Mindfulness teaching instructs us to observe our thoughts and feelings without judgment. Why? Mind and body are the accumulation of all we have done and experienced in our lifetime. We have an incredible capacity for the storage of memory. This memory becomes our road map for how we see the world. But the map is not the territory!
The mind can be a tricky place. If we allow ourselves to cling to the “truths” or “life lessons” we think we have learned, we run the risk of meeting our own selves over and over again in our contemplative efforts. If we hope for liberation from the “self” that ultimately causes us so much suffering, we must inevitably accept that we just don’t know, hence-no need for judgment. Fr. Richard Rohr of the Center for Action and Contemplation puts it this way, Deep acceptance of ultimate mystery is ironically the best way to keep the mind and heart spaces always open and always growing.