Meaning of Mindfulness

I thought I should disentangle the definition of Thoughtfulness as being partly about Wisdom and partly about Mindfulness. Although I believe Mindfulness can lead to discernment and good judgment, Mindfulness and Wisdom are to a large extent quite distinct. I should also elaborate more on what Mindfulness is about. Most people have heard of the term in its eastern context, and indeed there are many similarities between the eastern and western understanding of the concept. According to the website mindfulness.com, the eastern understanding, which deals with meditation, means: ". . . being aware of your present moment. You are not judging, reflecting or thinking. You are simply observing the moment in which you find yourself. Moments are like a breath. Each breath is replaced by the next breath. You're there with no other purpose than being awake and aware of that moment. As John Kabit Zinn says reflecting on a Japanese mindfulness puzzle: 'Wherever you go, there you are.'" Similarly, here is how a short excerpt from an article at findarticles.com defines Mindfulness in its western context:

"Mindfulness is not an easy concept to define but can be best understood as the process of drawing novel distinctions. It does not matter whether what is noticed is important or trivial, as long as it is new to the viewer. Actively drawing these distinctions keeps us situated in the present. It also makes us more aware of the context and perspective of our actions than if we rely upon distinctions and categories drawn in the past. Under this latter situation, rules and routines are more likely to govern our behavior, irrespective of the current circumstances, and this can be construed as mindless behavior. The process of drawing novel distinctions can lead to a number of diverse consequences, including (1) a greater sensitivity to one's environment, (2) more openness to new information, (3) the creation of new categories for structuring perception, and (4) enhanced awareness of multiple perspectives in problem solving. The subjective 'feel' of mindfulness is that of a heightened state of involvement and wakefulness or being in the present. This subjective state is the inherent common thread that ties together the extremely diverse observable consequences for the viewer. Mindfulness is not a cold cognitive process. When one is actively drawing novel distinctions, the whole individual is involved."