What Mind Is Mindful?

Nirvana sounds amazing. The problem is, not many people have actually achieved it. — Chris Wojcik

Preface

The following was originally posted as an impromptu comment on Chris Wojcik’s essay, ; Being mindful about the philosophy of mindfulness. The impulse to write it was, in part, sparked by the quote above. I’m republishing it here on The Trip because even as a comment it received several claps, because I feel it may be worthy of a wider audience, and because it briefly describes an early (1967) psychedelic awakening. Below is a slightly edited copy-paste of the original comment followed by a brief PostScript in the form of questions and a worthy footnote.

The Comment

Interesting. Many of the same things you mention about Buddhism (and other religions) bothers me too.

I took LSD for the first time May Day 1967, as a 19yo college freshman. It was something I’d become interested in through LOOK and Life magazines articles before it was made illegal. September 1966, LSD wasn’t as commonly found on campuses as it would be a year or two later. It took a while to find someone who knew someone. I was introduced to a graduate student in mathematics. Being a teenager, he seemed very “adult” to me. But he was also a very “mindful” young man, something I’d not yet heard…