How Mindfulness Works Even When It Doesn't
“The practice of mindfulness is a reference point for noticing aspects of our lives that we may have missed.”
- Gil Fronsdal
The Issue at Hand
Gil imagines the breath as a stick in the stream:
“Consider a mountain stream where the water is quite clear, and seems placid and still. But if you place a stick into the water, a small wake around the stick shows that in fact the water is flowing. The stick becomes a reference point that helps us notice the movement of the water.
Similarly, the practice of mindfulness is a reference point for noticing aspects of our lives that we may have missed. This is especially true for mindfulness of breathing. In trying to stay present for the breath, you may become aware of the concerns and the momentum of the mind that pull the attention away from the breath. If you can remain with the breath, then obviously mindfulness of breathing is working. However, if your attempt to stay with the breath results in increased awareness of what pulls you away from the breath, then the practice is also working.”
From The Issue at Hand
It's so easy to find ourselves believing thoughts like, "I'm not doing this right. I'll never get my mind to settle." As a result, we often end up feeling frustrated, even embarrassed about how often our minds drift off unintentionally, sometimes leaving the practice altogether.
The next time you notice this happening, consider taking a moment to pause and reflect on Gil's image of the stick in the stream, calling to mind this truth: Noticing the rushing momentum of this mind is essential to the practice we've set out to do, not a sign of our failure or inadequacy.
More from Gil Fronsdal
Gil is the founding teacher and a co-guiding teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California and the Insight Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, California. He has been teaching since 1990. Gil has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975 and has a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is a husband and father of two boys.
I have a particular fondness for Gil's book The Issue at Hand—a freely offered collection of essays on the practice of meditation and the path of spiritual life—as it was the book that introduced me to meditation. It's delightfully accessible for beginners, yet also helpful for longtime meditators to reground in the core teachings. We offer hard copies to all new members of our local Sangha, and it's beautiful to see people begin to connect with the practice through Gil's work. Read the chapter that inspired this post and many more here.
Illustrations and notes by Devin O’Guin
