Mindfulness
Deliberate, non-judgemental attention to present experience — a contemplative practice long before it was the clinical construct whose definition, measurement and evidence base are all actively contested.
Full definition of Mindfulness →:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Sati is remembering — holding the teaching in mind while observing, with a discriminating, ethically loaded function. Clinical mindfulness is bare present-moment attention, deliberately stripped of doctrine so it can be prescribed. They share a translation, not a definition.
Side by side
| Aspect | Mindfulness | Sati |
|---|---|---|
| Core sense | Present attention | Remembering |
| Ethical frame | Removed | Central |
| Goal | Symptom relief | Liberation |
| Judging | Suspended | Discriminating |
What each one means
Deliberate, non-judgemental attention to present experience — a contemplative practice long before it was the clinical construct whose definition, measurement and evidence base are all actively contested.
Full definition of Mindfulness →The contrast above sets out how Sati differs from Mindfulness on the points that actually matter.