What is the link between Buddhism and Mindfulness?

This religious and philosophical current has greatly influenced the emergence of Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is based on enhancing the brain's ability to be aware of itself and to live in the present moment in fullness.

Already at the dawn of psychology William James left us the reflection that our ability to regulate our attentional focus is the basis of will and good judgment. However, James already warned us that it is easier to define mindfulness than to embody it.

In any case, this notion of mindfulness or directed attention is well before psychology as a science and even before other tools of human thought. and even to other tools of human thought such as philosophy.

The origins of Mindfulness

To speak of mindfulness as a Western discovery, a product of the evolution of our modern society, is to err at the very least on the side of naivety and clearly misunderstood pride.

Mindfulness or mindfulness practice, as we know it in the West, clearly draws from Eastern sources, especially Buddhism, clearly draws from Eastern sources, especially from Buddhism, and more specifically from Zodiac Buddhism.and more specifically from Zen Buddhism, a school integrated in what is known as Mahayana Buddhism or great vehicle.

Already in the VIII century, Master Linji, the founder of a Zen school in northern Chinaencouraged to pay attention to experiences as they appear, in the present. And without going any further, the Vietnamese Zen master and monk Thich Nhat Hanh, well known today in the West, already spoke of mindfulness in the 1970s, referring to mindfulness as the energy of being concentrated in the present.

That is, since the dawn of psychology, the ability of the human mind to reflect on itself, to focus on its own activity and thus to be able to tune in to the emotional states and thoughts that run inside us has been at the center of the debate and has been the key to all psychotherapeutic and personal growth models. models of psychotherapeutic approach and personal growth..

On the other hand, from worlds as far away from psychological reflection as many schools of Eastern meditation, especially within Buddhism, both Hinayana and Mahayana, the development of this capacity for self-awareness in the human being has been the cornerstone of their knowledge.

It seems clear, therefore, that today, no one doubts this principle. And that the concept of mindfulness or mindfulness already enjoys wide acceptance in all areas of psychology and health sciences..

However, this mindfulness would be lacking if we forget another Buddhist key, which is at the root of the Mahayana Buddhist concept of meditation, namely compassion.

The Buddhist perspective

In Buddhism, compassion, in the sense of the Tibetan bodhisattva figure (also Mahayana Buddhism) is the desire for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering..

It is based on valuing the feelings of others, especially when we have gone through the same difficulties. And even if we have never been through what others are going through, we can put ourselves in their shoes and feel how terrible it must be. As we imagine how much we would like to be free of it, we yearn with great strength for others to be free as well.

That is why in Vitaliza we affirm that there is nothing smarter to get out of my suffering than to welcome, collect, embrace and restore the suffering of others. to welcome, gather, embrace and restore the suffering of the other person.. And we thank all of you who walk beside us in the retreats and meetings that we have been holding under the heading of "Sharing in Full Consciousness" for your effort and dedication to create spaces of embrace and communion, where minds rest, hearts open and souls connect smiling in unison.

The editions of our "Compatiendo en Consciencia Plena" meetings planned for 2019 will take place in Artzentales (Bizkaia) on April 4-9, June 20-23 and August 29 / September 1. For more information you can go to the Vitaliza website, agenda section, or contact through these data.