What is the relationship between mindfulness and meditation?

The current general consensus in the field of mindfulness is that mindfulness belongs to a subdivided practice category of meditation. Many practitioners who have been practicing mindfulness for more than 10 years believe that contemporary mindfulness has developed a complete system independent of traditional meditation. The two are closer to a cross-relationship of "the same origin but each has its own emphasis."

I first came into contact with this type of practice when I had insomnia five or six years ago. I followed the APP for sleep aid guidance. From beginning to end, I was asked to focus on the breathing at the tip of my nose, and gently pull it back when my mind wandered. At that time, I thought this was standard meditation. It was not until I participated in an offline mindfulness workshop that I realized that what I was practicing was actually the most basic mindful breathing exercise.

Speaking of which, the scope of traditional meditation is actually much wider. From ancient Indian meditation and Taoist meditation to the Transcendental Meditation and Compassion Meditation that are popular in Europe and the United States, as long as it is a practice that actively adjusts the mind to enhance awareness, it can basically be classified into the category of meditation. The goals of different schools are also very different. Some pursue a deep state of concentration, some are to explore inner spiritual connections, and some are tied to specific beliefs and rituals.

The mindfulness that everyone often refers to now was actually extracted from the Buddhist meditation system of Theravada Buddhism in the 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn. At first, he deliberately removed all religious content, leaving only the core of "being aware of the present moment without judgment." It was first used in the stress reduction clinic at MIT to intervene with patients with chronic pain and chronic anxiety. I have seen the mindfulness intervention program for teenagers in the clinical psychology department of the hospital before. It does not require you to sit cross-legged for a long time. You can even practice it while standing or lying down. On the way home from school, spend 3 minutes to do a "five sense observation": feel the keys in your pocket to see if they are cold, and smell the sausage sold on the roadside.

It is precisely because of this lightweight development that practitioners on both sides have always had different voices. I know a friend who has practiced Theravada meditation for more than 20 years. He has always felt that mindfulness is a "simplified fast food" that has removed the core of traditional meditation. It does not even mention the basic system of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. After practicing for a long time, it can only achieve temporary relaxation, and it cannot achieve the deep effect of meditation at all. But clinical teachers don’t see it that way. Last time I chatted with a child psychology doctor at the Jingwei Center, he said that after giving 3 minutes of mindfulness breathing training to junior high school students who are about to take the exam, the anxiety scale score can be reduced by more than 60% after the intervention. This kind of practicality that does not require a foundation and can be practiced at any time is the unique value of mindfulness after it is separated from traditional meditation.

In fact, for us ordinary practitioners, there is no need to worry about whether the two are subordinate or parallel. Just like some people think that milk tea with milk capped pearls is not considered tea, and some people think that it is comfortable to drink. Where do so many rigid definitions come from. If you have a lot of time and want to deeply explore your inner self, you can definitely try traditional meditation retreats. If you are usually very busy in 996 and want to take 5 minutes to relieve the irritability of meetings, then mindfulness exercises that can be done easily are obviously more suitable for our daily needs.