What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness In Plain English

excerpt from "Mindfulness in Plain English"
by Venerable Henepola Gunaratana

There is no way that we can fully understand the meaning of mindfulness without any practical experience. But, in giving talks to beginners in Buddhism, we can't avoid the need to give a basic conceptual explanation of mindfulness. I would try to explain in this way, "MindFULness is a mind FULL of sati which is characterised by present-time awareness, non-judgement observation, goal-less awareness.........................all those things mentioned in the article". Alternatively, I may say, "MindFULness is an EMPTY mind, empty of past-future awareness, jugmental observation, goal-directed awareness................all those things opposite of what is mentioned in the article".