What is a Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of being present in the moment - as Ram Das's book's title "Be Here Now" summarizes. By being present with intention, one is not consumed with judging the past or having anxiety about the future.

The Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist who was expelled from Vietnam during the Vietnam War, is often credited with bringing Mindfulness to the West. His key teaching was that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment—the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.

Especially today, Mindfulness offers an alternative to the constant inflow of information we process, performing tasks by route, objectifying people and instead allows us to make decisions, acting with intention and meaning. ​A nice summary of Mindfulness was written by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, in "Wherever You Go, There You Are": “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality.”