Mindfulness is equivalent to the spirit of Zen. The 'spirit' means the function of the exercise of Zen that is comparable with its effects or influences. The relation is understandable from a term handed down in Japanese culture, "Going into the Form, and out of the Spirit".
 The way of exercising mindfulness emphasizes the combination of two kinds of meditations: samatha meditation bringing about attention concentration, and vipassana meditation preventing the birth of thinking and grasping realities and the self. The strategies of mindfulness have a commonality that the meditators create the three frontiers of awareness, being aware what is occurring in their body and mind, restraining their habitual responses, and freeing themselves from autopilot behavior patterns. As a result, they can give the meditators the chance to overcome their maladaptive learning habits, clarifying their 'values' based on life-sized realities and selecting desired behaviors.
 Usually, although it is impossible to achieve the effects we want without certain forms of exercise, there is a term in Japanese culture, "Going into the Form, and out of the Form". This means that when the exercise becomes the way of one's living, one no longer needs its form. It is the lasting change of a psychological trait, such as the way of living everyday life rather than the transient psychological state of awareness that mindfulness seeks.
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