Posted By Mahabodhi on Feb 19, 2024 | 0 comments

Below is an excerpt from my forthcoming book…

© Mahabodhi Burton

4 minute read

This excerpt is from the chapter ‘Buddhist Practice’ and it explores day-to-day mindfulness. It follows on from ‘Mindfulness of Breathing: focus on detail.’

Day-to-day mindfulness

The Mindfulness of Breathing develop awareness within the most conducive conditions; that mindfulness can then be applied to our day-to-day activities. In terms of mindfulness of the body we need to try and preserve the principles we learned in the Grounding Meditation, by attending to the state of our body and looking after it as we go about our daily business. Our body needs to be a vehicle that we are looking after, that will thus support our mind and emotions in their activity to bring about happiness. It is helpful if we are mindful of our body as we go about in the world, by moving in a way in which our spine is balanced and takes our weight as we move, and by minimizing the amount of muscular tension employed in our bodily activities. Our bodily use would be inspired by ideas developed by F. M. Alexander in the Alexander Technique; ideally, we would retrain ourselves to move naturally, as children and animals do, with grace and poise; at the very least, we would look after our body through regular trips to the gym or through taking Epsom salt baths.

Other aspects of day-to-day mindfulness might include organizing our lives better so that for instance we know where we have left our car keys, as outlined in Maitreyabandhu’s Life with Full Attention. In general, any mental action or remembrance that helps us avoid unnecessary suffering is an aspect of day-to-day mindfulness. Certainly, it can help our mind feel more secure, and thus reduce mental suffering, when we ‘spell out’ to ourselves our situation; where we are, what we are doing, how we are feeling, and so on. This activity of ‘noting’ is a key tool in Theravada Buddhist meditation where the practitioner endeavours to make everything more conscious and it certainly has its use, although it does not cover every aspect of practice.

In day-to-day mindfulness there is a sense in which we need to be appreciating our surroundings for the experience they have to offer, as illustrated in the ‘raisin exercise’ commonly used in week one of a secular mindfulness course. We come out of automatic pilot and consciously experience what is in front of our noses, thus maximizing the pleasure of sensory experience, though not at the expense of other sources of happiness–for ourselves or others.

Mindfulness of the body’s posture and physical movement

The monk trains himself to be mindful of his bodily position and physical movement. Whether he is walking, standing, sitting, lying down, howsoever his body is disposed; he is in every moment acutely aware of what he is doing. As a practice the monk would practise walking meditation, resting his awareness on the ground several metres ahead as he walked, back and forth, or in a circle, maintaining awareness of the details of his body’s movements.

Walking meditation

One way that mindfulness is practised in movement is in walking meditation, which is usually alternated with sitting meditation on both Theravada and Zen retreats. The idea is that walking meditation helps to get physical energy moving when it may become stultified with excessive periods of sitting. In any case it is a way of deliberately practising mindfulness within movement. The principle is the same as with sitting meditation, we are trying to bring awareness to our situation—as in the four foundations of mindfulness—in order to make them conditions for happiness.

Walking meditation

Begin by deciding on a place to practise walking meditation. It can be a linear path (say 15 paces long) in which one walks up and down, or one can walk round a room or outdoors in a circle. Choose a path that is neither too long nor too short, which involves a degree of repetition. Start walking normally at first. After a while, tune into what your physical and mental energy is like, adjusting your pace to match your energy. Be sensitive

to what you need to develop; more vitality or more stillness and speed up or slow down accordingly. Bear in mind that if you want to tune into your body in more detail, it will help if you move more slower, but just now you might need to generate energy in your body.

Once you have settled, begin to introduce new elements into your meditation. Be aware of the changing sensations in your feet as you shift your weight from one foot to the other. Notice the sensation of the air on your body; your clothing brushing against your skin; your weight shifting from side to side. Notice sights, as your viewpoint changes, sounds or other sensory experiences. It is likely that as you add elements you will feel the urge to slow down so that you can better concentrate on your experience. Obey this urge (If you are practising in a group the leader will need to estimate what stage the group as a whole is at).

Notice how you are feeling at the moment.

Focusing on a point

Just as in a normal sitting meditation you can bring awareness to your mental states, trying to consciously cultivate skilful ones. You can cultivate calmer awareness by focusing your attention on specific sensations, for instance you might (Zen-style) begin to synchronize your walking and your breathing; as you notice you are breathing out, place the ball of your right foot on the ground followed by the heel; lift your other leg as you breathe in; then as you notice you are breathing out, place the ball of your left foot on the ground followed by the heel; and so on. Continue marking each breath with a step, letting your mind become concentrated and absorbed in this activity. It might be really enjoyable after a while to completely slow down, savouring every muscular sensation that arises out through your body’s movement.

Walking with kindness

Or you might introduce the theme of kindness into your walking meditation. You could imagine that each step you took was done in an attitude of real care, as if you were expressing an important intention of bringing kindness into the world as you walk. Or that with each step you imagine you are leaving behind a positive trace in the world.

Walking and chanting

You might also consider practicing walking and chanting. Chanting is a way of bringing a reflection on a theme into our meditation. For instance, Buddhists may chant Sabbe satta sukhi hontu (‘May all being be happy’) as they walk. Or chant a mantra associated with a particular Buddhist figure. The advantage of chanting over reflection or meditation is that it is an outward expression felt in the body, and therefore can have positive physiological effects. Practised within a group chanting a mantra can also help cement the community in their Ideals.

Clear comprehension of the activities of daily life 

The monk stays mindful, and acts with clear comprehension, whilst undertaking all the complex movements of his normal activity: bending and stretching; wearing his robes; carrying his bowl; eating; drinking; chewing; swallowing; defecating; urinating; falling asleep; waking up; talking and keeping silent.

By extending the practice of mindfulness to all aspects of life, the practitioner ideally never switches off but maintains the opportunity for the creation of happiness and the alleviation of suffering that is always present when they practise the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

The chapter goes on explore the metta bhavana meditation.