Defining Mindfulness in 3 Minutes

We usually react to life by either: wanting, rejecting, or ignoring. But a fourth possibility is mindfulness.

Jon Kabat Zinn defines mindfulness as a combination of three things:  (1) Intentionally paying attention (2) in the present moment (3) nonjudgmentally.

Shinzen Young and his work at Harvard Medical, defines mindfulness as a combination of three things:  (1) Focused awareness (2) sensory clarity (3) equanimity.

Use whichever terminology you prefer. And you can use just about anything as an object of meditation. But pure unbroken focus alone is not “mindfulness”. To qualify as mindfulness meditation, it must have the 3 qualities listed above.  That also means that 2 out of 3 is not enough.

You may be focused AND have sensory clarity in the present moment, but if you are judging your experience, you only have 2 out of 3 going for you. True mindfulness meditation includes the practice of equanimity a.k.a. non-judgement. Practicing allowing this moment to be whatever it is. Again and again and again.