Question Everything! An Exploration of Mindfulness
My favorite representation of Buddha is that of a rebel. Leaving behind the shelter of his father's kingdom to explore spiritual practice. Going against the stream of social and spiritual norms of his time. Sitting down at the foot of a tree and figuring it all out for himself. Rebellion denotes a resistance towards generally accepted convention, an independence in thought and action. Movements of rebellion throughout history have asked the public to question authority, question the status quo, question everything! This questioning attitude is what Buddha is asking for in his teaching of mindfulness: an investigative awareness of the mind, body, and environment.
We've all had that experience of unmindfulness. Perhaps you've begun an email, only to be distracted by a phone call, followed by grabbing a snack, watching a television program, and hours later returning to the email with a sense of surprise. Oh my goodness, did I forget to send that email? Unmindfulness is characterized by forgetfulness, distraction, poor concentration and a lack of continuity in purpose or intention. Mindfulness is the opposite of these characteristics; it is careful attention, concentration, and a steady intention. It is a present-moment awareness of the functions and processes of the body, mind, and surroundings.
Of course, it is possible to have a high degree of absorption or awareness and still not be mindful. For example, you may have a heightened ability to concentrate yet use it to cause harm. Or perhaps you have an increased body awareness yet it is riddled with insecurities and judgments. This is not mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practice of nonaggression. It is the ability to see things as they are – without preference or opinion, comparison or judgment, evaluation or expectation. Mindfulness is firmly based on a foundation of ethics and is characterized by friendliness, compassion, and equanimity.
Important to a practice of mindfulness is ease and tranquility. We must stop before we can pay attention. This ease is brought about through the practice of concentration or shamatha. Shamatha is a single-pointed focus or the steady holding of awareness on an exclusive object (example: breath, mantra, flame). Mindfulness, or vipashyana, differs from shamatha in that it is inclusive – a quality of choiceless receptive awareness. Nonetheless, the two practices are often interchangeable and interdependent. Awareness of breath, for example, requires both concentration and mindfulness. Concentration allows awareness to develop, and mindfulness notices when concentration falters or attention wanders.
My go-to description of mindfulness is “paying attention on purpose”. A simple teaching for the inner rebel in everyone. The questioning attitude of mindfulness offers practitioners profound insights into behavior, experience, and patterns, while providing the opportunity for awakening. Buddha's teachings on mindfulness demonstrate that rebellion can be paired with compassion. Scratch that. That rebellion must be paired with compassion. It teaches us how to live responsibly in the world – cultivating internal change to create external change – not only for our own happiness but for the well-being of all sentient beings everywhere.
Mindfulness Yoga Teacher Training
w/ Frank Jude Boccio
Assignment #1 (500 words on mindfulness)
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