Confucian Practice of Mindfulness 儒學靜心入門

Many people might think Confucianism is just an old way of thinking. I used to think that, too. But about ten years ago, I started reading books like The Great Learning (大學) and The Doctrine of the Mean (中庸). And they really opened my eyes. I found a whole new side of Confucianism that took me by surprise. It's like Buddhism and Daoism, but with its own twist.

In this blog, I want to share my thoughts about the Confucian practice of mindfulness. Let's start with a verse from Mencius that shows us what Confucian mindfulness is all about.

Confucianism offers a deep spiritual wisdom that may surprise you, and it stands alongside the teachings of Buddhism and Daoism. Image from Shutterstock

Mencius talks about something we all face: trying to be kind and do what is right, even when it is hard. That is a part of being human, and we can all relate to that.

Mencius said: "Being kind is the heart of who we are. Doing the right thing is the way to live. To turn from this way of life and our conscience is truly tragic!"

《孟子．告子》孟子曰：「仁，人心也；義，人路也。舍其路而弗由，放其心而不知求，哀哉！」

Kindness is inside all of us, even if we don't always see it. Instead of only looking at what others do, let's look inside ourselves. I invite you to take some time to reflect on your own thoughts. You could do this for a day or even a month. This will help you see how kind you truly are. Think about times when you helped or cared for someone, even small acts like opening a door or letting someone go first. You might find that you are pretty kind! But it can be hard to see that kindness when we are stressed or worn out.

Kindness is key to making a fair and just world. Kind people do not take more than they need, steal, or hurt others. They care about everyone and want to help build a better world. To start this journey, we need to listen to our conscience and keep it safe from bad thoughts and temptations. If we turn away from what our conscience tells us and don't protect it from wrong thoughts and desires taking over, we might lose our way and only think about ourselves. Mencius warned us this could be a big mistake.

He also used a simple example to explain this struggle better.

Mencius continued: "When you lose your chicken or dog, you know to look for it. But when you lose sight of your conscience, you might not even know! So, life's most important lesson is to find your conscience again."

人有雞犬放，則知求之；有放心，則不知求。學問之道無他，求其放心而已矣！

So, to be a better person, we need to learn how to find our conscience again. Wise people, like saints and sages, treat their consciences like they are the most precious thing in the world.

Why do we forget our conscience? How can we get it back?

Mencius said, "Find the conscience you've lost and bring it back." To do this, we need to pay close attention to our thoughts. When we have good thoughts, we know our conscience is there. When we have ill thoughts, it can be hard to see our conscience. We must clear away what is blocking our conscience and bring it back into the light.

In the next blog, I will briefly introduce the steps to watch your mind and bring it back. Read about the next step here.