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Illuminating Mindfulness
I take refuge in the Buddha to find again the beautiful and bright path, take refuge in the Dharma to open the door of transformation, and take refuge in the Sangha to be illuminated and supported on the path of practice. To keep the sky of consciousness always clear and not let negative mental formations such as worry, sorrow, or despair cover it is to take care of the soul: just a few moments of mindfulness are enough for the cloud of afflictions to dissipate, like turning on the light in a dark room. Consciousness (le mental) cooperates with the five sense consciousnesses—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body—to create complete awareness; but when it operates alone (isolated consciousness), as in a dream, it is called dream consciousness. Negative thinking and wrong imagination turn consciousness into “deluded consciousness,” obscuring the truth and sowing suffering.
The methods of healing the mind in the Buddha’s teaching go hand in hand with Western schools of psychology, such as:
- psychoanalysis – analyzing the mind to understand the store consciousness
- behaviorism – observing behavior to recognize the roots of mental illness
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cognitive therapy – correcting distorted perceptions
Mindfulness is the lamp that illuminates each breath, each step, helping us to recognize abnormal behaviors, wrong perceptions (tưởng) and feelings (thọ), so that we can correct them right in the present moment without having to search into the past. Wrong perceptions (pseudo-logic) give rise to craving, anger, and delusion; only when illuminated by mindfulness and insight, breaking through delusion (ignorance), can we let go of hatred, complexes, and pride, and dwell in true peace and happiness.