4. Conceptual Mindfulness

走心 

 zǒuxīn  

  to take care / to be mindful  

走, zǒu: to walk / to go / to run / to move (of vehicle) / to visit / to leave / to go away / to die (euph.) / from / through / away (in compound verbs,

such as 撤走) / to change (shape, form, meaning)  

Looking at the thread, we find that the essential idea is a change from one state to another, with the emphasis upon the actual movement from one stage to another. Thus the changing itself is the thread. We can see that clearly even with the definition"to die".

 心

xīn 

heart / mind

In this case then with mindfulness we are performing a changing of the pure mind from a closed state to an open state by removing staining factors.

The conceptualization of its fullness is related to its being filled to capacity with its natural unstained Life Force state.

The task of mindfulness is the transition to that state.

The four foundations of mindfulness are mindfulness of Body/Mind as the basic SENSATION...The most important here being in contemplation mindfulness of breathing.

Herein, monks, a monk, having gone to the forest or the root of a tree or to an empty place, sits down with his legs crossed, keeps his body erect and his mindfulness alert. Ever mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out. Breathing in a long breath, he knows, "I am breathing in a long breath"; breathing out a long breath, he knows, "I am breathing out a long breath." Breathing in a short breath, he knows, "I am breathing in a short breath"; breathing out a short breath, he knows, "I am breathing out a short breath." "Experiencing the whole (breath-) body, I shall breathe in," thus he trains himself. "Experiencing the whole (breath-) body, I shall breathe out," thus he trains himself. "Calming the activity of the (breath-) body, I shall breathe in," thus he trains himself. "Calming the activity of the (breath-) body, I shall breathe out," thus he trains himself.

This, as you see, is the basic foundation for all contemplations, with the becoming of consciousness being impossible without it.

The other parts of this first mindfulness are:

2. The Mindfulness of the Body

And further, monks, a monk knows, when he is going, "I am going"; he knows, when he is standing, "I am standing"; he knows, when he is sitting, "I am sitting"; he knows, when he is lying down, "I am lying down"; or just as his body is disposed so he knows it.

That means a constant attention to what one is DOING and nothing else that interferes with that.

3. Mindfulness with Clear Comprehension

And further, monks, a monk, in going forward and back, applies clear comprehension; in looking straight on and looking away, he applies clear comprehension; in bending and in stretching, he applies clear comprehension; in wearing robes and carrying the bowl, he applies clear comprehension; in eating, drinking, chewing and savoring, he applies clear comprehension; in walking, in standing, in sitting, in falling asleep, in waking, in speaking and in keeping silence, he applies clear comprehension.

This is our Clear comprehension. It means that one is aware of that moment when the natural impulse is driven into a state of action readiness or non-action readiness.

4. The Mindfulness on the non-desirability of the Body in and of itself

And further, monks, a monk reflects on this very body enveloped by the skin and full of manifold impurity, from the soles up, and from the top of the head-hairs down, thinking thus: "There are in this body hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidney, heart, liver, midriff, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, nasal mucus, synovial fluid, urine."

5. The Mindfulness on the non-living elements of the body

And further, monks, a monk reflects on this very body, however it be placed or disposed, by way of the material elements: "There are in this body the element of earth, the element of water, the element of fire, the element of wind."

6. The Mindfulness of the Transient state of the body

And further, monks, as if a monk sees a body dead one, two, or three days; swollen, blue and festering, thrown in the charnel ground, he then applies this perception to his own body thus: "Verily, also my own body is of the same nature; such it will become and will not escape it."

II. The Mindfulness of Discrimination

And how, monks, does a monk live contemplating feelings in feelings?

Herein, monks, a monk when experiencing a pleasant feeling knows, "I experience a pleasant feeling"; when experiencing a painful feeling, he knows, "I experience a painful feeling"; when experiencing a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling," he knows, "I experience a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling." When experiencing a pleasant worldly feeling, he knows, "I experience a pleasant worldly feeling"; when experiencing a pleasant spiritual feeling, he knows, "I experience a pleasant spiritual feeling"; when experiencing a painful worldly feeling, he knows, "I experience a painful worldly feeling"; when experiencing a painful spiritual feeling, he knows, "I experience a painful spiritual feeling"; when experiencing a neither-pleasant-nor-painful worldly feeling, he knows, "I experience a neither-pleasant-nor-painful worldly feeling"; when experiencing a neither-pleasant-nor-painful spiritual feeling, he knows, "I experience a neither-pleasant-nor-painful spiritual feeling."

Thus he lives contemplating feelings in feelings internally, or he lives contemplating feelings in feelings externally, or he lives contemplating feelings in feelings internally and externally. He lives contemplating origination factors in feelings, or he lives contemplating dissolution factors in feelings, or he lives contemplating origination-and-dissolution factors in feelings.12 Or his mindfulness is established with the thought, "Feeling exists," to the extent necessary just for knowledge and mindfulness, and he lives detached, and clings to nothing in the world. Thus, monks, a monk lives contemplating feelings in feelings.

Okay, I imagine you recognize this as recognizing the difference between the identity experiences of like, dislike and indifference on one hand and the natural affect, disaffect and equanimity on the other.

