Issue

16th Issue (June, 2010)

Mindfulness: the compass of Buddhist harmony and happiness

Bhikkhu K. Tanchangya
saddhananda@hotmail.com

Mindfulness is the English rendering for the Pāli term “sati”, which is often prefixed in sutta texts with “anu” as in “anussati”. Anu has the meaning of gradual, step by step or systematic. Hence, anussati is the gradual or systematic development of mindfulness. Sati, in short, is the base, starting point and the end point of Buddhist practice. From a practical standpoint, development of sati is more important than a rigorous study of the doctrinal aspects of paṭiccasamuppāda, anattā and what not. The doctrine of paṭticcasamuppāda tells the process of how dukkha comes to be but the realization of that very process culminating in the five aggregates requires sati. Dukkha in Buddhist understanding is not mere physical pains and injuries, though they are part and parcel of it, but more correctly dukkha is psychological frustrations, disappointments and dissatisfaction of life that underlies deep beneath every conditioned existence such-as ours. Thus, dukkha is the problem and the solution is awakening. The term awakening is none other than sati, for sati is that which keeps you awake. Hence, Buddhist practice is to be awake at all conscious times. I used the word “conscious” to refer to a more general meaning of time when we are not physically sleeping. But of course, in Buddhist texts, someone who has developed mindfulness to its max is said to be awake even in such physical acts as sleeping.

The readers should be reminded here that apart from the empirical existence of the five aggregates of corporeality, sensations, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness, early Buddhism refuses to talk of metaphysics and all the isms involved in it. In other words, dukkha and sukha (happiness) interplay in the way how we handle these five aggregates of the empiric world, nothing else. Empirically, the conditioned coming together of the five aggregates is what we know as a “being” (puggala). The being does not suffer just because he has these five aggregates but because he develops cravings and attaches grasping to these five aggregates (pañcupādānakkgandhā dukkhā). And the reason why he attaches grasping to their otherwise normal functions is because he does not see them with “appropriate reflection” (yoniso manasikāra). The pāli phrase yoniso manasikāra is another synonym for sati. Thus we come to the Buddha’s famous instruction to Bāhiya who was a lay, “there should be mere seeing in what is seen (diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṁ bhavissati); mere hearing in what is heard (sute sutamattaṁ bhavissati); mere understanding in what is understood (mute mutamattaṁ bhavissati) and mere thinking in what is thought (viññāte viññātamattaṁ bhavissati)”[1]. This was the essence of Buddha’s teachings revealed in the context of mindfulness. This teaching needs to be understood and more importantly practiced in the context of the six sensory doors of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. For eye, there are forms/sights; for ear, there are sounds; for nose, there are smells; for tongue, there are tastes; for body, there is touch and for mind, there are thoughts. When “seeing” which arises depending on eye and form is not properly reflected upon, there would co-arise lust (rāga) and greed (dosa) accompanied by ignorance (moha). Same goes to the rest five sensory doors. In the pāli passage quoted above, four aspects are mentioned: seeing (diṭṭha), hearing (suta), understanding (muta) and thinking (viññāta). In the context of the six sensory doors, understanding (muta) includes smell (gandha), taste (rasa), and touch (poṭṭhabba). Thus we have all six sense doors in the four aspects of diṭṭha, suta, muta and viññāta. Buddha continues his instruction to Bāhiya saying, “when there is mere seeing in what is seen, mere hearing in what is heard, mere understanding in what is understood and mere thinking in what is thought, then you would not be by that” (tato tvaṁ, bāhiya, na tena). The important phrase is “by that” (na tena) explained in the commentary as not becoming lustful, hateful and deluded (ratto vā duṭṭho vā mūḷho vā na bhavissasi) by the sights of forms, sounds of words and so on. “When you are not by that, then you are not there (yato tvaṁ na tena, tato tvaṁ na tattha)” was the second step. The phrase “you are not there” means you are not lustful by lusts, not hateful by hate and not deluded by delusions[2] . Thus, in seeing, hearing and so on, the three concepts of “this is mine” (etaṁ mama), “this is me” (esohamasmi) and “this is my self” (eso me attā) do not arise. These are the three factors which are said to produce the whole mass of dukkha. The first one is identified as “craving” (taṅhā); the second one as “pride” (māna) and the third one as “wrong view” (diṭṭhi). Craving, pride and wrong views are understandably the most unwanted psychological negativities that arise due to our inappropriate reflection in our seeing, hearing and so on. But “when you are not there, then you are neither here, nor there nor in between”[3] . This is the state of “the end of dukkha” (esevanto dukkhassā”ti). Now the important issue in our seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking is to acknowledge the mere act of seeing, hearing and so on. For example, when a thought of anger or hate arises in our thinking, the important thing is not to justify it but to acknowledge its arising with appropriate reflection, keep it under observation and let the anger or whatever thought it be subside in its own account, for arising and ceasing is the nature of every phenomena (uppādavayadhammino) including our thoughts. Disharmony and unhappiness is often caused, not by outside interference, but by justifications of our own acts, for instance justifying our negative thoughts would only enhance our anger, hate, revenge and what not. Sati or more specifically yoniso manasikāra is something that finds its practical relevance in its present moment here and now. Past is gone and future has not yet come but what is empirical for our existence is this very moment. Indeed, thinking of the past, deeds done and not-done and pondering upon the uncertain future only generate worries and resentments for our fragile mind. Hence, anyone who has been to a Buddhist retreat must be familiar with this teaching of “be mindful of the present moment”, the way to inner harmony, happiness and success. And this practice of being mindful at the present moment is not merely confined to retreats and solitudes but something which is applicable and practical in every such act of our everyday life as driving, cooking, talking, playing sports, working in the office so on and so forth.  

