Mindfulness is difficult to clearly define, but I like how Ven. Henepola Gunaranta puts it: “… Mindfulness can be experienced - rather easily - and it can be described, as long as you keep in mind that the words are only fingers pointing at the moon.”
Here is my try: Mindfulness is purposeful, present moment awareness. Waking up on purpose, with compassion.
This may sound simple, but waking up to our lives is challenging work. As we remain present in each moment, we start to see what is really there — not what we wish was there, or hoped was there — but what actually exists. This experience can unearth feelings of deep pain, but it can also unearth deep joy (and everything in between). Either way, we acknowledge a situation and the feelings that arise without judging them as “good” or “bad.” We acknowledge them and stay with them openly.
We can be aware of a flower and think, “There is a purple flower.” But when we are mindful of the flower, we see the life, the vibrant purple, the living energy. We can be mindful of our feelings too.
With mindfulness, we learn to meet situations in life head on, greet them and welcome them in. Instead of hiding or telling them to go away, we say, ”Hi, nice to meet you. Please come in and let’s get to know eachother better.”
I think the best example of this is “The Guest House,” by Rumi. I read it every morning for inspiration.
Definitions of Mindfulness From the Pros
“Mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of what is going on and what is there. The object of your mindfulness can be anything.”
-Thich Nhat Han, expatriate Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk who is also a writer, peace activist and mindfulness teacher.
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment and nonjudgmentally.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Center at the University of Massachusettes Medical Center.
A great mindful beginner’s resource for answering “What is mindfulness” lies here: Mindfulness in Plain English, by Ven. Henepola Gunaranta. His quote from the first line of this post comes from chapter 13 — “Mindfulness.”
