Mindfulness has become somewhat of a buzzword in recent times. “Be mindful” is the popular mantra of many. In this post, The Myth of Mindfulness, I want to shed light on what mindfulness is not (hyperfixation on “things” or “actions”, nor a quick fix for all of life’s supposed problems) and consider what it truly means to be mindful.

Mysteriously Mindful

When many talk about mindfulness, much of the time it comes across quite vague and mysterious. We’re told to “be mindful”. But, when a courageous one asks, “What exactly does that mean,” one is likely to hear something along the lines of “Be present,” “Be here now”, or “Focus on the moment.” So, with all possible effort the young padawan focuses with all their might on the “present moment”. They wrinkle up their brow, squint their eyes, and focus. Perhaps they focus on their breathing, or their forehead/third eye location, or on darkness with eyes closed. They hone in with all their mental strength, and as some prefer to say, they bring all of their attention to the thing or the action at hand.

When told to be mindful in all that is done, whether brushing your teeth or showering or working, at some point the practitioner will suddenly remember the words “BE MINDFUL” and begin to become hyperfixated on the back and forth motion of the teeth brushing. Or they may become hyperfixated on each key they are typing on the keyboard. They think, “Ah, mindfulness. I’m being mindful. Brush, brush, brush, brush… Mindful.”

MMM: Mindfulness is Much More

While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of the above, actual mindfulness is none of that. Mindfulness is something entirely different. Mindfulness is much more.

Hyperfixation is a concentration. It has to do with the person, the ego, bringing their attention to a single point or action. It’s a narrowing of the peripheral consciousness, a limiting of consciousness, and shrinking it down to a pinpoint. Once this pinpoint attention is achieved, there’s a sense of satisfaction as the ego says “I’ve done it!” Finally, concentration is relaxed, the eyebrows unwrinkle, and the peripheral consciousness is once again allowed to function as “normal”. And, the ego once again becomes burdened by all of the stresses and problems it strained out during its hyperfixation which causes one to think they aren’t being mindful enough and must need to put forth more effort!

This type of popular mindfulness in many ways can potentially strengthen the ego while perpetuating the illusion of separation in focusing on one separate thing or action, separating it from its inseparable environment.

“Be Here Now, Not in the Past or the Future”

Likewise, when told to be mindful of the present moment, to be here now, the practitioner begins another form of hyperfixation, this time on what they consider to be the present moment. They screen out all thoughts of the past and the future, and try as hard as they can to focus on this moment, right here, right now. And, they perhaps feel some relief as they push out the possibly unpleasant past and future and remain in this “eternal now”.

Yet, again, while there is nothing intrinsically wrong with these things in themselves, mindfulness is not this.

What Is Mindfulness

So, then, if mindfulness isn’t all that I’ve briefly described above (and I could continue giving examples of the popular ideas of egoic mindfulness), what exactly is mindfulness?

Relaxing Into Mindfulness

While most of the mindfulness being passed off today is an act of extreme mental effort, of a concentration, a tightening and narrowing of focus and attention, actual mindfulness can potentially be viewed as quite the opposite. In fact, mindfulness is not an effort at all! Effort is of the ego, and the ego is the source of all suffering. Ego is the illusion of separation, and in reality there are no separate things or events. (You can read more about the illusion of separation and the nondual nature of existence in other posts, for example, here and here.)

Rather than a direct act of concentration, attention, or focusing, mindfulness is truly a relaxing. Mindfulness is relaxing into passive awareness, or passive consciousness. It is a relaxing, a letting go of hyperfixation. It’s a letting go of ego and of all “things” and “events” and watching the spontaneity of existence at play.

Mindfulness has nothing to do with control, whether controlling focus, controlling thoughts, or controlling actions. Control has to do with the ego, and true mindfulness let’s the ego go, along with its illusion of control.

