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48 EASTERN HORIZON | FEATURES

openness and flexibility that is 3. the informal setting of being  Focus:
detached, nonjudgmental and constantly mindful in all daily This is the practice
non-reactive.” In Right Mindfulness, activities from waking up on concentration and
through insight knowledge and from sleep to sleeping time, contemplation on the object of
understanding, the practitioner observing and being aware of awareness from moment-to-
develops the skillful qualities of each daily activity from moment moment of mindfulness such
the path with the right resolve, to moment. as in the four satipaṭṭhānas,
abandoning wrong resolve, by and where distractions have
just observing whatever comes up E.F.F.O.R.T.S. and Right to be ignored or pushed aside
without preference or judgment and Mindfulness from the mind. It is where the
eliminating unskillful ones. practice should be intentional
As already pointed out above, so that effort will be put into the
Hence, so when you are practicing mindfulness is not a practice that practice. And where the focus is
mindfulness, you observe and pay is as simple as it seems. It has to be on being ardent (ensuring the
attention to your body, feelings, persistent and continuous. Its goals process of right effort into the
mental objects, and consciousness of attaining knowledge, insight, practice of right mindfulness),
with a purpose from moment- and wisdom requires a long-term alert (watching closely, paying
to-moment. Your attention just commitment of sustained practice close attention to what you are
knows the activity and phenomena with diligence, perseverance, hard doing, and the results you are
happening with openness and work and self-learning. getting), and of course being
flexibility to accept what is there. mindful to stay focused on the
And you are detached or do not Therefore, in E.F.F.O.R.T.S., we have: object of mindfulness.
react to those thoughts and feelings.
You also do not judge whether they  Experiential:  Faith: Mindfulness requires a
are good or bad, comfortable or not Mindfulness is an experience long duration of consistent and
comfortable, beautiful or ugly, tastes from an activity that can persistent practice. A holistic
delicious or horrible. But to instill be both mind and matter practice requires it to include
right mindfulness, the internal (Nāma and Rūpa), active and the informal daily activities
learning process (as mentioned passive. Experiential means during the waking, conscious
above) is applied. practitioners “do” the practice hours of activity. That is why
to gain insight. It involves being the practice comprises of the
For a holistic and comprehensive fully engaged, through both three formal, non-formal, and
practice, there are three modes in active and passive engagements, informal modes of practice.
the practice of mindfulness: investigate to find and discover This requires that faith and
out things for themselves, as in belief in the efficacy of the
1. The formal setting over a the Buddhist philosophy of “Ehi Teachings are necessary for
period of time in a structured passiko” (“Inviting One to Come practice over a long period of
meditation retreat where and See”). Being experiential time until such time its goal
mindfulness and meditation are is about learning from the and attainment are achieved.
practiced full time during all experiences. Insight knowledge
waking or non-sleep hours; cannot be acquired without  Observation:
2. the non-formal setting of learning from the experiences This is the moment-to-
periodic meditation sessions that come from daily activities moment awareness where
with a teacher or master to and contemplations. the practitioner observes
observe, supervise, guide and and monitors silently the
provide feedback; and phenomena or experience