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Mindfulness reminds meditators to apply their attention to the proper object at the proper time and to exert precisely the amount of energy needed to do that job.
When this energy is properly applied, a meditator stays constantly in a state of calm and alertness.
As long as this condition is maintained, those mind-states called hindrances or psychic irritants cannot arisethere is no greed, hatred, lust, or laziness.
But we all are human and we all err.
Despite honest effort, meditators let their mindfulness slip now and then and find themselves stuck in some regrettable, but normal, human failure.
It is mindfulness that notices that change.
And it is mindfulness that reminds us to apply the energy required to pull ourselves out.
These slips happen over and over, but their frequency decreases with practice.
Once mindfulness has pushed these mental defilements aside, more wholesome states of mind can take their place.
Hatred makes way for loving friendliness, lust is replaced by detachment.
It is mindfulness that notices this change, too, and that reminds the vipassana meditator to maintain that extra little mental sharpness needed to retain these more desirable states of mind.
Mindfulness makes possible the growth of wisdom and compassion.
Without mindfulness they cannot develop to full maturity.
Deeply buried in the mind, there lies a mechanism that accepts what the mind experiences as beautiful and pleasant and rejects those experiences that are perceived as ugly and painful.
This mechanism gives rise to those states of mind that we are training ourselves to avoidthings like greed, lust, hatred, aversion, and jealousy.
We choose to avoid these hindrances, not because they are evil in the normal sense of the word, but because they are compulsive because they take the mind over and capture the attention completely because they keep going round and round in tight little circles of thought and because they seal us off from living reality.
These hindrances cannot arise when mindfulness is present.
Mindfulness is attention to present-moment reality, and therefore, directly antithetical to the dazed state of mind that characterizes impediments.
As meditators, it is only when we let our mindfulness slip that the deep mechanisms of our mind take overgrasping, clinging, and rejecting.
Then resistance emerges and obscures our awareness.
We do not notice that the change is taking placewe are too busy with a thought of revenge, or greed, whatever it may be.
While an untrained person will continue in this state indefinitely, a trained meditator will soon realize what is happening.
It is mindfulness that notices the change.
It is mindfulness that remembers the training received and that focuses our attention so that the confusion fades away.
And it is mindfulness that then attempts to maintain itself indefinitely so that the resistance cannot arise again.
Fully developed mindfulness is a state of total nonattachment and utter absence of clinging to anything in the world.
If we can maintain this state, no other means or device is needed to keep ourselves free of obstructions, to achieve liberation from our human weaknesses.
It sees things deeply, down below the level of concepts and opinions.
This sort of deep observation leads to total certainty, a complete absence of confusion.
It manifests itself primarily as a constant and unwavering attention that never flags and never turns away.
This pure and unstained investigative awareness not only holds mental hindrances at bay, it lays bare their very mechanism and destroys them.
Mindfulness neutralizes defilements in the mind.
The result is a mind that remains unstained and invulnerable, completely undisturbed by the ups and downs of life.
You are going to be cultivating two separate qualities of the mindmindfulness and concentration.
They pull in tandem, so to speak.
Therefore it is important to cultivate them side by side and in a balanced manner.
If one of the factors is strengthened at the expense of the another, the balance of the mind is lost and meditation becomes impossible.
They each have their role to play in meditation, and the relationship between them is definite and delicate.
Concentration is often called one-pointedness of mind.
It consists of forcing the mind to remain on one static point.
Concentration is pretty much a forced type of activity.
It can be developed by force, by sheer unremitting willpower.
And once developed, it retains some of that forced flavor.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a delicate function leading to refined sensibilities.
It keeps the attention pinned down to one item.
Mindfulness picks the objects of attention, and notices when the attention has gone astray.
Concentration does the actual work of holding the attention steady on that chosen object.
If either of these partners is weak, your meditation goes astray.
Concentration could be defined as that faculty of the mind that focuses single-pointedly on one object without interruption.
It must be emphasized that true concentration is a wholesome one-pointedness of mind.
Unwholesome one-pointedness is also possible, but it will not lead to liberation.
Uninterrupted focus on something that you hate does not help you at all.
In fact, such unwholesome concentration is fairly short-lived even when it is achievedespecially when it is used to harm others.
It is a state in which the mind is gathered together and thus gains power and intensity.
We might use the analogy of a lens.
Parallel waves of sunlight falling on a piece of paper will do no more than warm the surface.
But if that same amount of light, when focused through a lens, falls on a single point, the paper bursts into flames.
It produces the burning intensity necessary to see into the deeper reaches of the mind.
Mindfulness selects the object that the lens will focus on and looks through the lens to see what is there.
Concentration should be regarded as a tool.
Like any tool, it can be used for good or for ill.
sharp knife can be used to create a beautiful carving or to harm someone.
It is all up to the one who uses the knife.
Properly used, it can assist you toward liberation.
But it can also be used in the service of the ego.
It can operate in the framework of achievement and competition.
You can use concentration to dominate others.
You can use it to be selfish.
The real problem is that concentration alone will not give you a perspective on yourself.
It wont throw light on the basic problems of selfishness and the nature of suffering.
It can be used to dig down into deep psychological states.
But even then, the forces of egotism wont be understood.
If mindfulness is not there to look into the lens and see what has been uncovered, then it is all for nothing.
Really deep concentration can only take place under certain specific conditions.
Buddhists go to a lot of trouble to build meditation halls and monasteries.
Their main purpose is to create a physical environment free of distractions in which to learn this skill.
The development of concentration will be blocked by the presence of the five hindrances that we examined in chapter desire for sensual pleasure, aversion, mental lethargy, agitation, and doubt.
monastery is a controlled environment where this sort of emotional noise is kept to a minimum.
Members of the opposite sex dont live together there.
Possessions arent allowed, thereby eliminating ownership squabbles and reducing the chance for greed and covetousness.
Another hurdle for concentration should also be mentioned.
In really deep concentration, you get so absorbed in the object of concentration that you forget all about trifles.
It is nice to know that there is somebody to take care of you by watching over all the mundane matters of food and physical security.
Thus it is free to notice whatever comes uplust, hatred, or noise.
Mindfulness is not limited by any condition.
It exists to some extent in every moment, in every circumstance that arises.
Also, mindfulness has no fixed object of focus.
Thus, it has an unlimited number of objects of attention.
It just looks at whatever is passing through the mind, and it does not categorize.
Distractions and interruptions are noticed with the same amount of attention as the formal objects of meditation.
In a state of pure mindfulness, your attention just flows along with whatever changes are taking place in the mind.
You cant develop mindfulness by force.
Active teeth-gritting willpower wont do you any good at all.
As a matter of fact, it will hinder progress.
Mindfulness cannot be cultivated by struggle.
It grows by realizing, by letting go, by just settling down in the moment and letting yourself get comfortable with whatever you are experiencing.
This does not mean that mindfulness happens all by itself.
Mindfulness is cultivated by a gentle effort.
You cultivate mindfulness by constantly reminding yourself in a gentle way to maintain your awareness of whatever is happening right now.
Mindfulness is cultivated by constantly pulling yourself back to a state of awareness, gently, gently, gently.

