You are probably using one of the most effective mindfulness training devices every day, but you don’t know it yet. Your dishwasher. You’re likely thinking that’s one of the stupidest things you’ve ever heard. It might be, but hear me out.
Of course, the world’s most effective mindfulness training is meditation. However, the end goal of meditation is to become more mindful in everyday life, maybe even enlightened — not to become a great meditator.
So, I like to find ways to road-test my mindfulness in real life. I’ve tried mindful eating, but I didn’t like the taste. I love to enjoy good food, wine, and conversation. Sitting alone and chewing mindfully like a monk is not my cup of camomile. And horror of horrors, I even like to read or watch TV while I eat!
There goes the neighborhood.
Mindful walking is lovely, but I do that every time I meditate at my Zen center. I don’t want to do that in my free time. And mindful driving? If I’m not already doing that, I’ll be dead soon.
So what about finding the moon in your dishwasher?
In Zen, the moon is often used to symbolize Buddha-Mind or enlightenment. The moon stands for our individual consciousness that shines only by reflecting the constant light of the sun, which is unbounded awareness. I love that analogy. We each are reflections of the moon of enlightenment.
“The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass or even in one drop of water.
— Zen Master Eihei Dogen
The Five-Armed Man
The one everyday activity that reminds me just how far I’ve got to go in my mindfulness skills is emptying the dishwasher. It’s a simple, straightforward chore — an idiot could do it. But it turns out doing it mindfully is not so easy.
I always feel like I need to rush, as though I must get it done quickly because I have a super important meeting to get to. I don’t. So, in my rush, I sometimes break a wine glass or chip the…