 The English word “mindfulness” may not be older than a century or two. But the concept and practice of “mindfulness” is at least 2500 years old. In fact, the Buddha’s original technique of meditation takes mindfulness as its base. Applied in the original sense of its meaning two and a half millennium ago, it means clear comprehension of the reality unfolding moment by moment. Come to think of it, no form of meditation is possible without mindfulness – alertness or conscious presence of mind.
Mindfulness means paying purposeful and nonjudgmental attention in the present moment. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us to the reality that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may miss many possibilities for growth and transformation.
Mere Observation, Bare Observation
Applied to meditation practices, it stands for the nonjudgmental observation and acknowledgment of thoughts, feelings and emotions. You notice the thought – say, I am driving – and acknowledge its presence. The thought comes, you notice it, and it goes. If you notice that you are a little restless, you accept its presence without judgment or analysis – you do nothing to like or dislike it.
Clear Comprehension
The central theme of mindfulness practice is that when you eat an apple, you are really eating that apple. You actually tasted its juice and relished every bite to the last bit, with complete presence of mental alertness.
While cleaning the dishes you will only be cleaning the dishes, which means you are completely aware of every act of the cleaning process. It might appear silly at the first glance – why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point.
Eating an apple or cleaning dishes is an ordinary and simple reality. You are firmly established in the present moment, conscious of your presence, and conscious of your thoughts and actions. There’s no way you can be tossed around aimlessly like a log here and there on the waves.
Mindful Living is a Healthy Way of Living
In practical terms, mindfulness is an attitude – a way of being. You do not necessarily have to sit in some particular posture or close your eyes to practice it. You can adopt this attitude anytime anywhere. You can do it while driving to work, eating your lunch, or traveling in a bus. You can even practice it walking in a busy supermarket! Yes, just be aware (mindful) of the people and noise around you – without liking or disliking anything.
Even if you train in this limited way, you will have done wonders to your sense of mental balance or equanimity. This is how you train yourself to keep your inner poise in the midst of noise and turbulence.
Why should your mind be thinking when you are not actively working? In reality, this is the only practice that can give rest to your mind. The moment you put on the attitude that you are just watching your thoughts dispassionately; you cease to be a part of the mental drama or emotional commotion that may be unfolding in the mind.
It is now a well-researched fact that mindfulness meditation practices improve your health and your sense of well-being.
The Art of Living mindfully
Mindfulness is a very practical tool that can and must be applied in real life. Practicing these four steps will not only help improve the quality of your conscious awareness, but it will also show you a new way of living:
- Observe your mind closely. Observe your thoughts, excuses, complaints, feelings, refusal to accept responsibility; they are all there in your mind.
- Stay detached from the thoughts you are thinking. This means that you observe each thought with a certain philosophical distance. It detaches you from the emotions and pain attached to your thoughts. Then you can tolerate any ugly thought long enough to deal with it productively.
- Evaluate your thoughts. Without being prejudiced try acting like a wise judge. When you find a procrastinating thinking do not berate yourself; rather, guess its possible implications, and decide on the best action.
- Act on the decision arrived above without allowing your preferences or likes and dislikes to intervene. That is, act with total dispassion and detachment. There is a saying: what must be done, must be done.
There will be initial resistance but with practice you will acquire a new way of living – and a new way of being. You will find that the controlling strength of your thoughts and the accompanying emotions is gradually decreasing over time. And you are opening to an ever-deepening mental silence that is pregnant with far bigger possibilities.
Now you have learnt how to really eat the apple – here and now!
More Resources
Mindfulness – Described in 12 Ways for Beginners
Mindfulness Articles
Mindfulness in US Army
Mindfulness and Kindness |
