13.6.11

Pop Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the most popular idea in all Buddhist traditions among Westerners. It is what (almost) everybody teaches, to be aware and mindful. This is also popular among non-Buddhists. Just be in the present, they say. And yes, mindfulness is a central Buddhist teaching, we find it in the noble eightfold path and of the 37 factors of enlightenment mindfulness is 8 of those. But we shouldn't forget the other parts of the path. Mindfulness in itself is quite useless if our purpose is to be free from suffering since one can just go on with one's life as before including all the habits and attachments. There is also the view that mindfulness means a peaceful mind without thoughts, to just be (in the present) without doing anything. That kind of mindless mindfulness separates one from everyday life and it can be like a happy vacation. Unfortunately, that state is just as impermanent as any other, so grasping it is another source of pain and trouble.

If we look at the classical mindfulness practice in Buddhism it isn't just about being in the present but being mindful of body, feelings, thoughts and mind. It is also more than just recognising them but seeing how all of them are impermanent, suffering and selfless. What makes a bodhisattva is not simply mindfulness but being aware of emptiness and the suffering of beings. The true meaning of Zen is not "be in the present" but seeing directly that the mind is originally empty and aware, pure and functioning.

Within the Buddhist context then mindfulness is not really about being in the present rather than seeing how past, present and future relate to each other and not being attached to them, seeing how time itself and all appearances are nothing more than names and ideas. Because there are only names and ideas it becomes evident how even mindfulness is another concept we are trying to pursue and conceive a personality within that frame. Letting go of our thoughts and emotions is where we can use mindfulness efficiently to attain liberation.