Mindfulness – a Buddhist Monk’s Perspective

by Reuben Chow

Have you wondered what mindfulness is, and do you practice mindfulness in your daily life?

I once read a short story of a Buddhist monk who was asked a question by a young man. “What do Buddhists do?” the man queried.

“We breathe, we walk, and we eat,” replied the monk.

“What then is the difference between a Buddhist and the rest of us?” the man asked while feeling somewhat confused.

“The difference is that when a Buddhist breathes, he knows he is breathing; while he walks, he knows he is walking, and when he eats, he knows he is eating.”

This was by no means a frivolous reply by the monk. Instead, he has provided great insight into the way we live our lives, and the way we perhaps should be living our lives.

He was talking about the practice of mindfulness.

Modern life is fast, very fast – and that could be an understatement. Each day zips by with non-stop rushing, meetings, deadlines, subways, traffic jams, and what not. Basically, there are tons of tasks to carry out and hundreds of things to remember in very limited time, and we often find our minds caught here up, there and everywhere except the present moment.

Think about it – when was the last time you were walking and were conscious of every step you were taking? When was the last time you ate slowly and really savored each bite and every taste in your mouth? When was the most recent time you actually enjoyed a slow meal? How about breathing? When was the last time, if ever at all, you were aware of your breath, breathing deeply in and out in a slow and deliberate fashion?

Obviously, not all Buddhists in the world practice mindfulness or live in this manner, but that is not the point at all here. The point is a poignant lesson on mindfulness. Being mindful brings great peace, joy, and even, dare I say it, happiness.

If you think about it, in life, all we have is the present moment – the past is gone, while the future is not here yet and may never come. Yet we rarely live in the present, barely mindful of it. Isn’t it an irony? Does it make sense?

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