Categories: Maintaining Mindfulness
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Welcome. In our spiritual explorations, we often seek to calm the mind and find a deeper state of peace. Today, we will explore a foundational element of this journey: how to practice mindfulness for the development of what is known as Samatha Bhavana, or calm-abiding meditation.
In a previous reflection, we discussed the importance of not rushing the process of concentrating the mind. Many of you realized through that teaching the tricky, almost illusory nature of your own mind. The only way to truly understand this inner world is through consistent, gentle mindfulness. In the Buddhist tradition, this is called Sati, a state of present-moment awareness that is both gentle and powerful. Without it, we cannot truly grasp the nature of our own consciousness.
Understanding Your Mind’s ‘Settings’
This practice of mindfulness is not just a simple technique; it is essential for the highest spiritual goals, including the ultimate liberation known as Nibbana. The Buddha not only taught us about this state of freedom but also laid out the path to get there, and the most crucial tool on that path is mindfulness. It is the key to truly knowing your own mind.
Think of it like getting a new phone. To understand all its features and capabilities, you would explore the settings menu. In the same way, to understand your mind, you need to observe its ‘settings’. its tendencies, habits, and automatic reactions. To practice mindfulness is to open that settings panel and begin to see how your mind operates. This is the first step toward genuine inner freedom.
The Parable of the Stranger: Getting to Know Your Own Mind
To truly grasp why we must patiently practice mindfulness, let’s consider an analogy. Imagine you meet a stranger named Nimal. You know nothing about him, where he’s from, his background, or his character. Is he a thief, a trickster, a good person, a terrorist, an educated man, or a violent one? You simply don’t know.
If you meet him and immediately tell him all your deepest secrets, what happens?
He learns everything about you, but you still know nothing about him. Instead, imagine you decide to get to know him slowly, over a long period, one, two, three, maybe even five years. The Buddha himself taught that it takes years of association to truly understand a person’s character. Through patient observation, Nimal’s true nature will eventually reveal itself. You will see his good qualities, his ideas, but also his jealousy, his greed, his temper, and his deceptions. His core character will eventually surface.
Only after this long, patient observation will you truly know who Nimal is. If he is an educated person, you can engage with him in one way. If he is a dangerous person, you can keep a safe distance. If he is a fraud, a thief, a jealous or greedy person, you will know how to interact wisely. You can only do this because you took the time to understand him deeply.
Applying the Parable: Observing the ‘Stranger’ Within
This is precisely why you should practice mindfulness. Right now, most of us live in a state of un-mindfulness, or Asihiya. We don’t really know our own minds. The practice of mindfulness is the process of getting to know that ‘stranger’ within you. It’s not a quick fix; it takes time, just like getting to know Nimal. By observing your inner world patiently, you begin to understand your mind’s programming, how your thoughts arise, what triggers them, and what patterns they follow. This is the profound importance of the practice.
This deep understanding is, in fact, the very essence of enlightenment. The states of liberation that are named in Buddhis, such as becoming an Arahant (a fully liberated being), a Pacceka Buddha (a silent Buddha), or a fully enlightened Buddha are simply different levels of this same profound understanding of one’s own mind, achieved based on the spiritual maturity of the individual. Your primary task is to understand this person, this mind, that lives within you. Think of it as getting to know another being who resides inside you. Once you grasp this, the next steps on your path will become clear naturally.
How Mindfulness Dissolves the Obstacles to Deep Meditation
So, how does this directly impact our meditation? As we discussed before, the mind has an illusory quality and operates within fixed views and frameworks. Just as observing Nimal revealed his cunning, jealousy, and good qualities, when you practice mindfulness, you begin to see your mind’s inner tendencies. You notice its laziness, its greed, its envy, and that subtle feeling of not wanting others to succeed. Seeing these things is not a failure; it is the key to progress.
The main reasons we can’t deepen our meditation are these very thoughts, which are called Kilesas, or mental defilements. They are rooted in greed, aversion, and delusion. In both insight meditation (Vipassanā) and calm-abiding meditation (Samatha), the path involves letting go of both unskillful thoughts (akusala) and even skillful, wholesome thoughts (kusala). You learn to act from a mind of relinquishment. The more you let go, the more peace you receive, and then you let go of that peace, too. This is how you sustain a continuous state of mindfulness.
The Secret to Natural and Effortless Concentration
When you truly begin to understand your thoughts through this process, concentration becomes easy and natural. In Samatha meditation, we aim to unify the mind on a single point, a state known as Dhyāna. This is not about forcing the mind. It’s a natural settling that happens when the inner noise subsides. When you practice mindfulness and get to know your mind, this process of concentration becomes incredibly easy.
Why do we sometimes use techniques like repeating a word, such as ‘emptiness‘ or ‘sky,’ like a mantra?
It’s simply because the mind wanders. If your mind was naturally still, you wouldn’t need these aids. You could simply rest your attention on a focus point, like your forehead or between the eyebrows for ‘Third Eye‘ practices, and the stages of meditation would unfold automatically. The very need for these words shows that the mind is restless. For those whose concentration is already strong, these prompts are unnecessary. This is why it is so important for everyone to practice mindfulness.
Your Daily Task: Weaving Mindfulness into the Fabric of Life
The most important thing is to take these ideas and apply them. Everyone who explores these teachings should make it a point to practice mindfulness. Start today. Simply observe yourself during your daily activities. Usually, we perform our tasks un-mindfully; we aren’t even fully present in what we are doing. It doesn’t matter if you are working quickly, slowly, or at a moderate pace. The key is to ask yourself: ‘Am I aware and present with what I am doing right now?’
Watch yourself, and you will begin to understand how to maintain mindfulness. This is the technique. Start doing this from today. Don’t worry if your attention breaks or you get distracted. When that happens, don’t become agitated. Simply and gently bring your awareness back. This is the practice.
Conclusion: Your Path Forward with Mindfulness
I trust that through this discussion, you have come to understand why we practice mindfulness, its profound importance, and how it directly supports the stability and depth of your concentration. We have also touched upon the simple way to begin this practice in your daily life. We will continue to explore this topic further in future articles, addressing any questions and clarifying points where the mind tends to get stuck.
For now, I hope you will take these points to heart. Reflect on this teaching again and again to truly grasp its essence.
By the power of the Triple Gem may you have the strength to practice mindfulness. May wisdom arise within you. May you learn to recognize all the mind’s hidden frameworks and views, and may you gain the ability to maintain your awareness continuously, without agitation when it falters.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
