Right mindfulness

1. Definition

Right Mindfulness (Chánh niệm) is the seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, and has two meanings.

The first is the practice of a method of meditative concentration, in contrast with the earlier factors of the Right Path, which are only the cultivation of conduct of body, speech and mind. When practice reaches Right Mindfulness, the Buddha's disciple must set about practising a definite method of meditative concentration, with determination. If we do not yet know how to sit in meditation, we have not yet practised the seventh step of the Noble Eightfold Path. Because it is the seventh step, the earlier stages are all important foundations. However, if we practise only the first six stages and do not go on to practise Right Mindfulness, we have not yet carried out the practice of Buddhism in full.

As for methods of applying effort to gather the mind for meditative concentration, the Buddha flexibly taught many ways, and later great masters devised more. Now we must examine every question connected with meditation in order to know how to choose the most reasonable method for ourselves and for many others. Knowledge of science, medicine, Qigong and Yin and Yang also helps us in analysing the methods of practice.

The second meaning is that Right Mindfulness is the state of a Mind that has had spiritual results, whose clearest sign is that it never forgets its work of practice. Delusive thoughts may remain, but they are not strong enough to make the mind distracted. When Right Mindfulness has been achieved, the practitioner's mind is constantly open and lucid, with few delusive thoughts. When a delusive thought is just about to arise, it is noticed and extinguishes by itself. We can say that Right Mindfulness is precisely the mind that is not distracted while abiding in its method of practice.

1. Causes that make the mind distracted

(distract)

A distracted mind means a mind that cannot keep up its work continuously and constantly. When a delusive thought arises, at once a black curtain quickly covers the mind, and at the same moment the mind is carried along by the delusive thought to wander among aimless matters. As a result, the method the practitioner was applying also disappears.

For example, while following the breath, a delusive thought arises, and the practitioner forgets the breath, or is still following it but no longer attentively because he is busy attending to the matters of the delusive thought.

Delusive thoughts distracting the mind are a terrible suffering for the person who practises meditation. Many people become discouraged and give up, and once they have abandoned meditation practice, the road to liberation is closed. Many people strive all their lives yet only flounder, succeeding at times and failing at times, and cannot escape distraction decisively and for ever. A mind that is not distracted and has right mindfulness makes us feel inspired and confident as we go forward. A distracted mind easily discourages us. However, if we are not resolved to practise meditative concentration, liberation is hopeless. We must firmly establish our stance: however difficult it may be, we are determined to pursue it.

When Right Mindfulness has appeared, delusive thoughts may still arise but the mind is not distracted; it still keeps hold of the method being practised, is not led along by the matters of the delusive thoughts, and above all quickly eliminates delusive thoughts.

When Right Mindfulness has not yet appeared, the mind seems clouded, and delusive thoughts have the power to pull the mind's attention along after their matters. Here an important concept appears: attention. If attention always stays with the method, it means Right Mindfulness is present. If attention leaves the method to follow delusive thoughts, Right Mindfulness disappears; this is losing mindfulness, being distracted.

When we apply effort, we always try to pay attention to the breath, to the chosen method, but a secret motive with great power pulls our mind along with delusive thoughts. That secret motive is precisely karma. Karma is a foremost factor in gathering the mind in meditative concentration. It is Karma that directs almost all the development of meditative concentration. Whether gathering the mind is easy or hard for us is decided by Karma. Even whether we have the affinity to meet a genuine or a mistaken path is due to Karma.

Whether our mind is often distracted or rarely distracted is also due to Karma. Even our diligence has the hand of Karma in it.

Wholesome karma is the main motive that leads us into concentration. Unwholesome karma is the main barrier that stops us from gathering the mind and makes us distracted. Therefore, a practitioner must accumulate wholesome karma throughout life. The main wholesome karma can be listed as follows:

• A very ethical psychology. Cultivating ethics for the inner mind includes many topics (please see Moral Psychology).

• Helping everyone to be happy and at peace. This gives us the result of finding it easy to have peace in the mind.

• Revering the Buddha and the Saints. Cause and effect dictate that if we respect the saints, we will gradually attain the qualities of those saints.

• Helping everyone to understand the Dharma. This makes our mind abide in the right Dharma for ever.

• Helping everyone to practise meditative concentration together. Whatever we wish for others, we will obtain.

When past unwholesome karma has lightened, and present wholesome karma has been accumulated abundantly, our mind naturally becomes calm and lucid, finds it easy to focus on the breath, and is little distracted by delusive thoughts. Then, simply by skilfully and gently following the out- and in-breath with diligence, our mind can quickly come into the state of mindfulness with clear awareness.

A person who does not know how to accumulate merit and keeps fussing over gathering the mind may, in some cases, go a whole lifetime without reaching the state of mindfulness with clear awareness.

While we are still student monks and nuns, we must labour at once at studying the teachings, practising meditative concentration, and doing service work to create merit. Only when merit is abundant can we enter a retreat to focus on meditative concentration and advance deeply into the levels of concentration. But there have also been many people whose minds opened without needing a retreat, simply because their merit was sufficient. The more time we devote to accumulating merit, the less cost in time and effort the work of meditative concentration will demand later.

