What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

To put it simply, the current consensus among mainstream practitioners is that "meditation is a big basket that can accommodate various practices, and mindfulness is the most popular core technique among them." However, there are also many people who are deeply involved in the traditional Eastern practice system and feel that the two are completely different paths, and there is no affiliation at all.

When I first came into contact with the field of mind, body and soul, I also confused the two. In the first offline meditation introductory camp I reported, half of the classes were about mindful breathing, and the other half also covered body scanning, starry sky visualization meditation, and even guided trauma regression meditation. At that time, I thought mindfulness was another name for meditation, until I followed a After practicing Vipassana with a teacher who practices Southern Buddhism, I was corrected that mindfulness itself is a core branch of practice in the Eightfold Path. The original goal is to understand the mind and see nature, and it is not for worldly purposes such as "relaxation" and "decompression". It is completely different from the popular meditation on the market today, which focuses on regulating emotions.

If you put it in the context of today's daily applications, you don't actually need to dig into the origins so deeply. The difference between the two can be felt after touching it a few times. Most ordinary meditation practices have a clear "destination" - for example, the deep sleep meditation you listen to when you have insomnia is to fall asleep quickly, and the visualization meditation related to the law of attraction is to sort out your goals and strengthen your internal drive. During the whole process, you will follow the guidance and go in the preset direction. Occasionally, you will be distracted and bring your thoughts back. But there is almost no "state to be achieved" in mindfulness practice. Take the most classic mindfulness eating raisin practice as an example. No one asks you to become happier or more relaxed through this practice. You only need to feel the rough touch of the wrinkles on the skin of the raisin, the sweetness that spreads instantly when you bite it open, and even the lingering stickiness of the pulp on the molars. Whether it is a comfortable or uncomfortable feeling, you just accept it, without judging whether it is good or bad, and there is no need to deliberately adjust it in any direction.

To give you the most intuitive example, when you are fishing at work, you wear headphones and listen to 10 minutes of rainforest meditation. Follow the guidance sound in your mind and imagine yourself stepping on soft fallen leaves and smelling the smell of moss. This is a typical meditation practice.； But if you are in a meeting and are scolded by your boss, and your chest feels clogged, you stop and spend 30 seconds to feel the specific location of the tightness in your chest and the faster rhythm of your breathing. You don’t think about suppressing the anger quickly, but just quietly notice the existence of this emotion. This is the most practical mindfulness practice.

Of course, I have also met many friends who insist on traditional practice and do not recognize this distinction. In their view, the popular "mindfulness" on the market has long been transformed beyond recognition by Western psychology. The original mindfulness has a complete path of practice, which requires observing precepts, practicing concentration, and enlightening wisdom. It has a clear ultimate goal. It is not the "30-second emotional first aid method" that everyone talks about now. It should not be compared with secular meditation. In fact, for us ordinary enthusiasts, we don’t need to worry too much about the right and wrong status. Whether it is mindfulness or meditation, it is useful enough if it can help you find a moment of clarity in your busy daily life without being led by your thoughts.