Non-duality and mindfulness - One or Two or both?

“The Advaita people are a minority in the Mindfulness community.” I heard from a co-participant in a mindfulness summer course and wondered why. I did not even know there were separate camps. Didn’t mindfulness emerge from meditation in non-duality? Are there separate groups dependant on the roots of Mindfulness from Buddhism and Advaita? Apparently so.

In one of the essays in ‘Mindfulness, diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins and applications’ (Williams and Kabat-Zinn, 2013), it was said that the Advaita school emerged during the early spread of Buddhism as a counter to the Buddhist step-by-step guide towards Enlightenment. Advaita folks probably just said ‘realise the Self direct, no need for this step-by-step work, you are already That (the Self Absolute in Non-duality)’. The Advaita tradition was to realise that one is already free, and that the steps buiding towards the freedom would be counter to this freedom.

My practises have shown me that we need both – doing daily practise of mindfulness and meditation and being in open awareness of Non-duality as One Self, that we are already free and whole. The daily practice, meditation, mindfulness-practices fill our bodies and soul with that, the enlightening light and spirit of awakeness. In the Mindfulness practices, we can bring forth this light and wakefulness in our acts through mindfulness of loving kindness and compassion.