Mindfulness (sati)

                     Mindfulness (sati)

Mindfulness is identified as a certain characteristic, attribute associated the mind. It is endowed with the attribute of perceiving sense objects. Mental factors (cetasika) are the properties that arise in the mind. A sense object confronts the mind through contact (passa). Visual forms make contact with the outer layer ( pasada rupa) of the eye by way of light waves and then, the atoms associated with the eye begin to vibrate. This vibration generates a certain heat energy in the eye. This is in turn causes the the mind to arise in the heart base (hadaya vatthu) It is the heat energy generated in the eye , in this case, that triggers the atoms in the heart base to vibrate and unleash the flow of energy known as “mind”.

A good analogy to clarify this process is to study the mechanism of turning on a light  bulb by pressing a switch. When a switch is pressed, a certain degree of energy is generated at the switch through the contact with electrical wires connected to it. When this electrical energy is transmitted to the bulb, it begins to illuminate as light. This analogy helps us to understand how mind arises as a result of sense faculties coming in to contact with external objects and the energy thus generated at sense faculties triggering the energy at the heart base as the flow of mind.The original contact at the sense faculties is known as “passa cetasika” (mental factors related to contact).As the heat energy at the sense faculties is transmitted to the heart base which is felt as consciousness, it is known as “vedana cetasika (mental factors related to feeling).   

It is the heat energy that is experienced as feelings (vedana). The variations of heat energy ranging from higher, medium to lower are referred to as unsatisfactory ( dukkha), happy (sukkha) and indifferent (upekkha) feelings respectively. Arising of feelings confining to any of these ranges is referred to as perception (sañña). At this stage, the potential energy to generate consciousness (mind) is formed in a sense faculty. This is referred to as formations or conditioned phenomena (sankhara). These formations or conditioned phenomena, then, trigger the arising of consciousness (mind) in the heart base. Feelings of dukkha ,sukkha and indifference (upekkha) would result in the arising of different types of formations (sankhara). When the feelings are happy, formations (sankhara) based on lobha (greed) are bound to emerge. Lobha (greed), in this case, is the expectation to regain the happiness just experienced. Lobha aggravates the velocity of the flow of mental energy. Consciousness reaches a state of Dosa (aversion) when the feelings of unsatisfactoriness are repelled in anticipation of avoiding such unsatisfactoriness again. The arising of lobha and dosa would stray the mind away from sati (mindfulness). This is the mechanism behind this phenomenon.

When a sense object makes contact with the mind, a certain degree of heat energy is generated in the mind.It is this heat energy that is identified as sukha, dukkha or upekkha depending on the degree of heat thus generated. If the degree of heat is intense, it is identified as dukkha. If the degree of heat is capable of producing satisfaction, it is identified as sukkha. If the degree of heat is moderate, it is identified as a feelings devoid of sukkha or dukkha.   

Let’s assume that the mind comes into contact with a sense object and generates 20 degree of low heat at the stage of sankhara which has the potential of producing pleasant feelings. The sankhara formed with twenty degrees of heat at the sense faculty, following the initial contact (passa), would trigger consciousness in the heart base with the same degree of  heat energy. However, at this stage sankharas would not continue to produce twenty degrees of heat energy any further as lobha (greed) gets in the way and acts in anticipation of retaining the low heat energy which produces feelings of sukha (happiness). The expected function of attempting to retain the happiness further would aggravate the heat energy and push the degree of heat to a higher level. It has now risen to forty degrees, according to our example. In view of this phenomenon, consciousness (mind) is no longer able to be in contact with the original sense object which was associated with twenty degrees of heat heat energy; consciousness, now, directs itself to focus on another previously perceived object which had a potential heat energy of forty degrees. This how the consciousness leaps from one object to another.

Mindfulness is the instance where consciousness (mind) dwells on one particular object (arammana). In order for consciousness to be mindful of one object , it should be devoid of lobha sankhara and dosa sankhara. This is possible when consciousness arises entirely based on original heat energy produced by respective sense objects; Heat energy is not intensified beyond the original  heat through further attempts to retain or repel feelings through lobha (greed) and dosa (aversion) formations (sankhara). When lobha and dosa formations are not formed during the process of arising of consciousness, the mind does not deviate from the original object. It dwells on the original object as the original heat energy does not vary in the absence of lobha and dosa sankhara. This phenomenon is well described by the Buddha in the Satipattana Sutta as,“ vineyya loke abhijjhā· domanassa…” meaning that lobha or dosa should not be incorporated into consciousness in order to establish mindfulness on a particular sense object (arammana).  In these circumstances, mindfulness is meant as the instance where the mind (consciousness) is fixed on a particular object, despite the mind’s tendency to deviate from the original object.