Mindfulness

As an extension of a previous post; I would like to take some time to talk about what mindfullness means to me.

Mindfulness is, well, being mindful about any action that I perform but it is also being mindful about what is going on around me. This is referred to inner and outer mindfulness. The western culture I live in may simply determine that mindfulness is simply awareness. Although mindfulness does take substantial awareness; mindfulness and awareness are different like the colors red and ruby are. The importance of mindfulness, to me, is to be able to wholly experience this vessel that we collectively call life or the human experience.

Inner Mindfulness
Inner mindfulness refers to my actions, my emotions, and my thoughts. Practicing mindfulness can be quite difficult because it takes consideration and forethought prior to carrying out a task. The way that I practice mindfulness in regards to mindful-actions is to think about what I am doing, how my actions will effect others, how my actions reflect upon myself, and what the outcome will be. This is not so different than how other people carry out their business. Mindful-action is quite simple and comes as a second nature. I take it further; however, because mindful-action to me is about acting in a manner that is helpful to the overall gamut of human experience. Carrying out duties and actions that foster the improvement (physical, psychological, or even temporary) of another person or creature. Yes, or a creature!

One of the hardest things, at least for me, is to be mindful about my emotions. Think about the last time that your emotions went wild; this is not unusual, most people feel strongly about many aspects of their life. That guy that passed me on the road, swerved in front of me, then slammed on his breaks and nearly hit me and the guy in front of me. Imagine the anger and the rage that you may feel from this example then understand how difficult how being mindful of your emotions can be. This is where mindfulness and awareness differ greatly. Being mindful of emotions is beyond simply acknowledging them. I strive to understand where my emotions are stemming from and what I can do to bring them back down to a sort of emotional-homeostasis. I take a look at what caused my emotion; the guy that passed me, and ask myself a question "Why does this make me mad?" Of course it makes me mad because of the physical danger that this oaf put not only himself but others in. I transition to the effect of the cause of my emotion. As a result of my emotion I am now in a poor mood, which ultimately could result in unmindful actions and thoughts (more on this later). The next step is to find a way, immediately, to remove the emotion and continue enjoying life. For me, and this is different with all practitioners of the way, I acknowledge my emotion and look at causation; is this really something to be upset about? Did this individual actually hurt somebody or him/herself or am I simply upset because of could-have-beens or would-have-beens? You can see where I am going with this, being mindful of my emotion I notice that in this example I really have no need to be upset; so I eliminate the feeling because it means nothing. Please note that it is okay to be upset and its wonderful to feel emotions but being mindful of them can remove unnecessary emotions.

Lastly (at least in this post), is mindful thought. Mindful thought or mindful-cognition. Mindful thought is similar to mindful emotion and mindful action in that it takes a bit of both. Emotions absolutely sway thought and in turn actions but also actions (either externally or internally) can create thoughts and in turn emotion! Thought is a sort of intermediary between emotion and action. This leads to really no explenation; be mindful of your thoughts to help control and eliminate poor actions and its effects on your emotions or poor emotions and the effects on your actions.

External Mindfulness
Turning focus and mindfulness from the self to others is also important. Other peoples actions absolutely affect myself but also other people and creatures around them too. Mindfulness in this sense, especially in regards to mindful action and others, is understanding what other people are doing and what can be done to help the individual or others around them. Sometimes this comes to mitigating conflicts and resolving the suffering of the individual, a group of people, or creatures around. If I see an upset person I will mindfully take action to try and remedy the situation. This can come via physically helping the person or talking/listening to what they have to say. An example is a man and his daughter moving a couch into an apartment by me. I notice that his daughter is maybe 12 or 13; probably too young to really help him. I lent a hand even though I was exceptionally busy at the time, I lent a hand. What does this mean in the scheme of things? Nothing, really, but I know that I did what I could to help eliminate some suffering at least for the time being.

Mindfulness: Consequences and Effects
I like this heading, the "consequences" of mindfulness; this is absurd and I like it. There are consequences and effects of being mindful, however. Possibly the only true consequence in a negative way is that it does take substantial practice and is not easy, perfect, or always functional! Of course, being mindful is still absolutely the best practice. As a simile, practicing mindfulness and not always being successful is like attempting to mop a floor while wearing muddy boots; not always easy and possibly a never ending practice, but mopping (mindfulness) is still worth cleaning up the mess left by the boots. I think this may actually be why many Buddhist monks sweep with brooms is to convey a message of practice and futility. I don't mean futility in a hopeless endeavor but in a never-ending long-lasting practice.

Anyway, I digress, the effects of mindfulness are far greater and worth the minor inconvenience and consequences. I feel that the best part of practicing mindfulness in all of its intricacies is the reaction I get from people. The best part is the smiles and the gratefulness I feel from people after really giving my attention and my whole mind into this existence. An example that I like to do is when walking down the street and you see someone coming I will often genuinely smile at them and say hello like I truly mean it; because I do. Saying "hello" to someone is usually awkward but when you actually mean it like you are happy to see them than the whole politic of it changes.

In summation; mindfulness leads to a generally better (happier, more calm, and peaceful) life, and I dig that. Also, try kissing someone next time you see them and put your whole attention into the kiss. A sincere honest kiss and put all of your mind into it. I bet it will be the best kiss ever; then, never kiss anybody any other way again!