Introduction to Mindfulness - Dean Amory

Contrary to what many people assume, there is actually a big
difference between the practice of learning to recognize and rest in
awareness, and the practice of mindfulness. People often assume they
are the same, and they are not. In mindfulness practice, we are
focusing on the content of our moment to moment experience. In
awareness, we are not really concerned with the contents--not
focusing on them, and not trying to block them out either. Just letting
them be as they are. Our focus is the open space, the boundless field
of awareness, in which everything is happening. And of course we
can’t really focus on this awareness in the way we focus on an object,
like our breath, or our feelings.
So awareness practice is much more about letting go of the impulse
to grasp, to understand, to fixate on anything, and just relaxing into
the openness of our own being, which is always here, as soon as we
are willing to let go.
Observation by Federica, moderator of newbuddhist.com:
Consciousness means being in the present.
Awareness means you know you are in the present.
Observation by Suzanne Harrill at innerworkspublishing.com:
Awareness is everything that has brought you to this present
moment—your beliefs, emotions, feelings, and reactions to all your
life experiences. Awareness includes everything you have taken in and
are taking in with your five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and
smell, as well as using your sixth sense of intuition.
Much of our awareness is unconscious to us. As we study ourselves,
we become more and more self-aware. This is the key to improving
decision-making; to make choices that are in alignment with what we
want to create in our lives.
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