December Reflection The Gift of Awareness: Celebrating the Richness of Mindfulness

Awareness is one of the most natural and intimate capacities of the heart. All streams of Buddhist practice honor this quality in their own ways: as the simple ability to know experience clearly, to stay present, and to meet life with receptivity rather than reactivity. When awareness is steady and infused with warmth, it becomes loving awareness, an inner atmosphere of kindness and clarity that allows us to rest, listen, and respond wisely. It doesn’t need to be created; it’s already here. Our practice helps us recognize it, return to it, and allow it to deepen.

In the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10), awareness is described as a direct path to freedom: a way of living “ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful,” meeting experience as it is. This is not a cold or clinical awareness but a presence that includes the whole of our humanity: breath, body, feeling, thought, and the unfolding of the heart.

Awareness transforms our daily life. The sound of rain, the weight of the body in a chair, the warmth of connection with another person, all become opportunities to settle, open, and see more clearly. When the mind is distracted or tight, awareness brings us back. When the heart is hurting, loving awareness softens the edges. When we are caught in reactivity, awareness reveals spaciousness and choice.

Ajahn Sumedho captured this beautifully:“Awareness is our refuge; it’s not about becoming, but about being present to life as it is. Awareness is the natural clarity of the mind before it gets lost in its stories.”

As the year draws to a close, December invites us to honor this greatest gift, not something far away or reserved for special moments, but a living presence already within us.

Practice Suggestions

1. Short Moments, Many Times

   Choose times a day to pause for a single mindful breath. No matter what you’re doing, stop, breathe, and silently say, “This is it.” Feel right into awareness.

2. Awareness in Motion

   As you walk, cook, or clean, bring attention to the body in movement. Let awareness accompany you through the ordinary tasks of the day.

3. Reflective Journaling

   At the end of each day, write down one moment when awareness supported you - a moment of clarity, kindness, or release. Over time, these reflections deepen gratitude for the presence that is already here.

Suggested Readings

• Suttas:

  – MN 10 – Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (The Four Foundations of Mindfulness)

  – SN 47.40 – Bāhiya Sutta (“In the seen, there is only the seen…”)

  
  

• Modern Sources:

  – Ajahn Sumedho, The Way It Is

  – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

  – Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

  – Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Awareness Alone Is Not Enough

Mantra for the Month

“Awareness is the companion of every moment.”

Closing Reflection

Awareness does not have to be forced or cultivated artificially - it is the natural capacity of a mind and heart willing to be here. When we rest in loving awareness, we reconnect with what is steady, wise, and whole within us. As this year concludes, may we honor this simple yet profound gift: the ability to meet each moment with presence, warmth, and clarity. In the gift of awareness, we find a path home.