MBLP
The word “mindfulness” is at once simple in its meaning and rich in its power and profound implications for our world. Mindfulness is the quality and the practice of being awake and fully aware of what is happening in each moment of our lives. When we are mindful, we see reality exactly as it is, without supplementing reality with any concepts or notions about our experience. Mindfulness is a state of alertness, of openness, and an attitude of willingness to encounter whatever the present moment reveals to us.
If mindfulness is awareness, then “mindfulness-based legal practices” means taking mindfulness to the practice of law, in all its facets and dimensions.
Some of the beauty of mindfulness is that it is always accessible to us, at any time and place. In the practice of law, mindfulness is easily at home in any of the following settings:
- litigation,
- transactions,
- counseling clients,
- studying or teaching the law, whether in law school or in continuing legal education programs,
- alternative dispute resolution,
- legislating and making rules,
- adjudicating cases,
- enforcing the law
I will be adding a lot more content to this site about mindfulness and the practice of law. For now, if you would like to experience a taste of some of the possibilities arising from the integration of these two disciplines, I invite you to explore Stephanie West Allen’s excellent collection of mindfulness resources for lawyers and mediators. I hope you will enjoy it.
On October 11, 2007, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in bringing mindfulness to health care in the United States, gave a talk at Google about mindfulness. Here is the video of that presentation.
As part of my work, I want to work with entrepreneurs who suffer from “disabilities.” Over the last few years, I have been blessed by knowing several people in the DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) community. I have not yet explored mindfulness in great depth with respect to its practice and enjoyment by persons with various sorts of physical and mental “disabilities.” However, I was happy to find a few online videos that talk about mindfulness in the context of Deaf culture. Three of those videos appear below. Although the teacher, Patty Underbrink, gives her talk in American Sign Language (ASL), each video is accompanied by an audio track and some subtitles to make her presentation accessible to all. Enjoy.
Are You Listening? Zen Meditation, a Deaf Perspective, pt. 1 [of 3]
Are You Listening? Zen Meditation, a Deaf Perspective, pt. 2 [of 3]
In this second video, Ms. Underbrink recounts a story about when she was ringing the bell at a meditation sitting. A number of times, she refers to “hitting” the bell. In his teaching, Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that we say “to invite” the bell, rather than “to strike” or “to hit” it. The connotation, of course, is a softer and more cooperative approach to our interaction with the bell. If we have a good friend who helps us and has much to teach us (a friend like the bell of mindfuless), would we hit that friend, or would we invite him to talk with us?
In the context of Ms. Underbrink’s dharma talk, the difference between these terms might at first seem to be a bit too subtle. I ask you not to dismiss too rapidly the usefulness of this seemingly minor distinction in our practice of mindfulness and our willingness to be truly present to others. Without exaggerating the importance of this minor difference in word choice, I would like to suggest that we can use it to build a bridge of understanding between the DHH and Hearing communities.
As a simple exercise, when you have a few spare minutes, play Ms. Underbrink’s video (# 2) again. Whenever she uses the verb “to hit” in connection with the bell, in your mind, silently and gently substitute “invite” for “hit.” You don’t need to do anything more than that; just mentally substitute “invite” for “hit.” As you do that, notice if it makes a difference in how you perceive Ms. Underbrink’s story. Look for any feelings or thoughts of judgment that may arise in you: a preference for one word or another, judgment about Ms. Underbrink’s word, Thich Nhat Hanh’s word, or even my asking you to do this exercise. Enjoy.
Are You Listening? Zen Meditation, a Deaf Perspective, pt. 3 [of 3]
For much more information about mindfulness and the practice of law, I invite you to visit
The Mindful Lawyer: Institute for Mindfulness Studies.
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