Nhat Hanh
Mindful or Mindless?
Scattered weeds in the garden are no different than the stress we experience in our lives. Spiritual teacher and author of The Power of Now, Eckart Tolle says, “Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there,’ or being in the present but wanting to be in the future. It’s a split that tears you apart inside.” If we learned to focus on each moment and live fully in the present, we wouldn’t be swayed by the angst of the past or the worries or dreams of the future. As Matthew 6:34 reminds us, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
Just as we have formed the habit energies of being in the past or the future, we have also unconsciously trained ourselves not to be in the here and now. In the same way we have learned to be “mindless,” we can consciously cultivate the positive habit energy of being mindful through an ongoing awareness of where our attention is at any given moment. We could be in Monet’s garden in Giverny but miss its beauty if we’re preoccupied by some concern. We could be sitting with our beloved, but if our mind is elsewhere, we are missing out on giving and receiving love, and on life itself, which is ultimately found only in the present moment.
“Nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now; and if the past cannot prevent you from being present now, what power does it have?” —Eckhart Tolle
When we are mindful, there is an awareness of what is happening in the present moment. We are fully experiencing our thoughts, feelings and what is happening within our bodies. We are conscious of our actions, whether it be walking to our car, eating a meal, or taking a drive in the country. We are more likely to move slowly through the day, attentive to what is happening and enjoying every moment, even daily rituals, as if they were happening for the first time.
When we are mindless, there is the tendency to operate on automatic pilot. We struggle to stay on task, and we frequently multi-task without realizing what we are doing. We find ourselves hurrying to reach our goal, only to find it difficult to slow down enough to enjoy reaching it.
Of course these are extremes, and most of the time operate with qualities of both mindfulness and mindlessness. In our aspiration to be more mindful, remember it is best to keep a “beginner’s mind” and an acceptance of what is happening in the present moment.
Mindfulness Is Being Aware and Remembering
When a famous teacher was asked what practice is most important, he always responded with one word—“Awareness!” Thinking he would expound on such a brief answer, students would often ask again, and again his response was “Awareness!” Our first step in cultivating the seed of mindfulness is to become aware of what we are experiencing within our body, mind and feelings at any given moment. This practice seems obvious, but think about the last time you talked with a friend. Were you truly with them, or was your mind focused on what your next response might be, or on other thoughts and feelings?
Coupled with awareness is the ability to remember. On a stained glass window at the Deer Park monastery in Escondido, California, there are three Sanskrit words: Smirti, Samadhi and Prajna. Smiriti is the word for mindfulness and translated literally means “to remember.” Samadhi is translated to mean “concentration,” and Prajna refers to “wisdom” or “insight.” So with awareness we are able to focus, gain insight, and discover if we are truly present to what is happening. With awareness we are more likely to remember what is important about a given moment, and every time we return to the present moment we cultivate the seed of mindfulness.
Make it a practice to remember to return fully to whatever you are engaged in at the present moment. This is not about remembering the past or to pick up a loaf of bread on the way home—it is to remember to return to this moment. Are you living it fully or off in a trance? If we allow ourselves to be easily swayed by every thought that arises, we will face far greater challenges in deeply enjoying the people and experiences in our life. By simply remembering to return to what you are doing now, you already have begun to water the seed of mindfulness.
“The heart of most spiritual practices is simply this: Remember who you are. Remember what you love. Remember what is sacred. Remember what is true. Remember that you will die and that this day is a gift. Remember how you wish to live.” —Wayne Muller
Cultivating Mindfulness
As we have learned, mindfulness is a process of being in the present moment, and it is cultivated by being aware, remembering, and returning again and again to what is happening. It is a practice of controlling our wandering minds. The acronym WIN—What’s Important Now—can remind us of this practice. This phrase can become a wonderful mantra for prioritizing your focus despite the many demands competing for your attention at any given time.
The ideal way to develop mindfulness is through the practice of meditation. When we meditate, we simply attend to what is happening in that moment. If we are formally meditating, our attention is often focused on our breath or a word or phrase. If we are tending to the garden, our focus is on the planting, weeding and watering. Whether in formal meditation or informally connecting with daily life, we can apply the insights from meditation and other contemplative practices, such as prayer, to everyday life. In many small ways, we can learn ways to stop and calm ourselves in every moment. Once we have gained this realization we are able to look deeply and create understanding of what is happening NOW. With the ability to stop, calm and look deeply we slowly discover that we are practicing and watering the seed of mindfulness.
Stopping
The first step in any type of meditation—and the key to developing mindfulness—is learning how to stop. In stopping, we let go of the past and future and dwell in the present moment. Each day offers us many opportunities to cultivate the art of stopping—stop signs, people, bells, or an entire day of rest such as the Sabbath. Stopping does not require us to come to a halt; rather, we are to pause and heed what is happening in the moment.
What might stopping look like in your life? Take a moment to lay this book aside, stop reading—in fact, stop everything for the next several minutes, and just be. Now, explore what you’ve just experienced. Typically, people discover sights they haven’t been seeing, sounds they haven’t been hearing. They become aware of the busyness and over-activity of the their minds.
Learning to stop requires a conscious awareness and a cultivation of this skill. Two practices that support stopping—bells and gratitude—require us to bring our attention fully into the present moment, which often works best by taking a conscious breath or two to center yourself in the moment.
Bells
Historically temple and church bells have reminded people to stop and pray, reflect or meditate. They announce the time of day, alert us to special events, and remind us who may need our support. Whether the ringing of a phone or the oven timer at the end of its cycle, “bells of mindfulness” are a reminder to stop, to pause.
In meditation, bells are a metaphor for mindful awareness, but other reminders can be just as effective. Several years ago, a deaf student took my mindfulness course. Aware that she could not hear the bell, I asked her what “bells of mindfulness” she could incorporate into her life. She responded very tenderly with the help of her signer, “My baby is my bell of mindfulness. Every time I hold her and feed her, I feel fully present, and at no other time do I feel so mindful. I recognize that I naturally breathe more slowly, and in the process we both become more relaxed and connected. These are moments of great joy and peace.”
One of my joys is the opportunity to perform wedding ceremonies. During the service, I use a large bell to invite guests to pause and reflect on
