Glossary

"Automatic pilot" is a term used to describe the experience of engaging in a sequence of behaviors seemingly without the need for any conscious thought on your part, just as the automatic pilot on a plane is programmed to take over the controls so that the pilot does not need to fly the plane. Although having an "automatic pilot" may seem very useful when we are engaged in routine tasks, it can rob us of our moment-by-moment awareness, such that realize that much of our life is lived on "automatic pilot" . In the 3-S program, you will increase your awareness of when your "Automatic Pilot" is robbing you of the benefits of mindfulness, and taking you away from your Spiritual path.

Behavioral action sequence is a series of behaviors that in sequence appear as one single action. Examples: a professional tennis player serving the ball; a smoker lighting a cigarette; ordering a meal in a restaurant. Each of these behaviors may appear as one seamless behavior, but each is made up of a series of discrete actions that have become seemingly automated through repetition. In the 3-S program, harmful behavioral action sequences will need to be dismantled and discarded, and new ones consistent with your Spiritual path will be constructed and practiced.

"Cognitive scripts" is the term used for the themes that flow habitually through our thoughts. These cognitive scripts can influence both our emotions and our behavior. They have been described as the tapes we play repeatedly in our heads -- those things we tell ourselves over and over again, often without conscious awareness. Some examples of cognitive scripts: I can't do anything right, this is too hard, no point trying; or I can do anything I set my mind to, it will get easier once I get started, I can do this. In the 3-S program, harmful cognitive scripts will be abandoned, and new ones consistent with your Spiritual path will be developed and rehearsed.

A Cue-to-Action is anything that can interrupt the automaticity of one's habitual patterns thus providing the opportunity for more conscious choice. It is very easy to lose sight of your Spiritual path during the course of daily activities. Therefore, in the 3-S program, you will select and use cues-to-action to help you stay on track. These cues should involve all your senses. Examples include -- sight (placing notes to yourself in conspicuous places); sound (bells, chimes, beepers); smell (the fragrance of specific flowers or herbs); taste (the flavor of specific foods); touch (the feel of specific textures). The experience of unpleasant physical sensations and emotions (e.g., anger, resentment) are also cues-to-action; they are components of your early warning system that alerts you to the need for action when you are in danger of losing sight of your Path.

Daydreaming is the word used in 3-S for mind-wandering -- it refers to thoughts that arise seemingly "unsummoned" and intrude upon "intentional" thoughts or activities. Although we are frequently unaware of the content of all of our daydreams, or the influence each can have on our emotions and behavior, we can become aware of the themes that typically run through our daydreams. For example, daydreaming themes may be primarily positive and constructive, or they may reflect fear of failure, guilt, and worry; they may tend to focus on recall or reconstruction of the past, or they may focus more on an anticipated future. In the 3-S program, you will examine your daydreaming themes to assess their consistency with your personal Spiritual path.

Moment-by-Moment Destination refers to the intention behind each small step that you take on your Spiritual Path. Each moment-by-moment destination needs to be consistent with your Path's ultimate destination. For example, if, as in the Buddhist tradition, the ultimate destination of your personal Path is enlightenment, then your intention with each step would need to reflect generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, effort, tolerance, truth, strong determination, selfless love, and equanimity (the 10 parami). In the 3-S program, you will examine the moment-by-moment destinations of your own Spiritual path from the perspective of your personal traditions.