Mindfulness
About Mindfulness
Buddhist meditation practice cultivates three types of energy. The first is Smrti, which means mindfulness. The second is Samadhi, or concentration. And the third is Prajna, or insight.
What is mindfulness?
To be aware of what is happening in the present moment and to remain fully attentive. When you inhale, and you know that you are inhaling, that is called mindfulness of breathing.
When you drink your tea, and you are aware that you are drinking your tea, that is called mindfulness while drinking. And when you walk, and you are aware that you are walking, that is mindfulness while walking.
“Mindfulness is Always About Everything”
When you are angry, and you know that you are angry, that is mindfulness of anger. Mindfulness of anger places you in a safer position. If you are angry but not aware that you are angry, the situation becomes more dangerous. So there is mindfulness of sadness, mindfulness of joy, mindfulness of anger, mindfulness of drinking, mindfulness of walking, mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of cooking—mindfulness can be practiced at any moment in daily life. And through this, you cultivate the energy of mindfulness.
The energy of mindfulness can generate the energy of concentration. When you pay attention to something, such as this flower, and you breathe in while knowing that the flower is there, you are fully aware of its presence. If you keep that attention alive, your mindfulness becomes concentrated on the object. You can sustain full concentration on the object of mindfulness for as long as you wish. As you develop mindfulness, you begin to build concentration. And when your attention and concentration become strong enough, you touch things deeply and begin to see their true nature—this is insight. Insight is a liberating factor; it frees you from anger, fear, and despair.
Without mindfulness, there is no concentration, and without concentration, there is no insight. In Buddhism, people speak of liberation through insight rather than grace. Grace can also be understood as a kind of insight or awakening—awakening itself is insight.
Mindful Breathing
Mindfulness is always the attention given to something. In Plum Village, mindfulness training begins with full awareness of our breathing and our steps. It is very simple, yet very profound.
When we breathe in, we are simply aware that we are breathing in, and when we breathe out, we are aware that we are breathing out. It can be very relaxing and pleasant to follow the natural flow of our breath as it moves in and out of the body. We can choose to follow the breath in the abdomen or at the nostrils. As the air enters our body, we can feel it refreshing every cell. And as the air leaves our body, we can gently release the tension we find.
Following the in-breath and the out-breath brings us back to the present moment. We arrive in our body, here and now.
Our breath is a solid, stable foundation that is always available for us to return to. Whenever we are carried away by regret about something that has happened, or swept up by fear or anxiety about the future, we can return to our breathing and re-establish ourselves in the present moment.
We do not need to control the breath in any way. We simply observe it as it is. It may be long or short, deep or shallow. With the gentle energy of mindfulness, it naturally becomes slower and deeper.
Walking Meditation
It is possible to walk in freedom and solidity, and to arrive in the present moment with every step. Wherever we walk, we can practice meditation.
Walking meditation means walking in such a way that we know we are walking. We walk in a relaxed way, enjoying each step. We become aware of the contact between our feet and the ground, and of the flow of our breathing. We free ourselves from our thoughts—our regrets about the past, our fears and anxieties about the future, or our busyness in the present moment. We become 100% present with each step.
We become aware of the contact between our feet and the ground. And we begin to coordinate our steps with our breathing. We may take two or three steps while inhaling, then three or four steps while exhaling. This depends on your lungs and the natural rhythm of your steps.
As we continue walking, aligning our breath and our steps, we become aware of our whole body walking. We can release the tension in our shoulders or arms, and feel how miraculous it is to walk on Earth. We can open our ears to hear the sounds around us, and lift our eyes to enjoy the trees, the horizon, or the people around us. Being aware of our five senses, we know that we have arrived in the present moment. Each step can be nourishing, and each step can be healing.
“I have arrived, I am home” means: I no longer want to run. I have been running all my life, and I have arrived nowhere. Now I want to stop. My destination is the here and now, the only time and place where true life is possible.
