Love & Understanding

Mindfulness practice is currently a fad in the West. And that’s wonderful — it’s great that, as a culture, we’re promoting more mindfulness and less mindlessness. But with its surge in popularity, there has also been a lot of misunderstanding as to what mindfulness is. The word as it’s used casually in English just doesn’t quite capture the fullness of the experiential state of mind the word points to.

It seems to be thought of more as a tool than a state of being. Many promote it as a way to manage manage anxiety and depression, and there are others who promote it as way to increase concentration and productivity. And there’s no real understanding at all of the historical and philosophical context in which it sits.

Now, just to be clear, mindfulness practice certainly can increase productivity and concentration. It can alleviate stress and manage anxiety and depression. And in fact, this is how it was presented to me, it’s how I stepped into the practice over a decade ago when I was dealing with chronic depression and suicidal ideation. So, great, if this is your motivation for practicing.

But, considered in its full historical and philosophical context, the practice is much more than a stress ball or corporate tool. It’s a profound means for looking at one’s own experience. It’s a method to bring about a radical change in one’s understanding — a way to gain insights about yourself, the world, and your place in it. It’s a way to dramatically transform your life and your being in the world.

So, today, rather than meditate, I’d like to just take this space to talk for a moment about what mindfulness is. Okay, so what is it?

Wonder is the beginning. It is the space from which all things unfold. It gives birth to questions, it is the womb of understanding. It molds from the empty space of awareness all that can be known.

Deb – my love, my partner, my human – recently held up a mirror for me. The humdrum of everyday life had gotten to me, and allowed sloth and torpor to take over. It robbed the light from my eyes. And she, with her perspicacity, with her deep presence and understanding, left the subtle antidote:

“Your wonder for existence delights me.”

How could I forget!? We can wonder!

Vipassana, or insight meditation, is a practice of looking beyond the world of appearances, it’s a practice of looking directly at the nature of all things.

It is sometimes translated as ‘clear knowing’ or ‘bare knowing,’ which I think is a useful way to think about it — to observe, to feel, to see clearly and directly the raw data of experience, to see things not as concepts or ideas but to know them directly.

So, just as when Jesus invited us to learn to see again through eyes of a child, vipassana asks us to see the world as it is, without concepts, without biases and judgments clouding the raw experience of it. It invites us to step into the foundational wonder of all things.

It is a means to wisdom, to peace, love, and understanding.

In today's episode, I highlight the power of beliefs by way of introducing myself and my story. Beliefs not only build temples, mosques, and synagogues. They build smartphones, spaceships, and self-driving cars. They determine what clothes we wear, what company we keep, and what food we eat. They establish LLCs and run courts of law. They orchestrate symphonies, fuel economies, and spark revolutions. They push mountaineers to the highest peaks and launch astronauts into space. They shape our identities, mold our fears, and carve our dreams. Beliefs frame our experience. They propel our entire lives.

What do you believe?