The Essence of Mindfulness
Mindfulness means being completely present. As a major Buddhist virtue, mindfulness has been practiced and refined for more than two thousand years, and even today some of the best writings on the subject are by Buddhist authors.
Yet the term is increasingly entering American vocabulary in its own right, as researchers like Jon Kabat-Zinn at University of Massachusetts Medical Center publish studies demonstrating the benefits of mindfulness. People who practice mindfulness meditation, of course, didn’t need research to know that it leads to greater calmness, equanimity, or insight. But the research objectively demonstrates how effective mindfulness can be in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and many other conditions.
Ultimately, mindfulness is a state which must be experienced first-hand to be grasped fully. In this regard, intellectual discussion of the subject has the potential for becoming a fool’s distraction. Nevertheless, gaining a basic understanding of the concept can be useful, both in guiding one’s efforts to practice mindfulness and in appreciating why mindfulness is such an important mode of awareness.
In this essay I explain the essence of mindfulness, and a bit about how it can be realized; hopefully this will pique your interest. Here’s a definition to begin with: Mindfulness is a heightened form of awareness that is non-judging and oriented toward the present moment.
Non-judgment is critical because the central goal of mindfulness is to raise one’s level of awareness (and, of course, to enjoy the subsequent benefits). This is achieved, in part, through practicing watching one’s thoughts, feelings, reactions, and any other experiences as they enter consciousness.
Yet deeply watching an experience, and attempting to evaluate or change that experience, are mutually exclusive operations. When one starts, the other stops. As such, cultivating mindfulness requires at least the temporary suspension of any judgment about the desirability of what one experiences. You just let it happen, and watch.
Maintaining focus on the present moment is equally vital. The vast majority of day-to-day awareness is dominated by memories of the past and plans for the future. Sometimes we cannot stop this thinking even when we want to, and feel unable to relax or sleep. And yet at the most basic level, awareness begins with, and can only be grounded in, what is actually happening right now.
This leaves us in a precarious situation. To the extent that one’s awareness is occupied with memories about the past or self-fashioned thoughts about the future, the mind is engaged in a feedback loop with itself, cut off from reality. Clearly, memories and plans are important. But it is by returning to the experiences of the present moment that awareness is strengthened, and this is where mindfulness begins.
Such awareness is far easier to cultivate through the use of meditation. In fact, mindfulness is sometimes used as a synonym for mindfulness meditation.
Frequently, we are so entrenched in “normal” modes of awareness—of escaping to past and future, and judging our every experience in small or large ways—that it becomes virtually impossible to step out of these habits unless we bring our mind to a stand-still. Just as a gym provides a perfect environment for exercising the body, with all the tools you need right before you, so does sitting down for meditation provide the most auspicious environment for strengthening your mind, where the conditions of deep awareness and penetrating insight can be cultivated effectively.
An important stepping stone in meditation practice is building meta-awareness. Normal awareness consists of a stream of thoughts and feelings that we also associate, consciously or not, with our sense of self. In meta-awareness, you watch those thoughts and feelings, but with a slight detachment, observing that they are thoughts and feelings as such, rather than your self. With practice, meta-awareness can provide a deepened sense of objectivity about your mind, and the ability to operate from a stronger foundation of awareness.
In everyday terms, this meta-awareness fosters what is called “presence.” We all have seen what presence is like; when you’ve spent time with someone who seemed more “there” than most people, more calm and at peace inside, you were encountering presence.
Seeing first-hand the impact of being fully present (and not present, for that matter) in your own life is a powerful experience. You understand yourself at a deeper level than before, and feel more at ease; life has grace. Through mindfulness meditation, and disciplined effort, such presence can be created systematically.
Often one of the first questions people have, when they learn about the value of mindfulness, is whether it needs to be practiced all the time. Does being mindful mean you never cut loose and shake a leg?
Not at all. Like many things, it’s a matter of degree. Right now, chances are you spend less than one percent of each day being mindful. The rest of the time, you’re caught up in the mind’s feedback loops, with endless repercussions for your perception of yourself and the world. What would happen if you stepped outside of this for a few hours, or even just forty-five minutes, each day? What would it do for your mental state, for your relationships, and for your health?
If you are intrigued, why not try it. The best available introduction to mindfulness meditation is Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book Full Catastrophe Living, which was written to summarize, and make available to the general public, the mindfulness-based stress reduction program at the U. Mass Medical Center. Wherever You Go There You Are, by the same author, is also a delight and provides a less formal introduction to mindfulness.
If you’re interested in the theory and practice of raising awareness, and cultivating presence in particular, you’ll also enjoy Ken McLeod’s book Wake Up to Your Life and Eckhart Tolle’s audio CD set The Power of Now. (Tolle has a book by the same title, but I’ve found the audio CD version to be a superior introduction. Having the book to refer to, however, may be helpful.) McLeod writes from a Buddhist perspective—with razorlike precision, and adapted for Western audiences—while Tolle writes from a more universal perspective, with less emphasis on meditation per se.
Each of these resources offers powerful insights and suggestions about adopting a more conscious way of life. Enjoy your investigations of mindfulness.
Thanks for the intro to mindfulness. I read Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go... a few years back and enjoyed it, but didn’t try to apply it much. Your post is just the reminder I needed to pick it up again.
Johsua -
Enjoyable post. I didn’t realize that the “meta-awarenss” I often experience and enjoy as I absorb the world around me was a Buddhist meditation. This adds credence to what I read in “The Jew in the Lotus.”
Thanks
John V
I read the meaning of mindfulness and it seems to have some common element with the term “Sati” used in Buddhism. It is a timely use of wisdom and knowledge in respond to what we are doing, what happens to us and how we feel.
I read that the concept of mindfulness is based on Buddhism.
Have you heard of the wrod “Sati” in Buddhism ?
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