The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

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Um, it's not uncommon for people to be so distracted

they don't know they're distracted

and um and the idea is to

change that and one of the ways to change

that from being distracted

of course is to practice mindfulness

but even when we practice

mindfulness, we're able to be in the present moment, it's fairly common for people interpret

mindfulness to have a kind of mindfulness attention of something, like, for example, breathing.

And so the focus is trying to be with a breath,

or being with a breath, or walking with the steps as we walk. Some place, some way of being in the present moment. There's other ways. It's just, sometimes just more open mindfulness. And so we're

trying to be present for whatever the predominant

experiences of the moment. But in this way, there's always a subject for what we're aware of.

One of the ways to not be distracted is to be attractive, attracted to the quality of how you're aware.

So not so much what you're aware of, but how you're aware.

So I can hold this striker that we used for the bell,

and I could grip it really tight because it's very special. It's been here for many years. I'm attached to it and I don't want any of you to take it.

And I'm going to hold it really tight. I'm going to hold it tight the whole day when I'm here.

And my hand starts going white and, you know, and people are wondering,

what's with this guy, you know, just gripping this? It creates a whole thing. So that's one way

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