METHODS OF MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
Mindfulness is less of a kind of meditation and more of a practical exercise or practice in our everyday life. Mindfulness is already part of any regular meditation practice, because it is about being aware of what you are doing or concentrating on. Outside of meditation, being mindful helps us live in every moment, to be able to connect to everything we are doing.
We can practice mindfulness all day long, in everything we do, say, and think. We live in such a chaotic, routine society that everything we do, we do it almost like on autopilot. When we wake up in the morning and get ready for work, we do everything so routinely, so automatically, that the next thing we know, we’re already having our lunch break and don’t know where the day went or even how we got to work!
If we wake up and go about our day in mindfulness, we will be able to enjoy every moment of it. Short mantras or gathas help us live with mindfulness in whatever we do. When we wake up in the morning we can say to ourselves, “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at beings with eyes of compassion.[1]” Even when taking a shower, brushing our teeth, cooking, walking, driving – every moment is an opportunity to be mindful and experience what you are doing, feeling, and thinking.
If we walk with mindfulness, we can enjoy our environment and the scenery. We may notice new things that have always been there but never paid attention to them because we’re moving so fast in our daily lives. We can also save lives by walking slowly and with mindfulness. When we walk with mindfulness, we can avoid stepping on small bugs and killing them. Or we may notice a cat, dog, or bird in need of help and we can take action to rescue them.
Mindfulness doesn’t require a lot of work or energy. It just needs your attention. It’s best to be mindful with everything we do, but it’s difficult to remind ourselves to be mindful! If we practice saying these short gathas with everything we do to help remind us to be mindful, it will eventually become natural. Below are some other short gathas from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Stepping into freedom.
Since mindfulness is already part of our meditation practice in many ways, the main goal of being mindful is to do things with intention and mindfulness. For example, while meditating we hear a car horn or a door open, smell food, or notice our posture changing or distracting thoughts, we can simply “label” them with one-word reminders. If we hear something we can simply say “sound” or “horn” or “door.” If we smell something we can simply say “smell” or “food” or “delicious.” When wandering and distracting thoughts arise, we can say “thought” or “idea.” If we feel discomfort while sitting, or our feet falling asleep, we can say “discomfort” or “pain.”
Vipassana meditation is mainly focused on labeling our thoughts and feelings like this. We are observing our body and mind. We are noticing our internal and external body movements and sensations. We are noticing our chest or abdomen move as we breathe. If at any point we are in discomfort to the point where we have to move during meditation, it is important to mentally notice you are “moving” or “shifting” as you’re doing it. Especially if we recognize our backs are slouched over or not completely straight up like when we first started, note that you are “lifting” or “correcting” your posture. Mindfulness meditation is being completely aware and in control of everything you are doing. By doing this, it will help us recognize negative speech and actions while we’re thinking about it and allow us to stop and think clearly before anything negative happens or is said.
Mindfulness will help us greatly in negative situations and help us avoid lashing out in anger and frustration. If we are arguing with someone and we’re not listening deeply and with understanding, we might say negative things that we will later regret and apologize for. Instead, if we do listen deeply and with understanding, we will be able to take a few deep breaths to think clearly and speak with understanding and compassion.
DAILY GATHAS
Washing your hands
Water flows over these hands, may I use them skillfully to preserve our precious planet.
Brushing your teeth
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth, I vow to speak purely and lovingly. When my mouth is fragrant with right speech, a flower blooms in the garden of my heart.
Looking in the mirror
Awareness is a mirror reflecting the four elements. Beauty is a heart that generates love and a mind that is open.
Before eating
Beings all over the Earth are struggling to live. I aspire to practice deeply so all may have enough to eat.
Driving the car
Before starting the car I know where I am going. The car and I are one. If the car goes fast, I go fast.
Watering the plants
Don’t think you are cut off, dear plant. This water comes to you from the Earth and sky. You and I have been together since beginningless time.
Washing vegetables
In these vegetables I see a green sun. all dharmas join together to make life possible.
Sweeping
As
I carefully sweep the ground of enlightenment, a tree of understanding springs
up from the Earth.
[1] Hanh, Thich Nhat. (1997). Stepping into freedom: An introduction to Buddhist monastic training. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.