Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘We don’t need Buddhist teachings to show us how to pay attention. Lots of coaches and experts know how to teach that. But all ordinary instances of paying attention involve evaluation, desire, goal. We want to cook a good omelet, improve our skill at this or that, or make sure we’re savoring an experience to produce a good memory of it to enjoy later.

Right mindfulness involves no such goals or desires. It’s simply seeing—or, better, being—what is happening and paying attention, whether we like what’s happening or not. We don’t practice right mindfulness to know ourselves better or to become kinder or more peaceful people. We practice it for its own sake, in the faith that through the practice we’ll come to see how our mind and heart create suffering and happiness, and we’ll naturally choose happiness.

The concrete practice of mindfulness is simple. Whether you are sitting in meditation or getting up to take care of your life, the practice is the same. Pay attention to what’s happening. Your breath, your posture, the task at hand. When thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions, memories, or ordinary dullness arise in your mind, notice them without worry, and return the mind gently to the breath, the body, the task. When you’re frustrated, angry, full of judgment and angst, notice this, feel what it’s like, and come back to the breath or the task.’ (from Lion’s Roar)