Week 1 Flashcards
How could we break down mindfulness into ability, process, result?
ability = attention
process = paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgementally
result = awareness
What is William James’ definition of attention?
‘Attention is the taking possession of the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one of the what seems several simultaneously possible objects or trains of
thought, focalisation, concentration of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from
some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in
the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state.’
What is the ‘curiosity killed the cat’ analogy?
Untrained attention is like a cat, one that constantly ends up in a fish bowl.
–> Attentional blink or attentional blindness
What do cognitive neuroscientists call attentional blink or attentional blindness?
When we are in the fishbowl (metaphorically), i.e. when we become oblivious to things that happen outside of the bowl.
What is referred to as attentional capture?
When a sudden stimulus draws our attention. In our ordinary experience, attention capture is followed by a fixation of attention on the stimulus leading to a period of inattentional blindness.
Which aspect distinguishes mindfulness from CBT/ Cognitive Restructuring or Positive Thinking?
The fact that it is non-judgemental
What do we mean by not adding to automatic judgements in the context of mindfulness?
Not using positive reappraisal (turning
negative thoughts into positive ones). Every time we have a negative thought, we first have to judge it as
negative and then have to find a way of turning it into what we judge to be a positive one. This could
be an effective strategy in a short term to turn our glass from half empty to half full. But because
this process requires mental effort and thus utilises a lot of metabolic energy in the brain, we might
end up with our bottle empty in a long run.
What is discursive thinking?
Abschweifen, not really serving a purpose in the moment
What is the definition of mindfulness practice?
Mindfulness practice in this definition involves refining our natural ability to focus attention without
fixation and sustain it without distraction. It also requires becoming progressively aware of
judgements that are imposed automatically on what we experience plus refraining from further
judging our experiences and our automatic judgements about them.
What are the main causes of suffering according to Buddha?
- desire (craving for) an attachment or grasping fixation to things we like.
- aversion / dislike / avoidance of things we don’t like. + our ignorance about this happening on the moment-by-moment basis in our minds, and the confusion or cognitive errors that results from it in how we perceive / experience things.
What are the two main components of meditation practice?
- Shamatha (calm abiding; training to pay sustained attention to gain more clarity)
- Vipassana (insight; in-depth, non-analytical understanding of the patterns of the mind that operate through attachment and aversion)
What kind of balance does mindfulness strive for?
balance between calm abiding and insightful understanding
What is the translation for mindfulness in Sanskrit or Pali? What does it mean?
- Smrti in Sanskrit
- Sati in Pali
–> means ‘memory’ or ‘recollection’
What does the translation of mindfulness stand for in Buddhist texts?
- refers to the faculty of the mind akin to the cognitive concept of working memory that keeps on line and
keeps guard.
What does it keep on line or remember?
–> constant presence of the mind no matter what we are doing
What does it keep guard of?
–> Kittens and puppies
What are the four foundations of mindfulness?
- mindfulness of the body (that includes body sensations, body as a whole)
- mindfulness of the feeling
- mindfulness of the mind states
- mindfulness of phenomena or experiences in general.
Which figures coined the term mindfulness?
- Thomas William Rhys Davids (British scholar of the Pali language) came up with the following translations for the word Sati:
memory, recognition, consciousness, intentness of mind, wakefulness of mind, mindfulness as one of the words, but also alertness, lucidity of mind
NO REFERENCE TO ATTENTION!!!
- Mahasi Sayadaw ( Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk) used mindfulness as noting, and popularised the four foundations of mindfulness.
Who termed mindfulness as bare attention?
Nyanaponika Thera, a German-born Sri Lankan Theravadan monk
–> first teacher to use mindfulness as an ability, skill, /process and as the result.
How does Nyanaponika Thera define mindfulness?
‘the unfailing master key to knowing the mind and is thus the starting point; the perfect tool for shaping the mind, and is, thus, the focal point; the lofty manifestation of the achieved freedom of the mind and is, thus, the culminating point.’
What are the 2 components of the operational definition of mindfulness?
1) Self-regulation of attention maintained on the present moment experience
2) Adopting particular orientation toward the present moment experience: curiosity, openness, and acceptance
