And – as pointed out previously – mindfulness practice is not merely some cognitive-behavioral
method to develop attention, but rather an approach to develop a particular kind of attention. With
the kind of mindfulness that originates in Buddhist psychology and mindfulness-based
interventions (MBIs) derived from MBSR, it’s not about learning to concentrate and observe events
like a sniper might or like some training to pay better attention in daily life, in a cognitive
psychological experiment or to the quick demands of a computer game. Mindfulness is a special
kind of attention that can only occur when we turn towards whatever we are perceiving, without our
emotions and intentions prejudiced or biased in the process – neither turning our attention away
from the object of awareness, nor trying to hang on to or control i
That is where the basic
attitudes of kindness, openness, tolerance, patience and courage, spoken of earlier, prove
essential to this special type of direct contact with our experience.
The mindfulness of Buddhist psychology and MBI, consequently, is seen to provide a unique
approach to dealing with our unruly minds residing in unruly bodies in an essentially unruly world
within an unruly universe. It is a method that trains the often unruly mind and body to be still and to
open up to experience in a very intimate way. Because our minds often wander to uncomfortable
places, like thoughts of regret, envy or fear – and our bodies also often go along, with tensing up,
becoming overstimulated or, alternatively, lethargic, exhausted or painful – this particular kind of
“mindful” experience can only happen when we can develop a certain level of patience, kindness
and courage as we seek to still our minds and come into close, immediate contact with whatever
we are able to feel from moment to moment.
This means we are not only teaching our minds to focus and maintain contact with whatever is
going on in the present moment. We are also teaching our minds and bodies to apply the skills of
kindness, patience, generosity and trust to a body and mind that are always, at least partially,
beyond our own control: our minds wander and get restless; our bodies become ill, agitated or
otherwise uncomfortable. However, by practicing mindfulness, we may still find ourselves
somehow able not only to reside in our bodies and minds, but also able to value and even vividly
and richly experience them, although they are, indeed, often unruly and unsatisfactory from a
perspective of having things in a certain way.
The inner exploration and investigation of experience that characterizes mindfulness thus permits
the development of a new set of insights into how things – both inside and out – work, and allows
for a new set of values that replace negative criticism and aversive emotions with kindness,
openness and tolerance to whatever there is that we are, for any reason, unable to change. And
this all comes from simply paying attention in a particular kind of way. And it is the repeated
experience of our own experience within our own bodies that may bring some new kind of
understanding of how our minds and the world operate.
Western Psychology’s Reinvention of Mindfulness
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I
choose it to mean — neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different
things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master— that's all."
from Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
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