The Mindfulness Edge

12Advanced-Level Training

Although the ideas covered in the last two chapters become self-evident to anyone who closely examines our world and how we operate in it, the ideas can appear quite radical because they challenge the status quo view of the world that many of us have held for most of our lives. Some people state that they flat-out disagree with the idea that the mind and body are not ultimately what we are. Ironically, this can actually be a good thing.

These ideas are not meant to become some philosophy that we simply believe in. Making a philosophy out of the notion that we are not ultimately the body and mind is not very helpful and can actually be harmful in some cases. Transformation doesn't result from adopting a new philosophy. Transformation is the result of seeing the truth for ourselves. This happens automatically when we look closely at ourselves, and at the world, with sufficiently stable awareness.

The ideas around the wisdom of true excellence were offered not to convince anyone that we should believe something but to help us understand why we should bother to look and see for ourselves that we are not the thinking mind. When we understand the incredible benefits that result from directly realizing that we are not the thinking mind, we have a much greater motivation to develop the wisdom that fuels both leadership and personal excellence.

The exercises offered ...