Eight Attitudes of Mindfulness
Eight Attitudes of Mindfulness
1. Mindful View/Vision. To see things as they are without discrimination or distortion. Our ability to see is clouded by our emotional state, prior experiences and the brains need to fill in the gaps of cognition. To be mindful is to see things without these distortions.
2. Mindful Intention/Thought. We need to truly pay attention (mindfulness) to what our intentions are with others and with our actions. If our intentions stem from anger, resentment, or greed, then we are more likely to do harm than if our intentions are driven to kindness and service.
3. Mindful Speech/Expression. What we say has impact on what we do and the conditions that will affect those around us. Speech is the point at which we first affect the world around us. This comes with great responsibility. In your speech learn to respond and not just react. By your actions you invite others to do the same.
4. Mindful Action. With clear and compassionate intentions, our actions are more likely to be skillful as well. This part of the asks us to pay attention (mindfulness) to how we act or behave in the world, that our actions go towards helping and not harming equanimity not chaos.
5. Mindful Employment. Mindful employment/livelihood addresses how we earn a living and more. Choose your work ethically, treat your job with respect and treat your co-workers and other you come in contact with equanimity and empathy.
6. Mindful Effort. The effort we put into our lives and practice is the impetus for dropping whatever gets in the way of our developing ethics, compassion and equanimity.
7. Mindfulness. To live in the now. It has become normal to live in our heads reexamining, trying to relive or regretting our past or being anxious about our futures. Only by living in the now can we free ourselves of wishing what had been or fearing what we think the future will bring. Right now is the only time we can truly affect our own lives and those around us.
8. Mindful Practice. How we develop the ability to see things as they are. The actual meditation practice you have chosen and the way mindfulness extends to your everyday life. Life is a series of singular moments. If we can learn to recognize and live at that very moment we will then see things with total clarity. We humans will have to do the best we can with this truth.
