Parenting as Practice

I came across this interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn and his wife Myla about Mindful Parenting.

This quote from Jon sums up their philosophy, and mine too, these days:

I believe that spiritual practice is about life, not about retreat from life. The real work of spiritual practice in any tradition is to come to a deep understanding about what it means to be human.

Sometimes it's wonderful to just be very, very still for long periods of time, but for most of us, that can only happen occasionally. The real meditative practice is to open up to the full range of what happens in life. And parenting is a fantastic arena for doing that kind of spiritual training. It's as much a potential door into enlightenment as anything else.

It's interesting to look at your children as live-in Zen masters who can put their finger on places where you're resistant, or thinking narrowly, in ways no one else can. You can either lose your mind and your authenticity in the process of reacting to all of that stuff, or you can use it as the perfect opportunity to grow and nourish your children by attending to what is deepest and best in them and in yourself.

Jon Kabat-Zinn's impressive work bringing meditation to the mainstream has included promoting MBSR, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, as a complementary medical treatment. Something parents--and people everywhere--can benefit from.

Thanks to Lekshe's Tibetan Buddhist Resources for Kids for the link!