Mindfulness is an old synonym in English for attention. It was in disuse until 1881, when a British magistrate stationed in Ceylon named Thomas William Rhys Davids recovered it as a rough translation of the Buddhist concept that in the Pali liturgical language is called sati, "memory of the present," which describes one of the seven facets of the lighting.
Almost a century later, in the 1970s Jon Kabat-Zinn chose it to name meditation in his program, in order to overcome the reluctance existing at that time towards Eastern mysticism, giving it the current meaning: «consciousness that arises by paying attention, with the purpose focused on the present moment, and without judging
Currently, especially in the last decade of our century, a large number of investigations have emerged on the effectiveness of mindfulness in improving the symptoms of people with different physical and mental problems. Mindfulness is about giving full awareness to the reality of the present moment with a basic attitude of acceptance.
When you are done reading this book, you will have gained a lifetime of experience in just a few short hours. The stories are interesting to follow, and the challenging concepts have been made easy to understand. So get ready to broaden your horizons and adjust your expectations because you are in for one hell of a ride!