Mindfulness reminds meditators to apply their attention to the proper object at the proper time and to exert precisely the amount of energy needed to do that job.

When this energy is properly applied, a meditator stays constantly in a state of calm and alertness.

As long as this condition is maintained, those mind-states called hindrances or psychic irritants cannot arisethere is no greed, hatred, lust, or laziness.

But we all are human and we all err.

Despite honest effort, meditators let their mindfulness slip now and then and find themselves stuck in some regrettable, but normal, human failure.

It is mindfulness that notices that change.

And it is mindfulness that reminds us to apply the energy required to pull ourselves out.

These slips happen over and over, but their frequency decreases with practice.

Once mindfulness has pushed these mental defilements aside, more wholesome states of mind can take their place.

Hatred makes way for loving friendliness, lust is replaced by detachment.

It is mindfulness that notices this change, too, and that reminds the vipassana meditator to maintain that extra little mental sharpness needed to retain these more desirable states of mind.

Mindfulness makes possible the growth of wisdom and compassion.

Without mindfulness they cannot develop to full maturity.

Deeply buried in the mind, there lies a mechanism that accepts what the mind experiences as beautiful and pleasant and rejects those experiences that are perceived as ugly and painful.

This mechanism gives rise to those states of mind that we are training ourselves to avoidthings like greed, lust, hatred, aversion, and jealousy.

We choose to avoid these hindrances, not because they are evil in the normal sense of the word, but because they are compulsive because they take the mind over and capture the attention completely because they keep going round and round in tight little circles of thought and because they seal us off from living reality.

These hindrances cannot arise when mindfulness is present.

Mindfulness is attention to present-moment reality, and therefore, directly antithetical to the dazed state of mind that characterizes impediments.

As meditators, it is only when we let our mindfulness slip that the deep mechanisms of our mind take overgrasping, clinging, and rejecting.

Then resistance emerges and obscures our awareness.

We do not notice that the change is taking placewe are too busy with a thought of revenge, or greed, whatever it may be.

While an untrained person will continue in this state indefinitely, a trained meditator will soon realize what is happening.

It is mindfulness that notices the change.

It is mindfulness that remembers the training received and that focuses our attention so that the confusion fades away.

And it is mindfulness that then attempts to maintain itself indefinitely so that the resistance cannot arise again.

Fully developed mindfulness is a state of total nonattachment and utter absence of clinging to anything in the world.

