Mindfulness Meditation (For Everyday Life)

Several years ago I received an invitation to give
a series of lectures at the University of Arizona at
Tucson. I was delighted to accept because it
would give me a chance to visit the Kitts Peak
astronomical observatory, which had a very
powerful telescope I had always wanted to look
through. I asked my hosts to arrange an evening
to visit the observatory so I could look directly at
some interesting objects through the telescope.
But I was told this would be impossible because
the telescope was constantly in use for
photography and other research activities.
There was no time for simply looking at objects.
In that case, I replied, I would not be able to come
to deliver my talks. Within days I was informed
that everything had been arranged according to
my wishes. We drove up the mountain on a
wonderfully clear night. The stars and the Milky
Way glistened intensely and seemed almost
close enough to touch. I entered the cupola and
told the technicians who ran the computer-
activated telescope that I wanted to see Saturn
and a number of the galaxies. It was a great
pleasure to observe with my own eyes and with
the utmost clarity all the details I had only seen on