The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn
for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in
the present moment wisely and earnestly – Buddha
Mindfulness
is usually defined to include bringing one’s complete attention to the
experiences occurring in the present moment, in a nonjudgmental or accepting
way. Mindfulness is more than a meditation. It is “inherently a state of
consciousness” which involves consciously attending to one’s moment-to-moment
experience.
Descriptions
of mindfulness and methods for cultivating it originate in eastern spiritual
traditions, which suggest that mindfulness can be developed through the regular
practice of meditation, and that increases in positive qualities such as
awareness, insight, wisdom, compassion, and equanimity are likely to result.
In traditional Buddhist teachings there are four areas or
domains of mindfulness.
The first foundation is mindfulness of body, which typically begins
with bare attention to the sensations of the breath, bringing the mind and body
together and calming them. Then, other body sensations may be observed, in all
the potential postures and movements of formal practice and daily living.
The second foundation is mindfulness of feelings, in which bare
attention is brought to the feeling-tone of the experience of each moment.
“Feelings,” as the term is used here, are not emotions. Rather, they are an
immediate knowing of experience as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral before
reactions such as emotions or attitudes come into play. Feelings are simply
observed as they arise, linger, and pass away.
The third foundation is mindfulness of mind, which directs bare
attention to the quality of the activity of the mind, registering awareness of
states or dispositions, such as distraction and concentration, or one of the
three roots of suffering — desire, hatred, or delusion. Again, these can be
observed as they arise, linger, and pass away.
The fourth foundation is mindfulness of mind-objects, in which bare
attention is directed towards all that the mind encounters within and without.
Here a wonderful characteristic of Buddhism, the making of lists, shapes
recommended practice, as the traditional instructions are to observe the
arising and passing of the
Five hindrances
Sense-desire, anger, sloth and
torpor, agitation and worry, and doubt
The five aggregates
Material form, feeling, perception,
mental formations, and consciousness,
The six subjective/ objective sense factors
Eye/form, ear/sound, nose/smell,
tongue/taste, body/touch, and mind/concepts
The seven factors of enlightenment
Mindfulness, investigation of
reality, energy, enthusiasm, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity and, at
last,
The four ennobling truths
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.
In the traditional Buddhist context,
mindfulness is embedded in an eight-fold path to alleviate suffering;
mindfulness is guided and directed by seven other factors. They are as follows:
(1) The view one has of what is
real, important, valuable, and useful
(2) How intention is used to initiate
and sustain action in skillful ways
(3) The nature of speech that can be
either harmful or beneficial
(4) The quality of action as it
relates to ethical principles
(5) One’s means of sustaining oneself
in the world as livelihood
(6) The degree and quality of effort
employed to bring about change
(7) Concentration as a focusing and
supporting factor to mindfulness.
Underlying this concept and approach are the following
assumptions in psychology:
(1)Humans are ordinarily largely
unaware of their moment-to-moment experience, often operating in an ‘automatic
pilot’ mode;
(2) We are capable of developing the
ability to sustain attention to mental content;
(3) Development of this ability is
gradual, progressive and requires regular practice;
(4) moment-to-moment awareness of
experience will provide a richer and more vital sense of life; inasmuch as
experience becomes more vivid and active mindful participation replaces unconscious
reactiveness;
(5) Such persistent, non-evaluative
observation of mental content will gradually give rise to greater veridicality
of perceptions; and
(6) Because more accurate perception
of one’s own mental responses to external and internal stimuli is achieved,
additional information is gathered that will enhance effective action in the world,
and lead to a greater sense of control.
Three key components:
1. “On purpose” or intention,
2. “Paying attention” or attention,
3. “In a particular way” or attitude
(mindfulness qualities).
Mindfulness Facet
Observe
Describe
Act aware
Non-judgmental
Non-react
Forms of Practice
Everyday mindfulness:
This involves reminding ourselves
throughout the day to pay attention to what is
happening in the moment without radically altering our routines.
Formal meditation practice:
This involves setting aside time to
go to the mental “gym.” We regularly dedicate
a certain period to sit quietly in meditation.
Retreat practice:
This is the “vacation” that is
dedicated entirely to cultivating mindfulness. The following practice,
Vipassana
Vipassana
practice is opening to the fullness of direct experience. This offers the
opportunity for seeing into the way one’s world and self are constructed and
interrelated, that is, for insight. Vipassana, or the cultivation of
mindfulness, is the characteristic form of meditation in Buddhism — central to
all its meditative streams.
Benefits
Living in the Moment
Increased Positive Affect
Reduced Stress Reactivity
Enhanced Cognitive Vitality
Mindfulness in contemporary psychotherapeutic paradigms
The
practice of sati or satipatthanna is not limited to Buddhism. This activity or
elements of satipatthanna may also be found in many different contemporary
psychological paradigms often under different names such as:
• Self monitoring in Behavioural
Therapy
• Being in the now in Gestalt
Therapy
• Present centeredness in Gestalt
therapy
• Listening to oneself in Client
Centred Therapy
• Llistening to automatic thoughts
in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Self awareness in Emotional
Intelligence
• Meta-mood and meta-cognition
• Free association and hovering
attention in Psychodynamic therapy
• Acceptance in Acceptance and
Commitment therapy
Mindfulness in psychological interventions
Following interventions those are
now widely available in medical and mental health settings based on mindfulness
concept.
Dialectical behavior therapy
Mindfulness-based stress reduction
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Relapse prevention for substance
abuse aswell
as variations on these approaches.
These interventions conceptualize
mindfulness as a set of skills that can be learned and practiced in order to
reduce psychological symptoms and increase health and well-being.
Mindfulness is the direct path for the purification of
beings,
For the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation,
For the disappearance of pain and grief,
For the attainment of the true way,
For the realization of liberation –
Namely,
the four foundations of mindfulness - Buddha