If we can maintain this state, no other means or device is needed to keep ourselves free of obstructions, to achieve liberation from our human weaknesses.

It sees things deeply, down below the level of concepts and opinions.

This sort of deep observation leads to total certainty, a complete absence of confusion.

It manifests itself primarily as a constant and unwavering attention that never flags and never turns away.

This pure and unstained investigative awareness not only holds mental hindrances at bay, it lays bare their very mechanism and destroys them.

Mindfulness neutralizes defilements in the mind.

The result is a mind that remains unstained and invulnerable, completely undisturbed by the ups and downs of life.

You are going to be cultivating two separate qualities of the mindmindfulness and concentration.

They pull in tandem, so to speak.

Therefore it is important to cultivate them side by side and in a balanced manner.

If one of the factors is strengthened at the expense of the another, the balance of the mind is lost and meditation becomes impossible.

They each have their role to play in meditation, and the relationship between them is definite and delicate.

Concentration is often called one-pointedness of mind.

It consists of forcing the mind to remain on one static point.

Concentration is pretty much a forced type of activity.

It can be developed by force, by sheer unremitting willpower.

And once developed, it retains some of that forced flavor.

Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a delicate function leading to refined sensibilities.

It keeps the attention pinned down to one item.

Mindfulness picks the objects of attention, and notices when the attention has gone astray.

Concentration does the actual work of holding the attention steady on that chosen object.

If either of these partners is weak, your meditation goes astray.

Concentration could be defined as that faculty of the mind that focuses single-pointedly on one object without interruption.

It must be emphasized that true concentration is a wholesome one-pointedness of mind.

Unwholesome one-pointedness is also possible, but it will not lead to liberation.

Uninterrupted focus on something that you hate does not help you at all.

In fact, such unwholesome concentration is fairly short-lived even when it is achievedespecially when it is used to harm others.

It is a state in which the mind is gathered together and thus gains power and intensity.

We might use the analogy of a lens.

Parallel waves of sunlight falling on a piece of paper will do no more than warm the surface.

But if that same amount of light, when focused through a lens, falls on a single point, the paper bursts into flames.

It produces the burning intensity necessary to see into the deeper reaches of the mind.

Mindfulness selects the object that the lens will focus on and looks through the lens to see what is there.

Concentration should be regarded as a tool.

Like any tool, it can be used for good or for ill.

sharp knife can be used to create a beautiful carving or to harm someone.

It is all up to the one who uses the knife.

Properly used, it can assist you toward liberation.

But it can also be used in the service of the ego.

It can operate in the framework of achievement and competition.

You can use concentration to dominate others.

You can use it to be selfish.

The real problem is that concentration alone will not give you a perspective on yourself.

It wont throw light on the basic problems of selfishness and the nature of suffering.

It can be used to dig down into deep psychological states.

But even then, the forces of egotism wont be understood.

If mindfulness is not there to look into the lens and see what has been uncovered, then it is all for nothing.

Really deep concentration can only take place under certain specific conditions.

Buddhists go to a lot of trouble to build meditation halls and monasteries.

Their main purpose is to create a physical environment free of distractions in which to learn this skill.

The development of concentration will be blocked by the presence of the five hindrances that we examined in chapter desire for sensual pleasure, aversion, mental lethargy, agitation, and doubt.

monastery is a controlled environment where this sort of emotional noise is kept to a minimum.

Members of the opposite sex dont live together there.

Possessions arent allowed, thereby eliminating ownership squabbles and reducing the chance for greed and covetousness.

Another hurdle for concentration should also be mentioned.

In really deep concentration, you get so absorbed in the object of concentration that you forget all about trifles.

It is nice to know that there is somebody to take care of you by watching over all the mundane matters of food and physical security.

Thus it is free to notice whatever comes uplust, hatred, or noise.

Mindfulness is not limited by any condition.

It exists to some extent in every moment, in every circumstance that arises.

Also, mindfulness has no fixed object of focus.

Thus, it has an unlimited number of objects of attention.

It just looks at whatever is passing through the mind, and it does not categorize.

Distractions and interruptions are noticed with the same amount of attention as the formal objects of meditation.

In a state of pure mindfulness, your attention just flows along with whatever changes are taking place in the mind.

You cant develop mindfulness by force.

Active teeth-gritting willpower wont do you any good at all.

As a matter of fact, it will hinder progress.

Mindfulness cannot be cultivated by struggle.

It grows by realizing, by letting go, by just settling down in the moment and letting yourself get comfortable with whatever you are experiencing.

This does not mean that mindfulness happens all by itself.

Mindfulness is cultivated by a gentle effort.

You cultivate mindfulness by constantly reminding yourself in a gentle way to maintain your awareness of whatever is happening right now.

Mindfulness is cultivated by constantly pulling yourself back to a state of awareness, gently, gently, gently.