– Thich Nhat Hanh –
Sitting Meditation
There is an art to sitting in a way that allows us to feel relaxed, peaceful, and at ease. In the Plum Village tradition, we simply sit and enjoy sitting. There is nowhere to go and nothing to do. We can enjoy being there, following our breath, and appreciating life. Our daily lives are often very busy, and we need time to stop, sit, and restore both ourselves and the quality of our presence.
Sitting meditation is not hard work. We do not need to struggle or make effort while sitting. We allow ourselves to be completely at ease.
It is very important to find a comfortable position so that our body can fully relax. You can sit on a cushion or on a chair; cross-legged in the lotus or half-lotus position, or kneeling. We can arrange our posture so that the back is upright yet relaxed, both knees touch the ground, and our hands are gently placed in our lap. We allow the muscles in our face to relax, releasing tension around the jaw and mouth, and gently loosening our shoulders. If our legs fall asleep or begin to hurt while sitting, we gently adjust our position while following our breathing.
Once we have established a comfortable position, we gently begin to follow our breathing and expand our awareness to the entire body. We may discover tension or restlessness in the body. With the in-breath, we can smile at that tension, and with the out-breath, we can release it and calm the body.
Steady in our body, we may begin to notice how we feel. We may feel peaceful and light, or we may feel sadness, anxiety, anger, or even loneliness. We can gently recognize these feelings and embrace them with mindful breathing.
As we breathe mindfully with these feelings, they gradually calm, and we begin to look more deeply to understand their roots.
Sitting meditation can be very healing and nourishing. It is an opportunity to be with whatever is within us without being carried away. Our mindful breathing is our anchor, and whenever thoughts arise, we simply recognize them, smile at them, and let them pass like clouds moving across a windy sky.
In Plum Village, we practice sitting meditation together every day, in the meditation hall or outdoors in nature. The collective energy is very powerful.
Eating Meditation
With the energy of mindfulness, even eating can become sacred. We have the opportunity to deeply connect with the miracle of food, and with the people around us—whether family, friends, colleagues, or fellow practitioners on the path.
Mindfulness allows us to look more deeply and see the wonders of the earth and sky within what we eat and drink. We can see the hard work, and all the causes and conditions that have brought this food to us in the present moment, and gratitude and awe naturally arise.
Looking more deeply, we can see that a simple cup of tea, a tangerine, or a piece of bread is nothing less than an “ambassador of the cosmos.” Eating with the energy of mindfulness, we can experience our connection with the planet that nourishes and sustains us, and heal our feelings of loneliness and separation.
We can be fully aware of the miracle of our body—the taste buds in our mouth, and the way our body transforms food into energy and vitality. We also have the opportunity to recognize our habitual energies around food, which may have been passed down to us through many generations.
In Plum Village, we have a contemplation that we recite before we begin eating:
- This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.
- May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food.
- May we recognize and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
- May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.
- We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our Sangha, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.
Resting
Many of us have overly packed schedules. Even our children’s lives are too busy. When we allow ourselves to rest and relax, healing becomes possible. There is no healing without relaxation. In the Plum Village tradition, we learn the art of doing nothing—at least one day each week.
It is possible to practice walking and sitting mindfully in a way that allows us to rest and restore ourselves. We can also take time to stop completely, lie down, and practice deep guided relaxation or a “body scan.” At our Plum Village centers, we offer guided lying relaxation sessions lasting 30 minutes or more in our meditation hall. We are guided to follow our breathing and relax our muscles, allowing the body to rest fully.
“We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time, but that is not true. Our time is, first of all, for us to be. To be—what? To be alive, to be peace, to be joy, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most. So we train ourselves in order to be. And if you know the art of being peace, of being solid, then you have the foundation for every action—because the foundation for action is being. And the quality of being determines the quality of doing. Action must be based on non-action.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh –
In the Buddhist tradition, we speak of “mindfulness of the body in the body” (kāyānupassanā). This means becoming aware of the body from within the body, through our direct, felt experience of it.
In deep relaxation, we may take time to visit each part of the body in turn—the forehead, jaw, shoulders, arms, hands, abdomen, and so on—gently allowing each area to release the tension it is holding. We may also take up a theme for contemplation of the body, such as compassion, gratitude, wonder, or impermanence.
