MINDFULNESS – A CATALYST TO WELL-BEING

“You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” is a common saying. We live in a world which is full of action, each action impacting the entire environment in which it is happening both directly and indirectly. It also sends ripples all around thereby influencing other actions and reactions in the dynamics of a vibrant world. While it is indeed difficult to insulate oneself from all that happens around, one cannot also become a victim of all the influences in the immediate universe of one’s existence, both of positive and the negative influences. In the spell of the influences from all around, one tends to lose one’s own identity and uniqueness, thereby developing shadow personalities of many others. In trying to emulate one or the other, our urge to ‘become’ dominates to that of one that lets one ‘Be’. This exercise to ‘become’ forces one to focus more on the future than the present, analyse the past and be in remorse than enjoying the worth and beauty of the present. Thus, the whole life becomes a process in which the mind is actively and continuously engaged in dealing with the waves, rather than employing one’s own surfing skills to remain victorious and jubilant always. “Our life is shaped by our mind, we become what we think” said Buddha.\

Mindfulness, has been, interpreted by many in their own ways and styles, though most of them have a common nucleus.  They deal with:

a.    Living in the present

b.    Being own’s own self

c.    High degree of self-awareness

d.    Consciousness of time, space and energy

e.    Enjoying a state of Bliss

All these and a few more, identified as parameters that define mindfulness basically deal with experiences and skills that can hardly be taught, but can only be facilitated. Many of them are learnt more in an informal way and through concerted personal efforts rather than any inducements or catalysis of external sources. Yet, it is important that an awareness about Mindfulness needs to be brought so that people are conscious of the same and actively engage in enhancing their personal responsibility about being mindful of their life.

In a world which is increasingly becoming consumerist, where there is insatiable desire for possessions, material and emotional, concepts of mindfulness would relieve their stress for assimilation, acquisition, possession and provocation. The practitioners would be free from the impacts of success and failures, growth and decay, name and fame, power and play. It would help conscious disengagement from external exuberance and help in focusing on the management of latent energy as wealth.

The concepts of mindfulness have to be developed right from the childhood as a practice so that the learners slowly become aware of their extensive cosmic relationship and its management. Exercises like focusing on breath, dispossessive attachments, being a witness to one’s own self were some of the suggestions one can draw from the rich heritage of the early Indian Mind. The deliberations on “Sthitha Pragna” in the ancient literature could bring a lot of vitality to the healthy growth of mindfulness.

Self-awareness is not necessarily a contradiction to any meaningful relationship with the dynamic universe. It is possibly positioning oneself adequately so that the Self is not swept away in the turbulence of distractions. It is an exercise in feeling the Present, being at the Present and experiencing the quality of one’s Being. It is a dynamic engagement with one’s own existence. It is experiencing an undivided divinity that prevails in the Self. It is indeed a realization that triggers the power of giving thus establishing the supremacy of the unlimited wealth one can draw from the universe from time to time. This learning would indeed help in producing positive human beings who would be compassionate, confident, contributive and caring.

Consciousness of time, space and energy is a vital aspect of any meaningful living entity. In normal consumerist lifestyle of modern times, all these three vital components are marginalized and most of our needs, actions, engagements become irrelevant to the above. Hence pursuits become unproductive, insatiable and disappointing eternally. “Begin by what you want to do now. You are not living in the eternity. We have only this moment sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snow-flake” says eminent essayist Sir Francis Bacon. Mindfulness is an exercise that positions us within the parameters of the above. This helps in improving our self-worth and enriched at all times with better productive engagements with the immediate universe of our Being. This also eliminates the dissipation of our latent energy to wasteful domains of universal actions and conservation of energy as our personal wealth.

Mindfulness helps to focus and rest on the core of our chosen competencies. This indeed helps to differentiate between our strengths and weaknesses, and thus being selective in our productive engagement with the world and our own vision of life. “Wherever you are, be there totally” said Buddha. One would not need any better suggestion for maximizing the productivity during our existence. With mindfulness, one becomes a leader of his own and develops the competencies of self-leadership.

There is no inadequacy in the state of mindfulness. One doesn’t suffer from wants or excesses. One feels like being born with every breath and dying with every exhale. “Conscious breathing is my anchor” says Tich Naht Hanh, the eminent Buddhist scholar. Thus, one deals with life and death during every breath. Hence there is neither fear, nor greed, no success and no failure. One is eternally rich. That possibly is the best state of Bliss.

Education, has to focus on developing mindfulness in young generation so that every country can maximize and capitalize on the wealth of the human resources it has.