<p>In Noble Eightfold Path, <strong><em>Right</strong> Mindfulness</em> is a factor in the path. This implies that there are <em>Wrong Mindfulness</em>, things you shouldn't be mindful of.</p>

<p>Consider:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The definition (the four frames of reference)</p>
  
  <p>"And what is right mindfulness? There is the case where a monk remains
  focused on the body in &amp; of itself — ardent, alert, &amp; mindful —
  putting aside greed &amp; distress with reference to the world. He remains
  focused on feelings in &amp; of themselves... the mind in &amp; of itself...
  mental qualities in &amp; of themselves — ardent, alert, &amp; mindful —
  putting aside greed &amp; distress with reference to the world. This is
  called right mindfulness...</p>
  
  <p>"This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the
  overcoming of sorrow &amp; lamentation, for the disappearance of pain &amp;
  distress, for the attainment of the right method, &amp; for the
  realization of Unbinding — in other words, the four frames of
  reference."</p>
  
  <p>— DN 22</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As well as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Abandoning the wrong factors of the path</p>
  
  <p>"One is mindful to abandon wrong view &amp; to enter &amp; remain in right
  view: This is one's right mindfulness...</p>
  
  <p>"One is mindful to abandon wrong resolve &amp; to enter &amp; remain in right
  resolve: This is one's right mindfulness...</p>
  
  <p>"One is mindful to abandon wrong speech &amp; to enter &amp; remain in right
  speech: This is one's right mindfulness...</p>
  
  <p>"One is mindful to abandon wrong action &amp; to enter &amp; remain in right
  action: This is one's right mindfulness...</p>
  
  <p>"One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood &amp; to enter &amp; remain in
  right livelihood: This is one's right mindfulness..."</p>
  
  <p>— MN 117
  <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-sati/" rel="nofollow">http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-sati/</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Essentially you need to be mindful of <em>Right View</em>, <em>Right Intention</em>, <em>Right Speech</em>, <em>Right Action</em> and <em>Right Livelihood</em>, if you are not mindful of those things you are not practicing Right Mindfulness. If you are mindful of wrong views and wrong intentions for example, it is also not Right Mindfulness.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-23T02:19:39.177Z
2016-05-23T02:19:39.177Z
Yinxu
<p>Yes there are. Being mindful of "signs" that turn the mind to anger (or lust etc.) is unwholesome. E.g. someone irritates you and you insist on attending (upaṭṭhāna) to that particular experience (a product of your mind!), instead of focusing on something more positive.</p>

<p>Mindfulness in and of itself is a neutral factor of feeding, the question is what you feed.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-23T00:01:23.353Z
2016-05-23T00:26:53.843Z
2016-05-23T00:26:53.843Z
Andriy Volkov
<p>Just to move on from this <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/15046/157">answer</a> in the question <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/15045/157">Is practising mindfulness ever a bad idea?</a></p>

<p>Are there particular things that it is a bad idea to be mindful of? Are there thoughts, feelings, emotions etc.. that one would be better advised not to apply mindfulness to? What are they? Or can every aspect of human existence be included productively in mindfulness.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T18:01:37.227Z
the beginning of this video maybe answers your question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7favPrIWCz8  In Pali it's not just mindfulness, but right mindfulness (samma sati) or mindfulness in regards to the 4 foundations. So there exists wrong mindfulness.
OidaOudenEidos
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-22T02:38:33.547Z
I was going to post the same. the practise of Buddhist mindfulness is right mindfulness, which means keeping the factors of the noble path in mind & keeping out & removing unwholesome factors. read here: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.117.than.html
Dhamma Dhatu
<mindfulness>
Are there things that one shouldn't be mindful of?
# Are there things that one shouldn't be mindful of?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-21)

Just to move on from this [answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/15046/157) in the question [Is practising mindfulness ever a bad idea?](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/15045/157)

Are there particular things that it is a bad idea to be mindful of? Are there thoughts, feelings, emotions etc.. that one would be better advised not to apply mindfulness to? What are they? Or can every aspect of human existence be included productively in mindfulness.

**Tags:** mindfulness

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: the beginning of this video maybe answers your question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7favPrIWCz8  In Pali it's not just mindfulness, but right mindfulness (samma sati) or mindfulness in regards to the 4 foundations. So there exists wrong mindfulness.  
> **username_2**: I was going to post the same. the practise of Buddhist mindfulness is right mindfulness, which means keeping the factors of the noble path in mind & keeping out & removing unwholesome factors. read here: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.117.than.html  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-05-23. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

In Noble Eightfold Path, ***Right*** Mindfulness is a factor in the path. This implies that there are *Wrong Mindfulness*, things you shouldn't be mindful of.

Consider:

> The definition (the four frames of reference)
>
> "And what is right mindfulness? There is the case where a monk remains
> focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful —
> putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains
> focused on feelings in & of themselves... the mind in & of itself...
> mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful —
> putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is
> called right mindfulness...
>
> "This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the
> overcoming of sorrow & lamentation, for the disappearance of pain &
> distress, for the attainment of the right method, & for the
> realization of Unbinding — in other words, the four frames of
> reference."
>
> — DN 22

As well as:

> Abandoning the wrong factors of the path
>
> "One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right
> view: This is one's right mindfulness...
>
> "One is mindful to abandon wrong resolve & to enter & remain in right
> resolve: This is one's right mindfulness...
>
> "One is mindful to abandon wrong speech & to enter & remain in right
> speech: This is one's right mindfulness...
>
> "One is mindful to abandon wrong action & to enter & remain in right
> action: This is one's right mindfulness...
>
> "One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in
> right livelihood: This is one's right mindfulness..."
>
> — MN 117
> <http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-sati/>

Essentially you need to be mindful of *Right View*, *Right Intention*, *Right Speech*, *Right Action* and *Right Livelihood*, if you are not mindful of those things you are not practicing Right Mindfulness. If you are mindful of wrong views and wrong intentions for example, it is also not Right Mindfulness.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-05-23. Score: 7

Yes there are. Being mindful of "signs" that turn the mind to anger (or lust etc.) is unwholesome. E.g. someone irritates you and you insist on attending (upaṭṭhāna) to that particular experience (a product of your mind!), instead of focusing on something more positive.

Mindfulness in and of itself is a neutral factor of feeding, the question is what you feed.


---