III. The Contemplation of Consciousness

And how, monks, does a monk live contemplating consciousness in consciousness?

Herein, monks, a monk knows the consciousness with lust, as with lust; the consciousness without lust, as without lust; the consciousness with hate, as with hate; the consciousness without hate, as without hate; the consciousness with ignorance, as with ignorance; the consciousness without ignorance, as without ignorance; the shrunken state of consciousness, as the shrunken state;13 the distracted state of consciousness, as the distracted state;14 the developed state of consciousness as the developed state;15 the undeveloped state of consciousness as the undeveloped state;16 the state of consciousness with some other mental state superior to it, as the state with something mentally higher;17 the state of consciousness with no other mental state superior to it, as the state with nothing mentally higher;18 the concentrated state of consciousness, as the concentrated state; the unconcentrated state of consciousness, as the unconcentrated state; the freed state of consciousness, as the freed state;19 and the unfreed state of consciousness as the unfreed state.

Now here the Mindfulness is upon what happens in consciousness where the discriminations are conscious in a more complex form after being distorted further by Identity in Cognition based upon memory traces of the past.

IV. The Contemplation of Mental Objects

1. The Five Hindrances

And how, monks, does a monk live contemplating mental objects in mental objects?

Herein, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the five hindrances.

Note the importance of The rising and the falling away.

When AVERSION (anger) is present, he knows, "There is anger in me," or when anger is not present, he knows, "There is no anger in me." He knows how the arising of the non-arisen anger comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen anger comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned anger comes to be.

When (ACQUISITIVENESS) agitation (of the craving) and remorse (fear of loss, the clinging) are present, he knows, "There are agitation and remorse in me," or when agitation and remorse are not present, he knows, "There are no agitation and remorse in me." He knows how the arising of the non-arisen agitation and remorse comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen agitation and remorse comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned agitation and remorse comes to be.

When CONFUSION (Doubt)  is present, he knows, "There is doubt in me," or when doubt is not present, he knows, "There is no doubt in me." He knows how the arising of the non-arisen doubt comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen doubt comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned doubt comes to be.

When (AVOIDANCE) sloth and torpor (this is not indifference, but an avoidance in facing what appears to be insatisfactory) are present, he knows, "There are sloth and torpor in me," or when sloth and torpor are not present, he knows, "There are no sloth and torpor in me." He knows how the arising of the non-arisen sloth and torpor comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen sloth and torpor comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned sloth and torpor comes to be.

This last may be considered as a state which leads to a paranoic attitude.

2. The Five Aggregates of Clinging

And further, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the five aggregates of clinging.

How, monks, does a monk live contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the five aggregates of clinging?

Herein, monks, a monk thinks, "Thus is material form; SENSATION  thus is the arising of material form; and thus is the disappearance of material form. Thus is DISCRIMINATION; thus is the arising of feeling; and thus is the disappearance of feeling. Thus is PERCEPTION; thus is the arising of perception; and thus is the disappearance of perception. Thus are COGNITIVE INTENTIONS; thus is the arising of formations; and thus is the disappearance of formations. Thus is CONSCIOUSNESSs; thus is the arising of consciousness; and thus is the disappearance of consciousness."

3. The Six Internal and External Sense Bases

And further, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases.

How, monks, does a monk live contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases?

Herein, monks, a monk knows the eye and visual forms and the fetter that arises dependent on both (the eye and forms); he knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.

He knows the ear and sounds... the nose and smells... the tongue and flavors... the body and tactual objects... the mind and mental objects, and the fetter that arises dependent on both; he knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.”

It is being mindful that all rises from mere illusory experiences of the sense organs and their form of transmission (which is experienced as a distinctive phenomenon).

4. The Seven Factors of Enlightenment

And further, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the seven factors of enlightenment.

How, monks, does a monk live contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the seven factors of enlightenment?

Herein, monks, when the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is present, the monk knows, "The enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is in me," or when the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is absent, he knows, "The enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is not in me"; and he knows how the arising of the non-arisen enlightenment-factor of mindfulness comes to be; and how perfection in the development of the arisen enlightenment-factor of mindfulness comes to be.

The same with the investigation of mental objects (dhamma vicaya) into the nature of dhamma

The same with the  energy that is correct is present, he knows, "The enlightenment-factor of energy is in me"; etc.

The same with When the enlightenment-factor of WELL BEING (joy to be).

the enlightenment-factor of TRANQUILITYy (passaddhi) of both body and mind.

the enlightenment-factor of CONCENTRATION (samadhi) a calm, one-pointed state of concentration of mind

the enlightenment-factor of Equanimity (upekkha), to be able to face life in all its vicissitudes with calm of mind and tranquillity, without disturbance.

So when we are speaking of mindfulness it is not just a mentl state, for that mindfulness must be directed at detection of what is precisely happening to the system and that means that the system must be quiet and involved only in the task at hand, whether it is simply walking or washing a dish or taking an examination...

Just lifting a hand or a foot must be examined not only in terms of its position in space and the movements as a tactile element, but in all other dimensions.