Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

I have always wondered what is Right Mindfulness (Samma Sati).

To tell you frankly, the place I stay in has no Sangha and there is a Goenka retreat which I have booked for attending next month for Vipassana meditation.

However in day to day life, here is what I practise in every moment of my life. Basically what I do is :-

1. When I see a Feeling coming in - from my eye, ears or tongue. I look at that feeling as that - feeling. I dont identify that feeling as my Self and look at that feeling as Impermanent. This is do for both pleasant and unpleasant feelings. And when I do that in my mind, in 100% of cases the feeling just goes away without leaving any trace in my mind. I dont remember that feeling again. And for a brief moment (about 2-3 minutes ) I feel an subtle Rapture and joy in my mind. I dont know from where it comes but it definitely comes.

2. Similarly when I see a Body - a beautiful or ugly human being. I look at that thing as that - Body. It does not constitute as Self. I think that it is subject to change - it will decay and become a carcass and be eaten by Birds . So that attraction and repulsion towards that body goes away.

3. Similarly in day to day life, whenever I get a Perception - I make sure not to identify myself with that Perception.

4. Similarly many times in a day I contemplate about the 5 aggregates and make sure that I dont identify with any of them as they are impermanent and constitute no permanent entity (self) within them.

Please tell me if this is what the Buddha taught as Right Mindfulness?.

indian_buddhist wrote:I have always wondered what is Right Mindfulness (Samma Sati)...

That's a good start. Also refer to Ven. Bodhi's Noble 8-Fold Path here

so whatever I wrote ; is not mindfulness?

I think a LOT of people restrict Mindfulness to just Anapanasati which is wrong.

Mindfulness I think (and I feel is what the Buddha taught) is simple awareness of your Mind. In everyday life situations - you see,hear, smell, taste ,feel with body different things both pleasant and unpleasant. The Undisciplined wordling who has not heard the Buddha's teaching does the following (He does not see these things as - Impermanent, Without a Self, Cause a suffering) and so he attaches to it which leads to either Greed or Aversion.

But the instructed Wordling who has heard the teaching watches it as it is (Impermanent, Without a Self, cause of suffering) and does not attach to it and watches it go away as it arises.

Can this be considered as Mindfulness?.

Hello,

Yes, I certainly agree with you and this is how I try (TRY !) to cultivate mindfulness in my daily life too. right mindfulness should start from our ordinary day to day life as you have explained and if you really practise it, at the end of the day if you review what you have done, you have actually developped and progressed on Sathara Sathipattana (four awareness i.e. Kayanupassana - awareness in body, Vedananupassana -awareness in feeling, Chiththanupassana -awareness in mind and Dhammanupassana -awareness in dhamma.

Chethinie

read Thanissaro's work Mindfulness defined

chethinie wrote:Hello,

Yes, I certainly agree with you and this is how I try (TRY !) to cultivate mindfulness in my daily life too. right mindfulness should start from our ordinary day to day life as you have explained and if you really practise it, at the end of the day if you review what you have done, you have actually developped and progressed on Sathara Sathipattana (four awareness i.e. Kayanupassana - awareness in body, Vedananupassana -awareness in feeling, Chiththanupassana -awareness in mind and Dhammanupassana -awareness in dhamma.

Chethinie

I am glad someone agrees with me. I was beginning to think if what I was doing does not belong to the Dhamma or useless.

My sister gave me a beautiful book called "Buddha His Life and Teachings."

It says something about mindfulness in daily life (if my memory is correct). Talking about mindfulness in standing, walking, sitting, eating, sleeping and etc.

I should get it and post what it says tommorow when I can find the book, I really like what it says.

indian_buddhist wrote:
But the instructed Wordling who has heard the teaching watches it as it is (Impermanent, Without a Self, cause of suffering) and does not attach to it and watches it go away as it arises.

Can this be considered as Mindfulness?.

I believe you're spot on. To me, right mindfulness is the idea of being aware of the impermanence-to see each phenomena and experience as such (just experience). I think it means to be detached and just observe each experience as a rising and passing rather than fabricate a false identity within is. I have always believed this to be the first step in understanding the ways of Buddha's teachings.

Metta-SRP

Always found this to be a helpful explanation.

So as I understand, Shall mindfulness be practiced during 24h per day? When I sit to meditate, May I start with concentrarion on the breathing and then jump to another part, for example, perception,feeling?

Right mindfulness- First we have to see what is mindfulness.

One meaning of mindfulness is to be aware.Be aware of what?.Be aware of Vedana of each and every body movements.

Now Right mindfulness means mindfulness align towards final goal(Nirwana).Wrong mindfulness is awareness of body movements for harming somebody or himself.

To practicing right mindfulness 100% in every day life on every body movement is difficult unless in a retreat.But to some instances possible.Right mindfulness is in Noble Eightfold Path is call Samma Sathi.

With Metta

Thank you for your answer

Right Mindfulness
Dear Indian Buddhist
Your practice of R/M is worthful.I think when you have a pleasant feeling for example if you can aware that I have a pleasant feeling is sufficient to suppress that feeling.
To illustrate this point suppose that a thief has come to your house in night to steal,if you saw the thief,what will he try to do? He will try to run away.So the pleasent feeling is try to do the same.

Instead of going to the extent of awareing that is not my feeling.Because if the strength of feeling is less at that point it will vanished.That mean you are aware that pleasant feeling arise ,and continue for some times and ceased after some time.If pleasent feeling persist you have to resort as you intended.If still persist then you have resort to change mind to something like virtue of Lord Buddha or Metta or suitable object.With this Ithnk you can developt R/M.

with Metta

Gelañña Sutta 1

Gelañña Sutta 2

Kayagata-sati Sutta