4. Mindfulness—Awareness of All Thoughts and Feelings

World Scripture

There is this one way, monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and misery, for the destruction of pain and grief, for winning the right path, for the attainment of Nibbana, namely the Four Arousings of Mindfulness. What are these four?
Here a monk lives contemplating the body in the body… contemplating feelings in feelings… contemplating consciousness in consciousness… and contemplating mental objects in mental objects, ardent, clearly conscious and mindful, having overcome in this world, covetousness and dejection. And how, monks, does a monk live contemplating body in the body?
Here a monk, having gone to the forest, sits down cross-legged keeping his body erect and setting up mindfulness in front of him. Mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out. Breathing in long, he knows, “I breathe in long.” Breathing out long, he knows, “I breathe out long.” Breathing in short, he knows, “I breathe in short.” Breathing out short, he knows, “I breathe out short.” “Experiencing the whole body I shall breathe out,” thus he trains himself…
And further, a monk knows when he is going, “I am going”; he knows when he is standing, “I am standing”; he knows when he is sitting, “I am sitting”; he knows when he is lying down, “I am lying down”; or just as the body is disposed so he knows it…
And further, a monk reflects on this very body enveloped by the skin and full of manifold impurity from the soles up and from the crown of the head down, thinking, “There are in this body: hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidney, heart, liver, membranes, spleen, lungs, bowels, intestines, mesentery, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, saliva, mucus, synovic fluid, urine.”… And seeing a body dead for one day, or two or three, swollen, discolored, decomposing, thrown aside in the cemetery, he applies this perception to his own body, “Truly, this body of mine, too, is of the same nature, it will become like that and will not escape it.”…
And how, monks, does a monk live contemplating feelings in feelings? Here a monk when experiencing a pleasant feeling knows, “I experience a pleasant feeling”; when experiencing a painful feeling knows, “I experience a painful feeling”; when experiencing a feeling that is neither pleasant nor painful knows, “I experience a neither pleasant nor painful feeling.”…
And how does a monk live contemplating consciousness in consciousness? Here, monks, a monk knows the consciousness with craving as with craving; the consciousness without craving as without craving; the consciousness with anger as with anger; the consciousness without anger as without anger; the consciousness with ignorance as with ignorance; the consciousness without ignorance as without ignorance…
And how does a monk live contemplating mental objects in mental objects? Here, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the five hindrances. When sense desire is present, a monk knows, “There is sense desire in me,” or when sense desire is not present he knows, “There is no sense desire in me.”… When anger is present, he knows… when sloth and torpor is present, he knows… when restlessness and worry are present, he knows… when doubt is present, he knows…
Truly, monks, whoever practices these Four Settings up of Mindfulness for seven years, then one of two results may be expected by him: highest knowledge here and now or, if some remainder of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.¹³
Majjhima Nikaya 1.55-63, Satipatthana Sutta (Buddhism)

Leave behind all phenomenal distinctions and awaken the thought of the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment by not allowing the mind to depend upon notions evoked by the sensible world—by not allowing the mind to depend upon notions evoked by sounds, odors, flavors, touch-contacts, or any qualities. The mind should be kept independent of any thoughts which arise within it. If the mind depends upon anything it has no sure haven.
Diamond Sutra 14 (Buddhism)

Man’s feelings are the evil aspect of his nature. If one realizes they are evil, then this evil will not exist in the first place. If the mind is in the state of absolute quiet and inactivity, depraved thoughts will cease of themselves.
Li Ao (Confucianism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

In the mind there is a door, called the door to the mind. God enters through that door. That door does not open only to one direction. Since the mind is in motion, the door is also in motion. For God (plus) to enter through this door, we should relate to Him as a minus (object partner). Yet if our direction is slightly off, even by just a degree, the door will not open.
There indeed exists a door to the mind of each human being. You can discern it in your prayers. The feeling you get when you pray changes depending upon the time of day. Praying at 1:00 a.m. has a different feeling than praying at 3:00 a.m. Try it yourself, and you will sense the difference. If you pray in a deep mysterious state, you will feel different depending upon what time you are praying. The feelings of your prayers in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening are all different.
The same is with the state of our mind. Our emotions change with the seasons, our feelings towards our loved ones change; in such ways the world of the mind is constantly changing. That is why we need to discover the best time to pray. You need to pray when your spiritual senses are keen, so your sensitivity to God will be high. As you enter deeper and deeper into a state of feeling connected to God, you will eventually reach the door to the mind. The door to your mind connects with the door to God’s mind. Once it opens, the way unfolds to experience God’s feelings.
What should you do to enter such a state? You should cultivate your mind. First, examine the state of your mind. It was originally to be at the zero point, but because of the Fall its direction has deviated by 180 degrees. Although your mind is supposed to rest at the zero point, because of the Fall it behaves randomly and unpredictably. Your first task is to return it to the original point.
Since we are 180 degrees opposite the zero point, we should struggle to turn around in a clockwise direction. As we move in this direction seeking the zero point, we will feel a minus-like sensation. Nevertheless, most people are inclined to go counterclockwise. Yet going in that direction they will not succeed, even if they continue for a thousand years. Everyone must return to the zero point…
If your mind is deviated from the path by a certain angle, you should adjust your mind’s direction by the opposite angle and return it to the proper course… Each of us has a good mind and an evil mind. You may think that your mind is always good, it is not so. As a result of the Fall, human beings are contaminated by Satan’s realm of evil minds. We struggle to remain in the realm of good minds.
For this reason, what is most important is to find the zero point and reach the door to the mind. Learning how to do this is crucial in our life of faith. Therefore, you should learn to discern when is the right moment to open the door to your mind and how to match it to the door of God’s mind.
(76:127-129, February 2, 1975)