Attitudes, cultivated in practice rather than imposed, are the
‘soil in which the seeds of mindfulness can flourish’,
(Kabat-Zinn 1994: loc 628 – 633)
There are a range of attitudes, which can be both held in mind and embodied through behaviours and life.
They provide a practical way to behave and frame our approach overall, and can also become a way to practice and develop our mindfulness. They can be applied;
- as a way of behaving and living.
- as a quality of a meditation practice, such as Acceptance when the mind wanders or Letting Go of where it has wandered to.
- as the object of a contemplative meditation.
In addition, if developing a more mindful workplace, attitudes can also provide the basis of team or group behaviour guidelines, be the basis for a workplace culture, or underpin values, amongst other things.
The attitudinal qualities do not add anything to the experience itself but rather infuse the lens of attention
(Shapiro et al 2015: 12)
In developing our mindful approach the attitudes on the following pages may be of benefit. There may be more or different ones that are beneficial, but for now these give a basis to build upon.
See how they work in practice, and see what arises.
‘The Buddha always insisted that his disciples test everything he taught them against their own experience and take nothing on hearsay’
(Armstrong 2002: 92)
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994) Wherever You Go, There You Are. Kindle. London: Piatkus
Shapiro, S.L. and Carlson, L.E. (2015) The Art and Science of Mindfulness. London: American Psychological Association
Armstrong, K. (2002) Buddha. London: Phoenix