Another factor that makes the mind easily distracted is attachment to the world. When we crave many things in this restless life, of course our mind must work, thinking and calculating. Therefore the condition for less distraction is not to be attached to the world. However, there exists here a paradox that is very hard to overcome: the state of mind of not being attached to the world is also very close to the state of mind of irresponsibility towards life, and this makes the practitioner passive, negative and poor in merit. To have merit, we must be dedicated to people and to life, but we are then also easily attached to life.

Therefore we must skilfully keep to the Middle Way of being at once dedicated to life and calmly unattached to life.

Many Buddhist sutras also often warn the practitioner about the transient, illusory nature of life so that we do not become attached to the world, but very many other sutras also remind us of the heart of compassion and love for all beings. This is the truest Middle Way. If we lean to one side, we can never be liberated.

A further factor that makes the mind easily distracted is illness of the nervous system of the brain. When the brain stem is weakened, the cortex at once becomes excited and agitated, and thoughts pour out automatically beyond any means of control. With this illness, the practitioner cannot focus and concentrate on the method of practice, because delusive thoughts are very strong and sweep attention along from one matter to another. This is also called depression, nervous exhaustion and so on. To cure this illness, the practitioner must at once take medicine that tonifies the true Yin, practise Qigong to accumulate inner strength at the Đan điền, bow to the Buddha in repentance, and accumulate a great deal of merit.

Conversely, whoever has a strong brain stem has a very quiet cortex and easily attains mindfulness with clear awareness. The Buddha's method of knowing the whole body (awareness of the whole body while breathing in and out, Nikaya) also helps very well to reinforce the true Yin. The method of abiding the mind at a single point at the Đan điền also helps to develop the true Yin; however, one must know how to combine seeing the body as impermanent and illusory with the method of abiding at a single point at the Đan điền.

Low, selfish, arrogant, rivalrous, resentful and lustful thoughts make the frontal lobe dim and the mind easily distracted. Conversely, when mindfulness with clear awareness appears, the frontal lobe becomes open and bright, blood circulates fully into the vessels of the brain, and a refreshing feeling appears. However, the practitioner must not abide the mind at the forehead, which depletes the Yin force and makes the brain tense. Some schools hold that the mind should abide in front of the forehead or at the crown of the head because they take no interest in the structure of the body's energy.

Saintly thoughts such as altruism, humility, yielding, generosity and keeping the precepts make the frontal lobe more open and bright. Therefore a person who practises meditation must know how to practise Right Thought by accumulating good thoughts, must face adversity to test his ethics, and must take on responsibility for beings in order to develop compassion. He must repent strictly whenever unwholesome thoughts still appear in the mind.

2. The value of Right Mindfulness

When the practitioner's mind becomes bright and clear, delusive thoughts arise less, or a delusive thought that is just beginning is at once noticed from deep within, and he is no longer distracted from his method of practice; then the practitioner has truly attained mindfulness with clear awareness. This is a new state of mind, very different from the agitated inner mind of before. It is thanks to this initial result that we feel inspired and confident to advance on the path of practice. However, if we are not cautioned, some mistaken thoughts may appear in us, leading to a collapse later.

Mistaken thoughts may be hastily claiming that one has realised, has attained enlightenment, has awakened to the Way, has seen one's nature. Some people hold that that state of mindfulness is precisely the Buddha-nature, the true mind, transcendent and extraordinary. Because we hastily exalt ourselves excessively, we may suffer heavy loss of merit and then receive dreadful karmic results later.

Another mistaken thought is not knowing how to value the result of mindfulness already attained, and not knowing how to use mindfulness for the practice to come. Mindfulness has the power to help us easily know the faults and delusive thoughts in the mind. We must make full use of this special property of mindfulness to monitor faults and delusive thoughts. At every moment we must keep that open clear awareness so as to quickly detect the countless faults and hidden delusive thoughts that are still continually arising.

When we are clearly aware, we must silently remind ourselves that "the inner mind still has many agitations", even though we may not see all those agitations. When sitting in meditation following the breath, we gently intend: "Breathing in, I know the mind is still agitated; breathing out, I know the mind is still agitated." Many people, seeing the mind with fewer delusive thoughts, have wrongly thought that the mind is pure. In fact, delusive thoughts are more hidden than we think. A little outward calm is nothing compared with the countless delusive thoughts that still have their full strength latent deep within. As soon as we lack merit and vigilance, they will rise up and throw us down, worse than before we knew how to practise.

Because mindfulness appears in parallel with the opening of the frontal lobe, the practitioner always has the feeling that something is present and bright before his eyes. The Buddha also used the phrase "establishing mindfulness in front of him"; Zen masters also often say "plainly before your eyes", with the same meaning. However, if we run after the brightness before our eyes, we will ruin our practice.

The important point here is that although mindfulness creates a feeling of clear brightness before the eyes, we must pay attention to the whole body, pay attention to a single point at the Đan điền, and pay attention at the region of the brain at the back in order to monitor subtle notions. Mindfulness will help us not to forget the method being used, and help us quickly detect faults and delusive thoughts that are just beginning.

Question: Analyse your own distraction to find where its causes lie.