thus indicated as such in parentheses to avoid any confusion.

1.According to the beginning of the podcast, what are two general benefits of a mindfulness practice that the speaker names?

2.According to the podcast, why is non-striving a “tough” pillar of mindfulness for people to resonate with?

3.According to the podcast, what is the reason or purpose for virtually “everything that we do as human beings”?

4.How does this understanding (i.e., the answer to the previous question) “make meditation and mindfulness practices counterintuitive for most people”?

5.According to the speaker, “the ultimate idea and purpose of doing [mindfulness and meditation] is to simply just ___.” (Fill in the blank)

6.According to the podcast, why does Jon Kabat-Zinn argue that we should rename ourselves
“human doings” rather than “human beings”?

7.What do you see might be the potential value of spending some time “just being” rather than in a constant “doing mode”? (Personal Reflection)

8.How does meditation help us cultivate more “non-doing” (i.e., non-striving)?

9.What is “one of the benefits of meditation” that the speaker mentions in the context of non-doing/non-striving?

10.Do you think that there is a value in taking a break from incessant activity, striving, and multi-tasking? Do you ever find it exhausting to constantly be “on the go”? Please elaborate. (Personal Reflection)

11.According to the speaker, how is the mind like an ocean? And what does this reveal about the nature of thoughts that might help us dispel a common misconception about meditation?

12.According to the speaker, rather than stopping or controlling our thoughts, what is the “ultimate goal or purpose” of meditation?

13.According to the speaker, what is the potential value of just being present with and noticing discomfort (rather than trying to relieve it or get rid of it)?

14.What does the speaker suggest we do for our goals related to meditation once we actually start meditating? And why does he make this suggestion?

15.The speaker suggests that in meditation, we can live in the present moment without striving because “we are just fine the way we are—there is nothing that you need to be other than what you are right now.” What do you think might be the value or benefit of this sort of self-acceptance in your own life? (Personal Reflection)

16.The speaker makes a distinction between “striving to change” vs “allowing it to change.” What do you think is the difference between these two concepts? And what might be the value of “allowing things to change” over “striving to change them”? (Personal Reflection)

17.From the article entitled “Non-Striving” by Toby Ouvry, how does he describe “non-striving”?

18.The author provides a few examples of practical non-striving in our lives. Provide one specific example similar to those provided of how you can apply non-striving in your own life? (Personal Reflection)

19.According to the article, how does the attitude of non-striving relate to “our natural intelligence”?

20.According to the author, “competency at non-striving [helps us] discover that it is possible to get what we want or at least what we need with much less effort than we deemed necessary.” In your own words, describe how you think non-striving (and being mindful) helps us do this? (Personal Reflection)