Mindfulness is watching the activity in the mind. The activity inside the mind is the creation of thoughts, feelings and stories. Mindfulness is an important practice because ‘watching’ creates a bit of space by lessening the grip of the thoughts and bringing forth some awareness of the difference between consciousness (the Self) and an activity in consciousness (thoughts). It lessens the power thoughts, feelings and emotions have to cover over our pure awareness. Mindfulness is an important practice. It is especially helpful in neutralizing dissonant emotions and calming the monkey mind.
The mind arises from pure consciousness. The mind is an impulse of creative intelligence arising from the stillness of pure awareness. When there are no thoughts or feelings, there is no individual mind. Then there is only pure consciousness. This pure awareness is the Self (sometimes referred to as universal mind). Pure awareness contains both intelligence and power and when it vibrates and moves into creation, into expression, it becomes a feeling and a thought. This impulse of creative intelligence becomes individual mind.
In stillness there is no mental activity and we are left with pure consciousness, the Self. This stillness has no fluctuations, no activity, no vibration. It is beyond space and time. It is universal, pure existence, pure intelligence. This is emptiness. Emptiness is not nothing. It is the foundation of everything because it is pure Being. This is beyond thoughts and feelings, beyond the activity of the individual mind. It is source. It is empty of attributes. Emptiness is enlightenment.
Mindfulness is awareness of the activity in consciousness while emptiness is pure consciousness. Mindfulness is involved with the mind while emptiness is the source of the mind.
Blessings,
