A Meditation on Mindfulness

Within the Eightfold Path there are seemingly two repeated entries concerning the practice of meditation. These can be found at Steps 7 and 8:

7. Right Mindfulness

To see things as they really are, or in other words, to “stop and smell the roses.” In a word, mindfulness is about experiencing the moment with an attitude of openness and freshness to all and every experience. 

8. Right Meditation

In this state we have successfully withdrawn from the distractions which keep us in an unskillful and unbeneficial state of mind. We rest, single-pointedly, in a state of awareness meditation.

What adds to the confusion is that in America we often use the terms “Mindfulness” and “Meditation” interchangeably. Each one going in and out of fashion at different times.

We also use both of these terms as part of the guided meditation during our Wednesday night Zoom Mindfulness service. For example, to focus the mind, we suggest that you count your breath. When you reach the top of your inhale, count “one” silently to yourself and then “two” at the bottom of the exhale. Continue doing so until you reach “ten” and then begin again at “one”.

This is much more difficult than it sounds because you are not supposed to anticipate the next number, you are supposed to just say it spontaneously when the time arises, without losing your place. For example, a very famous American Zen priest named Maura O'Halloran said that she was only able to get to “six” and this was after practicing many, many years in Japan at a Zen monastery. This anecdote is from the book Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind: The Life and Letters of an Irish Zen Saint by Maura O'Halloran.

Then immediately after this exercise we then go on to explain how to sit without judgement, embracing every sound and thought, just as it is, without judgement. We want to just identify each experience and then let it pass.

So, which one is it? And why both? Well, it turns out that we are starting with number 8 and then shifting towards number 7. We need both. We need to develop focus so we can stay in the moment in order to appreciate everything just as it is. But I think there may be more to it than that.

I am currently reading the book Behold the Buddha by James C. Dobbins where he highlights the differences between the monastic and householder paths of Buddhism.

For the former,

“The Buddha’s disciples took up a lifestyle that consisted of distancing themselves from domestic life, ... Keeping minimal possessions and living a life of discipline and self-control.” (Page 38)

 For the latter,

“Ordinary people ... instead of separating themselves from society, remained tied to their family and community. (Page 39)

When I read this, it really struck me as also the differences between “meditation” and “mindfulness”. If anyone could develop focus it would seem that a monastery would be a very good place to start. Perhaps the only place. It is very difficult to find prolonged focus within everyday life.

So perhaps a better approach for everyday people is to merely take it all in and “just smell the roses”. Seeing and validating all aspects of our lives, both good and bad. The struggles and the victories as the very things that give our lives meaning and make us who we are.

I am not sure if there is any other way for householders to do it since there is no easy way for us to distance ourselves. Being tied to our family and community is the very essence of what it means to be an ordinary person. It is here that we can find deep meaning within our families and possessions. Rather than isolating like a monk, we move towards all the things that surround us. It is within domestic life that we create the intimacy necessary to experience everything just as it is. Both the birds chirping and the sirens blaring. The children laughing and the babies crying. Just stop and experience life as it is. We just need to be focused enough to be able to open up to all that is around us.

I have a story that illustrates this well. At OCBC, we have a Tai-Chi class the meets Thursday mornings. On one of these mornings, a large group of students from St. Mary’s School in Aliso Viejo was coming to visit our Hondo to learn about Buddhism. They were coming in two large, yellow school buses. They would be talking, laughing and running about the quad prior to my presentation. I went over to the social hall to apologize for the coming commotion and offered to close the social hall doors for them, to help muffle the distractions. I didn't want to disrupt the quiet needed to focus on their breathing and movements. To my surprise, they wanted to leave the doors wide open. They wanted to hear the energy and joy of young children. They wanted to embrace the energy and enthusiasm of these young children into their practice.

So rather than preserving focus, they immersed themselves in the moment, effortlessly.

Namoamidabutsu, Rev Jon Turner