What do the practices of mindfulness of the breath, mindful movement, and a body scan have in common? They are all practices of the body. Yet if we look at the roots of mindfulness in Early Buddhist teachings, it’s clear there are many different ways to practice. One of these is mindfulness of the mind.
Mindfulness of the mind invites becoming aware of the overall flavor, or perhaps color, of the heart-mind. (The Buddhist word for ‘mind’ in the context of mindfulness of the mind is citta, which is inclusive of the heart. This is similar to the word ‘xin’ [心] in Chinese, often translated as ‘heart-mind’.) Another way to think of it is, what’s the heart-mind infused with?
Importantly, mindfulness of the mind is not simply watching thoughts. The practice invites awareness of the heart-mind; we can understand the heart-mind’s connection to thoughts, but without letting attention to thoughts become the focus. A mind infused with expansiveness, for example, might be more likely to generate thoughts of generosity. A mind infused with ill-will might give rise to complaining or bitter words.
In mindfulness of the mind, we’re interested in the general condition of the heart-mind, not the particular thoughts. To get you started, here’s a list from the well-known text, the Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta) of the Middle-Length Discourses (Majjhima Nikāya 10):
- mind with / without craving;
- mind with / without ill-will;
- mind with / without confusion;
- constricted mind;
- scattered mind;
- expansive/ unexpansive mind;
- supreme / not supreme mind;
- concentrated / not concentrated mind;
- freed mind;
- not freed mind.
As in any mindfulness practice, you’re not trying to change or judge anything. You’re just observing what is there, bringing awareness to it. And you can do that any time.
What’s the flavor, the color, of your mind right now?