Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a refinement of awareness. When we are mindful we are aware of the mind in its entirety: we see both the focus of attention and the distractions that arise in seeming competition with that focus. The focus is maintained; the distractions are allowed to come and go. Mindfulness permits us to have no reaction—to simply observe the content of the mind and let it pass. We are traveling through, not into, the mind.
In its early stages mindfulness is not so much a state of being as it is a collection of skills that can be learned and practiced. These include:
Recognizing the critical, judgmental self-talks that we apply to our thoughts and feelings, and setting them aside.
Witnessing the thoughts and emotions that pass through the mind instead of identifying with them.
Becoming one with the thoughts, and thus accepting ourselves as we are.
Remaining flexible in the face of the wide variety of thoughts and feelings that demand action or attention.
Sensing the depth of emotion that has prompted a given thought, and working with that emotional energy sensitively and patiently.
Remaining in the present rather than journeying to the past or future.
Recognizing and maintaining the focus of concentration, knowing that this focus is the antidote to being caught up by the train of thought.
Ultimately the combination of mindfulness and concentration evolves into the deeply penetrating state of meditation—an experience that relieves mental pain and nurtures non-attachment. It is an experience focused in the present moment, and it is free of expectations. During this phase of practice the effort to concentrate is fully relaxed. Replacing our conscious effort, the meditative focus now seems to draw us naturally inward toward a stillness that rests our emotions, clears our thinking, awakens our intuition, and provides a sense of abiding peace. This experience is intrinsic to our nature, and with practice we can return to it whenever we choose.
Mindfulness is a refinement of awareness. When we are mindful we are aware of the mind in its entirety: we see both the focus of attention and the distractions that arise in seeming competition with that focus. The focus is maintained; the distractions are allowed to come and go. Mindfulness permits us to have no reaction—to simply observe the content of the mind and let it pass. We are traveling through, not into, the mind.
In its early stages mindfulness is not so much a state of being as it is a collection of skills that can be learned and practiced. These include:
Recognizing the critical, judgmental self-talks that we apply to our thoughts and feelings, and setting them aside.
Witnessing the thoughts and emotions that pass through the mind instead of identifying with them.
Becoming one with the thoughts, and thus accepting ourselves as we are.
Remaining flexible in the face of the wide variety of thoughts and feelings that demand action or attention.
Sensing the depth of emotion that has prompted a given thought, and working with that emotional energy sensitively and patiently.
Remaining in the present rather than journeying to the past or future.
Recognizing and maintaining the focus of concentration, knowing that this focus is the antidote to being caught up by the train of thought.
Ultimately the combination of mindfulness and concentration evolves into the deeply penetrating state of meditation—an experience that relieves mental pain and nurtures non-attachment. It is an experience focused in the present moment, and it is free of expectations. During this phase of practice the effort to concentrate is fully relaxed. Replacing our conscious effort, the meditative focus now seems to draw us naturally inward toward a stillness that rests our emotions, clears our thinking, awakens our intuition, and provides a sense of abiding peace. This experience is intrinsic to our nature, and with practice we can return to it whenever we choose.