Concentration is NOT Mindfulness

Post here if you are just starting out with your mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is a really difficult concept to get your head around at first, and it might be that you would benefit from some help from others.
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francogrex
Posts: 21

Mon May 12, 2014 11:18 am  

Dear all, from reading some of the posts and the replies, it seems to me that many are confusing concentration with mindfulness. Also in many online blogs such confusion is evident. Concentration or one-pointedness is not mindfulness. It is a tool that can help to achieve mindfulness. Concentration is a concomitant to awareness, it is a stepping-stone that is secondary to bare attention. It is not the goal here. This must be understood very clearly. Remember that the breath is an arbitrary focus and is used as a primary focus of attention. It actually makes rather little difference what the object of mindfulness is. You can be mindful of the breath, or you can be mindful of a mental image or anything else. You can be mindful that your mind is still, and your concentration is strong or you can be mindful of the fact that your concentration is in ribbons and your mbnd is in absolute shambles. It's all mindfulness.
JonW
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Posts: 2897
Practice Mindfulness Since: 08 Dec 2012
Location: In a field, somewhere

Mon May 12, 2014 12:07 pm  

"Dear all, from reading some of the posts and the replies, it seems to me that many are confusing concentration with mindfulness."
I haven't noticed any such posts/replies. Would you care to reference some examples?
Thanks,
Jon
Jon leads the Everyday Mindfulness group meditation on Zoom every Monday/Friday, 6pm London-time. FREE.
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rara
Posts: 255
Location: Huddersfield, UK

Wed May 14, 2014 10:48 pm  

francogrex wrote:You can be mindful of the breath, or you can be mindful of a mental image or anything else. You can be mindful that your mind is still, and your concentration is strong or you can be mindful of the fact that your concentration is in ribbons and your mbnd is in absolute shambles. It's all mindfulness.


Fair point.
Twitter @rarafeed
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rara
Posts: 255
Location: Huddersfield, UK

Wed May 14, 2014 10:48 pm  

JonW wrote:"Dear all, from reading some of the posts and the replies, it seems to me that many are confusing concentration with mindfulness."
I haven't noticed any such posts/replies. Would you care to reference some examples?
Thanks,
Jon


Fair point. :lol:
Twitter @rarafeed
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