Westernized Buddhist studies began in Japan after the Meiji restoration. Most of them were philologically oriented and rare studies have been made from the view of practical meditation.
Monks have been teaching Buddhist insight meditation, and “Mindfulness” meditation based on insight meditation has been growing more popular in the U.S. and Japan since the 1980’s. But the term “Mindfulness” seems to be interpreted and used arbitrarily by teachers. Buddhist scholars should commit to “Mindfulness” meditation movement from a Buddhist context.
Mindfulness means to label any object as it is; this object means any phenomena or feeling occurring in one’s mind. Practitioners keep labeling as many objects arising in their mind as they can. For example, “sound, sound, pain, pain, pain.” They have no time to think of those objects, because they are too busy concentrating on labeling. An object arises and disappears momentarily and another arises in no time. Therefore practitioners must be mindful of occurring objects in their mind. When one is mindful of objects occurring in one’s thoughts, one’s mind becomes very clear and awakened. This is called “awareness.”
When practitioners realize that these objects are momentary, impermanent, and thus with no value, they reach enlightenment. But long before that, they can feel joy, lightness and “awake-ness” by their concentration. Such change of mind and body benefits practitioners’ lives. Thus “Mindfulness” meditation has become popular.
