Fundamental Teachings of Buddhism: Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness means to be diligently aware, mindful and attentive with regard to:

Activities of the body
Sensations or feelings
Activities of the mind
Ideas, thoughts, conceptions and things

The practice of concentration on breathing is one of the most well known exercises connected with the body, for mental development. There are several other ways of developing attentiveness in relation to the body as modes of meditation. Like how we practice bringing ourselves back to a mantra when we find ourselves distracted.

For transformation to take place, we have to practice mindfulness all day long, not just on our cushion.

It is mindfulness that brings the energy we need to embrace and transform all of our obscurations or mental formations. It wakes us up to what’s happening. When we start our practice, our habit energies will be strong. It is not easy.

Do not lose yourself in the past.

Do not lose yourself in the future,

Do not get caught up in your anger, worries or fears.

Come back to the present moment and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.

The heart of Buddhist meditation is the practice of mindfulness. We can practice generating the energy of mindfulness in each moment of our daily life.

The Sanskrit word for mindfulness is smriti meaning “remember. To remember to come back to the present moment.

7 Miracles of Mindfulness:

Be Present – touch deeply the sky, the person, the smile…
Make the Other Present Also (the sky, your friend, your child)
Nourish the Object of Your Attention – with mindfulness, your attention will water a wilting flower. If you do not give the right attention to the one you love, it is a kind of killing.
Relieve Another’s Suffering – if you aren’t truly present, or if you’re thinking about other things, you can’t do this. To love means to nourish the other with appropriate attention.
Look Deeply – vipassana – shine mindfulness on the object of your attention
Understanding – When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, we can see and listen deeply. The fruits are always understanding, acceptance and love. Understanding is the very foundation of love.

With regard to sensations and feelings, we should become aware of all forms of feelings and sensations, pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, of how they appear and disappear within ourselves.

Regarding the activities of the minds, we should be aware whether one’s’ mind is

lustful or not
Given to hatred or not
Deluded or not
Distracted or concentrated, etc..

We could be aware of all of the movements of the mind, how they arise and how they disappear.

With regard to ideas, thoughts, conceptions and things, we should know their true nature, how they appear and disappear, how they are developed, how they are suppressed, destroyed and so on.

When we are mindful, we will begin to see the healing elements of life and transform our own suffering and the suffering of the world.

If this practice is new to you, consider joining us at Satsang House (in-person & online) for our weekly Community Meditation gathering. We would love to help you start incorporating mindfulness into your life.