Oakville Zen Meditation
What Is Mindfulness?
We know that to be mindful is to focus on something for a specific purpose such as memorizing, learning, judging, analysing with, usually to make a decision at the end
It is cognitive mindfulness.
Zen mindfulness is different since there is no cognitive decisional purpose whatsoever. Mindfulness is paying attention purposely, moment-to-moment on something such as the body (i.e breathing), a thought, a feeling, someone, or something in the environment without any analysis, judgment, or decision.The object X on which mindfulness is focusing on, is what I call the mind anchor since mindfulness is anchoring our restless mind, forcing it to focus on the object X. In other words: mindfulness is practicing active and intentional awareness where and when you want for the purpose of just being aware. You may call it also “being aware thoughtlessly” The best analogy is this: to be mindful is to be a mirror reflecting things as they are. No thinking, no decision but just to focus.
What mindfulness does?
Again, being mindful on X means forcing the mind to focus on X w/o any cognitive analytic process but just being actively aware of X, moment- to - moment has 4 profound implications:
1- The process itself induces re-wiring of our complex brain neuro-circuitery from our emotional centers to our pre-frontal awareness/ concentration ones. This is called neuroplasticity that one can enhance with the regular practice of mindfulness since such practice is cumulative.
2- The one who is mindful of X is in control of her/his mind whereas, most of the time ,our restless mind is controlling us. Being in better control of our mind, especially our emotional roller coaster , is paramount if we want to achieve better serenity, equanimity, and stress modulation.
3- Mindfulness is helping us to develop pure awreness meaning practicing a higher level of consciousness that is free from compulsory thinking rather than being in a constant day dreaming state.
Thich Nhat Hanh said that to practice mindfulness is to become alive and selfless.
Therefore, Zen awareness here is different from its common meaning which is knowing “being aware of this and that”.
4- Mindfulness is helping us to enhance our concentration skill.
This is part of all other beneficial effects of mindfulness not developed here since they are the subject of various Dharma lectures under “meditation’ on our website.
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