Mindful Thinking

Rather than trying to control one’s thoughts or not allowing oneself to think of the past or of the future, one realizes that the mind naturally functions in all kinds of ways both consciously and unconsciously (although these terms ultimately are misleading). The mind produces thoughts. The mind is active, and trying to force it to be inactive or to control it to be still is both unrealistic and counterproductive. As Alan Watts has said in The Way of Zen, trying to quiet the mind is like trying to smooth out water with a flat iron. “Water becomes clear and calm only when left alone.” Leaving the mind alone is mindfulness.

Passive Peripheral Consciousness

So, mindfulness is letting go of all egoic activity and control. It involves a trusting of oneself, one’s true nature as existence itself, as one inseparable, interconnected, nondual process: as the whole. One relaxes into one’s true nature, relaxes into what I call the passive, peripheral consciousness.

Mindfulness is relaxing into the state of consciousness that observes the entire process without judgment, identification, hyperfixation, or effort. Thoughts come and go, conversations take place, actions are performs, life happens, yet all is accomplished in what the Taoists have called wu-wei, or no-action.

Being mindful, one isn’t thinking or saying, “There’s a thought, there’s a thought, there’s a thought…”, or “Brush, brush, brush…”. Thoughts and brushing are the process of existence. They are happening just as your heart is beating and the sun is shining. In mindfulness one relaxes into the transcendence of the illusion of separation and control, and one observes and watches the process flow like watching a stream on a warm summer day. It doesn’t mean zombification or to “do nothing” in the couch-potato sense or to be a “stone buddha”. It means the doing happens, and you are relaxed into the state of consciousness that watches the doing. Conversations will happen, watch them. Thoughts will happen, watch them. Work will happen, watch them (and watch how well you work and perform your job!). Your heart will beat, watch it. The sun will shine, watch it.

It is all one whole. It’s all you. Mindfulness is trusting yourself as existence.

Always Present

Many hear the words “be here now” and interpret them to mean that they must work to push out all thoughts of past and future. They must be present as opposed to being in the past or the future. Yet, mindfulness is knowing that one is always present. You cannot be anywhere other than the present. Even thoughts of the past are happening now in the present. Imaginations of the future are happening now in the present. And, in reality, because one is existence itself, one is the present entirely!

In the state of mindfulness as I’m describing it, one relaxes, leaving the mind alone to think its thoughts without controlling effort. Thoughts of past may come; leave them alone. Simply remain as existence in passive, peripheral consciousness, aware, watching the process. Imaginations of the future may arise. Again, remain relaxed in your true self. Let them arise; so what. Let them go just the same. Furthermore, while in this state of mindfulness you’ll find that thoughts become quite insignificant and no attachment occurs. No obsession happens.

Mindfulness is Meditation

While meditation is beneficial to many in various ways, mindfulness hasn’t much to do with the usual ideas of meditation. When most think of meditation, they think of sitting quietly while practicing some effort as I have described above as popular mindfulness. But, the true sense of the word “meditation” is the same as what I’ve been describing as true mindfulness. They are one and the same. Meditation is mindfulness, and mindfulness is meditation.

One may find the actual practice of meditation, whether sitting, walking, lying, standing, etc. initially helpful to relax into mindfulness. There is nothing wrong with this. But, the truth is, mindfulness is something accessible at every moment no matter the circumstances, location, or time. At first, you may relax into this state of mindfulness only once in a while, and, yet, find yourself most of the time forgetting your true nature and identifying with the ego in control and effort. But, don’t be discouraged. Discouragement has to do with ego. With every mindful moment (however brief or lasting), as more of your existence is happening in this relaxed state of passive peripheral consciousness, you’ll notice it becoming more and more frequent. Suddenly, your life becomes a mindful life. Your life becomes a meditative life.

You Aren’t Practicing

You are not one who “practices meditation” or one who “practices mindfulness”. You are mindfulness. You are meditation. In the state of passive peripheral consciousness, you are existence itself, the entire process flowing in peace, happiness, bliss, compassion, and love. What have any of these to do with ego?

This is the real you; your true identity realized in the state of passive, peripheral consciousness, or in other words, mindfulness.

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