In this writing, I will revisit the concepts of mindfulness and meditation that I've learned from the knowledge I've acquired, and I'll also reflect on how I've applied these concepts in my life.
Table of content
I had the opportunity to learn about Buddhism through two courses at Fulbright University from Teacher Nam, following an academic approach with two classes: Buddhist Ethics (foundational knowledge of Buddhism) and Secular Mindfulness (interdisciplinary study of mindfulness from the perspectives of psychology, neuroscience, and history). Additionally, outside of Fulbright, I was greatly influenced by Sam Harris and Douglas Harding - with a focus on Non-duality and Mea Hường, emphasizing forgiveness & letting go to achieve equanimity, as well as Thich Nhat Hanh's approach to integrating meditation into daily life. From this background, I have gained a foundation in Buddhism Ethic, as well as approaches to applying mindfulness to daily life, through nondual meditation and learning how to let go of personal attachments.
Below is the illustration that visually represents my main teacher and knowledge about meditation.
Teacher: Sam Harris and Douglas Haring
My perspective on mindfulness is closely related to on-duality meditation. I find this approach easier to understand, and most of my interpretation of mindfulness is based on Douglas Harding's views on this topic. Mindfulness, for me, is mostly about understanding myself from a first-person perspective. There's no self; just a sense of self in awareness. In the awareness, thoughts, feelings, and emotions arise and pass away.
In contrast to that, is Dualism, where I perceive myself as the observer - separate from what I am observing. That separate self is the social self, the person in the mirror, the self that I think I am, but it is just my mental formation. To be mindful is to realize that I am not only my own thoughts or the person in the mirror.
Douglas Harding gave me an understanding of non-dual mindfulness through observing my own experience by practicing "pointing out" and "pointing in". When pointing out, I become aware of my field of awareness, which includes sight, sound, and sensation. When I am pointing in, I try to locate the one who observes, but come to realize that no one is there; only thoughts and thinking come and go. I find myself with no head. I am the world.
illustration from waywithin.com
illustration from waywithin.com
illustration from waywithin.com
illustration from waywithin.com
Another way to practice this is to look into a mirror and ask, "What is my face in the mirror looking back at?”
