Mindfulness is better than "spiritual" meditation

I used to believe that through meditation, I could realize ultimate reality/God. Now, having lowered my unrealistic expectations, I'd be happy if I could go through the rest of my life without losing another glove.

A much-beloved glove, insofar as apparel can be loved. LIghtweight, waterproof, comfortable, thin. I'd been wearing it on rainy day dog walks here in Oregon (so I wore them a lot).

Headed to the recycling center on a cold, wet, windy afternoon, I decided to take the gloves along. I walked to the car, tossed them on the front seat, and drove into town with our recyclables. After depositing stuff in the proper bins I took my gloves off, opened the driver's side door, and tossed the gloves back onto the passenger seat.

Or so I thought.

After a few more errands I glanced at the seat and saw only one glove. Searching under the seats and everywhere else I could think to look, still only one glove. I drove back to the recycling center in the dark, pointed the headlights where I'd parked the car, and found... no glove.

I spent a lot of time dealing with a lack of mindfulness.

Thinking back, I couldn't really remember much about taking the gloves off. I was focused on the next to-do, grocery shopping. When I tossed the "pair" on the seat, I must not have noticed that one glove had dropped to the ground.

A few days later I ordered two things from REI and Amazon: another pair of Manzella gloves, and "Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness."

I'm enjoying the book (haven't received the gloves yet). I've read a lot about mindfulness from the Buddhist perspective, but obviously it hasn't sunk in sufficiently to make me aware of where my gloves are at all times.

The authors of "Fully Present" are Susan Smalley, Ph.D., a behavior geneticist, and Diana Winston, a woman with twenty years of mindfulness training under her Buddhist belt, including a year as a Buddhist nun. They run the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA, so approach mindfulness with a pleasing blend of science and artistry.

I've been headed in the mindful direction ever since I realized that my other-worldly focus in meditation wasn't taking me where I wanted to go.

The India-based teachings of Radha Soami Satsang Beas that I'd been following emphasized detaching one's consciousness from the physical world, thereby "liberating the soul." The body and its senses were conceived as detrimental to spiritual progress.

For example, a mantra was prescribed to turn the meditator's awareness away from thoughts, sensations, emotions, and such, as these are believed to prevent entry into the third eye or "eye center" in the middle of the forehead. Repetition of the mantra wasn't supposed to be done in harmony with the breath -- which would bring attention to the body.

Problem is, we humans have bodies. In fact, the overwhelming evidence is that we are bodies, not anything supernatural, like "soul" or "spirit."

So I've decided to throw in my bet with the anti-Pascal's wager. Meaning, that since it is much more likely that this is my one and only life, it makes sense to live it as fully as possible in the here and now rather than the there and then of either an imagined afterlife or earthly future. As I said a few years ago, and still believe now:

Pascal's Wager is founded on a belief that we can know God's payoff. The anti-Wager is a more honest bet: nobody knows what will occur in the next life, so we need to make the most of this one.

Hence, mindfulness is my focus now, not a form of meditation that distances me from the world, my body, and physical sensations. In their book, Smalley and Winston say:

Mindfulness is the art of observing your physical, emotional, and mental exeriences with deliberate, open, and curious attention. And although it is an "art" that can be cultivated through a daily formal meditation practice (which we talk about throughout the book), you can easily practice it instantaneously to be aware of your present-moment experience anytime in the course of a day.

Sounds good.

Yesterday I engaged in Phase 2 of my annual Tao of Leaf Raking. After I've used a backpack blower and rake to deal with the prodigious amount of leaves that fall on our rural property every autumn, I move to hand-picking the remainder that lodge in bushes, heather, rocks, ground cover, and such that are unblowable/unrakable.

The task is highly enjoyable for me.

Minimal thinking involved. I get a close-up look at almost every corner of our extensive yard. Results are instantaneous and pleasing as a flowering heather with a bunch of discordant oak leaves scattered through it is transformed into simply what it is.

That's what "Fully Present" says mindfulness mainly consists of.

Becoming aware of what actually is happening in the world, and the life we're living -- as contrasted with being excessively distracted by concepts, imaginings, anxieties, and other cogitations that aren't really necessary for here-and-now experiencing.

Our bodies simply function as they always do: pumping blood, taking in information from the senses, and experiencing sensory and emotional responses to stimuli. Our minds interpret these direct physical experiences -- and often create stories around them -- in ways that may increase discomfort or suffering and create more reactivity in our minds. We can short-circuit this reactivity by returning our attention to the felt experience of our bodies.

From the book's "video" page, I found this You Tube'd overview of mindfulness by Susan Smalley. If you watch it, be sure to pay attention.

 

Comments

[Lou]

Have you replaced "realizing God/Reality" with an idea of ever-present mindfulness (and some enjoyable sensations to go with it)?

And do you think that with mindfulness you will no longer miss a glove, or an exit, or a birthday, ever again?

[chauncey carter]

Leaf blowers are an abomination. There's a good article on the subject in the Oct. 25 issue of The New Yorker.

[Blogger Brian]

Lou, you raise a good point. Mindfulness shouldn't become another ultimate goal, like "God" or "enlightenment." Maybe I sounded like this is what I've done -- simply changed ultimacies -- but it doesn't feel that way.

