The Central Idea Behind Mindfulness Is Widely Misunderstood: You Are The Thinker, Not Your Thoughts

Mindfulness has become extremely popular in the past twenty years. Strangely enough—even though it has both Buddhist and yogic roots—it has mostly been taken over by academia and stripped of its spirituality. This new secular form of mindfulness focuses on feelings and is married to cognitive behavioral therapy. The goal is to reduce feelings of stress and increase feelings of happiness.

The Benefits are Great—But There Are Downsides

The are numerous benefits to the Westernized secular approach. Mindfulness practices reduce stress, improve sleep, lessen anxiety, and much more. However, I have recently noticed more studies and articles about mindfulness’s dark side. Detachment without a grounding philosophy can lead to apathy and create a void that some interpret as darkness.

Grounding Philosophy?

What do I mean by grounding philosophy? From my interspiritual studies, I have realized that a central philosophy informs most spiritual practices. Having a North Star or anchor—whichever metaphor you prefer—helps people reorient themselves when practices get them off track. As paradoxical as it sounds, having a spiritual philosophy is grounding because it orients the mind.

Lost in Space

Imagine being lost in space, unable to discern which direction you are going in. Such disorientation can lead to despair unless you have a navigation system that gets you back on track. A computer would be a reliable tool in a science fiction movie, but what if it broke? You’d have to have some visual aid to get you back on track. That is what a spiritual philosophy provides.

Three Major Philosophies

The three major interspiritual philosophies found across all traditions are pagan, theistic and nondualistic. Later this year, I’ll do a deeper dive into each of these stories. For now, it’s enough to know that paganism is usually Earth and energy-centered, theism focuses on a deity and nondualism on oneness.

Mindfulness Can Borrow From All Three

Mindfulness practices can borrow their philosophies from all three stories. They can center on (i) the body and mind, (ii) a chosen deity or (iii) nondual suchness. In fact, when you look at the variety of mindfulness techniques that are available today, you’ll find all three.

The Unifying Principle

However, one unifying principle ties all the philosophies together, even the pagan ones. You are the thinker, not your thoughts. In paganism, the thinker is often described as the animating force, the consciousness that drives the body. Theism describes the thinker as the soul created by the divine. And in nondualism, the thinker is the drop in the ocean of oneness. I am simplifying this a lot, but the central tenet still holds. You are the thinker, not your thoughts.

Separating Thoughts and the Thinker

Mindfulness relies on the separation between thoughts and the thinker, feelings and the feeler. It is this separation that allows people to observe themselves objectively, to get some distance from the chaos that is disturbing them. When people fail to make this distinction, they get lost in the swirl of their thoughts and feelings. Their sense of I-am-ness is completely tied to what they think and feel, both of which are ever-changing and erratic. Instead of being able to take a step back when the mind and feelings do their thing, those who are unable to make this distinction get taken for a ride every time.

Embrace This Central Idea

No matter your belief system, spiritual or secular, pagan or theistic, you should be able to embrace this central idea. Keep reminding yourself that you are the feeler, not your feelings; the thinker, not your thoughts. It will help your mindfulness practice.

Gudjon Bergmann
Author and Mindfulness Teacher
Amazon Author Profile

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