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 (saa). 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.
Lets 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 abhijjh 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 minds tendency to deviate from the original object.