Re: Mindfulness a factor in Buddha's enlightenment?

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Dear AJ,

First let me say this:

If you are looking for information as a historical scholar, then you might as well stop reading and delete my post, since that is not my area of scholarship.

Your question was:

>Was mindfulness something he expressed later on as being
> important, or was it there from the beginning?

I tried to answer:

This practice (of mindfulness) is imbued in all of Buddha's teachings.

- --I'm sorry if this wasn't what you are looking for.

Let me try to elaborate my post a little bit to try to help you with your (real?) question.

You said:

>From what I've read on Buddha's enlightenment, it sounds as if he only
>did samadhi / concentration practice very deeply

Let me say this:

Samadhi is a state that is achieved within meditation, and it is not path dependent. You can practice one brand of zazen or mindfulness meditation or mantra meditations to achieve samadhi. Samadhi was achieved by many yogis before. Buddha didn't achieve anything unique there.

The core of Buddhism is to teach us how to live our lives. I do not believe he ever said how you must practice a certain form of meditation to achieve enlightenment. I believe Buddhism as a core is a philosophy and way of life that is compatible with all practices.

What was unique about Buddha's teachings is that it helps you to understand how to live your life in the real world. Being mindful or our actions and being mindful of the consequences of our actions is central to the core teachings of Buddhism.

To me, your question is like asking was compassion something that Buddha expressed later as being important or was it there from the beginning?

If you are interested in validating mindfulness meditation versus other forms of meditations, then I have no idea what form of meditation Buddha practiced other than the fact that it would likely be derived from ancient yogic practices.

However to reiterate, in the spirit of Buddha's teachings, it doesn't matter what form of meditation you practice, as long as it helps you live your life in a more compassionate way. This criteria is the true test of a good meditative practice combined with a Buddhist outlook in living...

TJ
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