In Tibetan tradition, there are four kinds of mindfulness that compose the practice of meditation:
First, average mindfulness is the kind that happens naturally when we’re curious or interested in something. We don’t make a conscious choice to turn our attention toward something; it’s more like something catches our attention and we notice we’ve turned. This happens naturally to us in the course of a day. You can start to recognize when this happens, and get curious about why a certain moment brought you more into awareness.
The second is cultivated mindfulness. This is the kind we intentionally choose to apply when we want to understand something better. In cultivated mindfulness, we do make a conscious choice, and then we stay with that point of attention for a while as we learn. An example would be paying attention to the food you’re eating as you eat it, or spending the first few minutes when you wake up in the morning to name three things for which you’re grateful. Another option is to really focus on listening and being present in a conversation. All of these small acts do help us to live into the virtue of meditation.
Third, abiding mindfulness is more like a state of mind that flows mindfully. It takes a while to train your mind in this way, but when you do, you find that whatever your mind notices or rests on becomes the focus. You can move from one thing to another, but with focus and intention. You bring a sense of awareness from one thing to the next. Abiding mindfulness comes through the consistent practice of meditation. When observing your mind becomes a habit, observing your surroundings more attentively soon follows. Abiding mindfulness is a goal that makes our commitment to daily practice worthwhile.
Last is Dharmakaya mindfulness, which is an innate wakefulness. When our minds are trained to reside here, we return to our essential nature, where we are open and aware of what is around us. Dharmakaya mindfulness is brought forth as we practice the other three forms. It also comes after years of practice, when an abiding mindfulness becomes a general presence of openness and non-reactivity to the world. Spiritual leaders and mentors often embody Dharmakaya mindfulness, which is why it feels so calming and life-giving to be around them.
Although it’s always nice to learn more about the history of meditation and the way it is understood, I mainly wanted to share this with you to help you see that the best thing to do with meditation is to start where you are. You don’t have to dive straight into Zen-meditation-person. You can’t, actually. Cultivating the virtue of meditation begins when you start to notice your own mindfulness, and then expand that little by little.
If you’re brand new to meditation, just spend this next week noticing when your average mindfulness comes into play. Try to extend it, or ask questions about it. See if there are patterns. (They might give you insight into what your soul wants you to see!)
As the month progresses, you can move toward cultivated mindfulness by making reasonable, attainable goals like: Eat mindfully for lunch once this week. Drink your coffee/tea and appreciate its glory on Tuesday. Be fully present to your kids when they tell you about their school day. Look around on your morning run and appreciate the flowers.
If you want to try to meditate every day this month, be flexible with the time. Some days you may just get in 5 minutes, but you’re still building a habit. It counts. It’s great. Feel good about it.
Regardless of where you are, take a moment to think of a person you admire who embodies Dharmakaya mindfulness. What specifically do you admire about the way they are, the way they carry themselves? What is one thing you can do or improve to bring more of that same quality into your own life?
Meditate on, soul ninja!
This post is part of the Paramita Project, where I have spent each month since September practicing one of the ten paramitas, or virtues. You can learn more about it here. You can read all my posts on January’s paramita, meditation, here.
