by Stephen Vosper

Mindfulness is the key to everything.  Being awake in the present moment is the gateway to everything.  Being awake and being mindful are completely inseparable. 

Mindfulness is the natural ability of mind to be aware of something, aware of anything, aware of everything.  Through our sense perceptions; sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and from a traditional eastern point of view, thoughts, emotions and intuitions; we can be mindful and awake to the whole world in our own life.  This is actually our birthright. 

By just being awake and mindful, in our natural state, we can begin to appreciate the miracle of our senses, our perceptions, our emotions, thoughts and intuitions as they arise, rather than turning away and distracting ourselves in daydreams and fantasies of all kinds.  We can actually be fully awake and alive completely in our lives, right now. 

We have everything we need to experience our joy and sadness, our doubts and
hesitations, our confidence and inspirations. We can afford to relax and open to our
world completely. Why not, what’s holding us back?

Let’s find out. Come join us, at Shambhala Mountain Center…

About the Author

Stephen Vosper

Steve Vosper is a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and his son Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He has been practicing and studying the Shambhala and Buddhist paths for four decades, and has been teaching in those traditions for nearly 30 years. Mr. Vosper is a lead teacher for the entire Way of Shambhala curriculum, and he is a Director for the complete Shambhala Training – Heart of Warriorship and Sacred Path programs. He is also a member of the faculty for The Engaged Mindfulness Institute’s Mindfulness Teacher Training Program. Steve is the chair of the Sakyong’s Advisory Panel on Shambhala Environments, and he has his own architectural design firm, Fresh Space Studio in Boulder, Colorado where he lives with his wife Jane. Their daughter Marissa lives in New York City with her husband Steve and their two sons, Hart and Luke.