Yes, I'd like to have fewer frustrating non-mindful experiences, such as when I'm halfway into town, suddenly wonder "did I turn the burner off?", and question whether I should turn the car around and check. (I've started to say "off" out loud now when I turn the burner switch; that helps burn, so to speak, the action into my awareness.)

But I don't expect that my life will be perfect if I'm more mindful. At the same time (this is the beauty of mindfulness), I also don't want to set up "have no ultimate goals" as an idol either. If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't. I think the key is being as aware as possible of what is actually going on, either inside my head or outside of it. Then dealing with reality becomes a lot easier.

Chauncey, we live on ten acres in rural Oregon. I can barely hear our closest neighbor's leaf blower on his property, so I assume the same is true for him. I agree that leaf blowers are an abomination when used for a long time in urban areas. But in some situations, like ours, they're ideal. It would be almost impossible to cope with our leaves without a blower, since much of our yard is unrakable.

[David lane]

This is a wonderful post, Brian!!!

[Roger]

I liked,

"Becoming aware of what actually is happening in the world, and the life we're living -- as contrasted with being excessively distracted by concepts, imaginings, anxieties, and other cogitations that aren't really necessary for here-and-now experiencing."

--Do we ever really become "aware" of what is "actually" happening? True, it would depend on what "actually" means. And, I like this "here-and-now" experiencing. However, what exactly would be an example of a nonconceptual "here-and-now" experience? I'm not finding fault, I do agree with the basic message.

[Blogger Brian]

Roger, I've read in several books that 95% (or more) of processing in the brain occurs outside of our awareness. So, no, it is impossible to ever become aware of what is "actually happening."

But we can be as aware as possible of what it is possible to be aware of. Meaning, often we don't pay attention to what is accessible to our consciousness. Sensations, for example.

Which are good examples of non-conceptual here and now experiences. As I type, I feel the pressure of my fingers hitting my laptop's keyboard. Those sensations are immediate, unmediated, not modified by thought.

But if I started thinking, "Gosh, there's a bit of extra tingling in the little finger of my left hand. Maybe I have Pinkie Cancer! Oh, no!!", that would be an example of conceptual cognition being added on to immediate awareness.

Sometimes this is necessary and good. Ignoring a chest pain, for example, would be unwise. Simple sensations need to be thought about on occasion. But most of the time they don't. We can go through our day being aware of sights, sounds, tastes, feelings, and smells without ruminating over them unnecessarily.

(Hearing a tiger roar in a dark jungle requires a response, of course, but mere thinking won't be of much use.)

[Dungeness]

Becoming aware of what actually is happening in the world, and the life we're living -- as contrasted with being excessively distracted by concepts, imaginings, anxieties, and other cogitations that aren't really necessary for here-and-now experiencing.

Hence, mindfulness is my focus now, not a form of meditation that distances me from the world, my body, and physical sensations....

Hm, I suspect any meditative practice will emphasize distancing yourself from distractions though. Most advise "observe and let go of" - rather "try to suppress" - distractions. And few hide away from civilization.

I'm not sure how meditation or mindfulness could be practiced successfully without a "distraction filter". The problem is "concepts, imaginings, anxieties, and other cogitations" are fueled by what we're seeing and hearing externally moment by moment. While mindfulness may increase awareness of the mind's activity, sensory input is feeding its power. Mindfulness is a wonderful aid, but to understand and tame mental demons, a more rigorous, distraction-avoiding practice is needed. I think mindfulness and meditation are both needed.

[Tony]

I wonder - is it possible to be anything but mindful?

Isn't focusing on otherworldy fantasies still practising mindfulness? One is experiencing the fantasy here and now, just as one is breathing here and now, and perspiring here and now and walking down the street here and now.

Is the practise of mindfulness really 'selective mindfulness'? Ie. you focus your awareness on the doing rather than thinking?

[Roger]

Brian,

Good points made. That possible 5% form(?) of mindfulness is most interesting of topics. And, that those moments of non-conceptual awareness are ever interupted with moments(periods) of conceptuality.

Surely, the brain needs a healthy dose or balance of conceptuality and non-conceptuality. Could practicing a meditation that forces one into a state of non-conceptuality be harmful or not?

[Roger]

"Mindfulness is the art of observing your physical, emotional, and mental exeriences with deliberate, open, and curious attention. And although it is an "art" that can be cultivated through a daily formal meditation practice (which we talk about throughout the book), you can easily practice it instantaneously to be aware of your present-moment experience anytime in the course of a day."

---This defintion of Mindfulness is OK. However, the need to practice a daily formal meditation may not be necessary. Yes, this is a daily (moment by moment) process that occurs naturally for all of us.

"Our bodies simply function as they always do: pumping blood, taking in information from the senses, and experiencing sensory and emotional responses to stimuli. Our minds interpret these direct physical experiences -- and often create stories around them -- in ways that may increase discomfort or suffering and create more reactivity in our minds. We can short-circuit this reactivity by returning our attention to the felt experience of our bodies."

---Now, what is the word for this 'mind' activity, that interprets physical experiences? Surely, we can create stories around them that don't create harm and suffering. Thus, a non-suffering cognitiveness, that doesn't need a meditation practice to occur.

[Rahul raj]

accept mindfulness as it is... spirituality as it is... (non judgement).. everything is illusion (knowledge also) except self.. namaste