In other words, this teaching was the summary of the four foundations of mindfulness as expounded in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta. They include:

1. Mindfulness of the body (kāyanupassanā)
2. Mindfulness of feelings (dhammānupassnā)
3. Mindfulness of the mind (cittānupassanā) and
4. Mindfulness of mental qualities (dhammānupassanā)

The well known technique of breathing in and out used in modern psychotherapy and other medical treatment was in fact a Buddhist technique which is included in the mindfulness of the body. Though in medical field, this technique is practiced for physical relaxation and stress reduction, the mindfulness of breathing in and out has in fact a soteriological effect. In other words, such practice of mindfulness can lead to awakening. It so happens that people, though breathing, are not as often mindful of their breathing as they ought to. As a result, they are often stressed out, remain tensed and are quick to lose temper. But when you are stressed out and tensed or nervous, just focus your mind on your nostril, breathe in and out naturally and acknowledge the breath whether it is long or short, deep or shallow. After sometimes, you would not only feel relaxed but it can affect your efficiency positively and improve your faculties very sharply. The Buddhist mindfulness of the body is not confined to breathing only. It also includes our bodily movements like walking, standing, sitting and lying down. In every possible position, if we can apply mindfulness and be focused on and alert of our entire bodily functions at any given time, then life would be simply wonderful. The benefits of such practice do not remain in theories and books, but in our day-to-day life.

The mindfulness of feelings or sensations is the act of being mindful of our feelings or sensations which can be of three types: positive, negative or neutral. As we have already explained, if any feeling or sensation arises, say of feeling of anger and hate, then the requirement is to acknowledge its arising with appropriate reflection without giving justifications. Thus we can remain independent of them without necessarily being sustained by them. The same applies to the positive feeling of pleasantness or happiness. Though our aim is happiness, often the kind of happy feelings we get from mundane interactions is not permanent but we try to impose permanency on what is otherwise impermanent conditioned phenomena. Such imposition is unwise or inappropriate reflection (ayoniso manikāra). The wise reflection is to realize that even such feelings of pleasantness and happiness derived from our six sense doors do not last long and hence the more we cling to them, the more we suffer in their change.  This is of course not to say of denying such happy feelings but to reflect upon their true nature which is but fleeting.

The mindfulness of the mind is the third meditative technique of keeping the mind under mindful observation. The mind in early Buddhism is identified as often being afflicted by the three primordial afflictions of lust, hate and delusion. Being mindful of the mind means to be able to know when the mind is afflicted with lust, hate or delusion at any given time and get rid of them with counteractive measures like diverting the mind to the impureness and loathsomeness of forms in case of a lustful mind and developing loving kindness and compassion when the mind is hateful.

The mindfulness of mental qualities is to be practiced, among others, in the context of the five hindrances[4] , the grasping to the five aggregates[5] , and the six internal sensory faculties[6] and their respective external objects[7] . That is to say, it is a mindfulness of being able to identify and acknowledge the different types of mental concomitants (cetasikas) that arise along with the mind. The Abhidhamma gives a list of fifty two such mental concomitants, of which 14 are negative namely delusion, shamelessness, fearlessness of wrong, restlessness, greed, wrong view, conceit, hatred, envy, avarice, worry, sloth, torpor and doubt.

The development of sati thus remains the primordial foundation of the Buddhist search for harmony and happiness. It is the intuitive reflection of the nature of the empiric existence which paves the way for ultimate harmony and happiness known as nibbāna, the extinction of lust, hate and ignorance.

Editor’s Note:

‘Mindfulness’ or ‘Sati’ is the key practice of all faith adherents who aspire for Gnosis. The meaning is two-fold. Firstly, it is full awareness or consciousness that self of individuality does not exist and only Non-self or holistic Whole of Anattᾱ exists. Secondly, it means unceasing ‘Rememberance’ of Buddha’ (Buddha-nature of Man). The Buddha-nature is Anattᾱ. Many Theravᾱda Insight meditators approach ‘Sati’ through the universal Characteristic (Lakkhana) of Impermanence (Aniccatᾱ). Such soteriological approach is equally appropriate as Anattᾱ is not pertinent when Aniccatᾱ does not exist non-dually with it. The Unity of this pair of opposites is the Absolute Reality to be sought by all serious spiritualists. The Arabic word for ‘Sati’ is ‘Dhikr’.