Is mindfulness the path or the goal? Some of the reading that I have been doing recently makes me wonder what is the place of mindfulness in the Buddhist path. My previous (current?) view is that mindfulness is central and is in some way the goal of the Buddhist path. As one progresses one gets more and more mindful until at the end you are mindful all the time in a absolutely complete way. Mindfulness becomes almost synonymous with Nirvana (almost).

However I'm starting to think that mindfulness is just one tool among many and it may have a greater or lesser role as time goes on. It is just a way of seeing or helping us see more clearly and it is the clear seeing that is important.

So which view if any is closer to how things are? Is mindfulness a tool on the path or is its continuing refinement the entire point? Is it the path or the goal?
Mindfulness is very important, but it is part of the path, not the goal. It is the seventh of the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, and the path can be grouped into three trainings. The wisdom training, the morality training, and the concentration training. Mindfulness falls under the training of concentration.

In MN 29, the longer heartwood simile discourse, the Buddha talks about the different reasons for practicing and compares them with different parts of a tree, and he warns against thinking that the parts of the path (including morality, meditation, and wisdom) as being the goal. It says:


  "Just as if a man in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering
  in search of heartwood — passing over the heartwood of a great
  standing tree possessed of heartwood — cutting away the sapwood, were
  to go off carrying it, thinking, 'heartwood.' A man with good
  eyesight, seeing him, would say, 'Ah, how this good man didn't know
  heartwood, didn't know sapwood, didn't know inner bark, didn't know
  outer bark, didn't know twigs &amp; leaves! That's why he, in need of
  heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood —
  passing over the heartwood of a great standing tree possessed of
  heartwood — cutting away the sapwood, went off carrying it, thinking,
  "heartwood." Whatever heartwood-business he had with heartwood, his
  purpose won't be served.'
  
  "In the same way, monks, there is the case where a certain son of good
  family, out of conviction, goes forth from the home life into
  homelessness, [thinking,] '...Perhaps the end of this entire mass of
  stress might be discerned!' Having thus gone forth, he encounters
  gain, offerings, &amp; fame. He is not gratified with that gain,
  offerings, &amp; fame, his resolve not fulfilled. He is not intoxicated
  with that gain, offerings, &amp; fame, not heedless about it, and does not
  fall into heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves consummation in
  virtue. He is gratified with that consummation in virtue, but his
  resolve is not fulfilled. Because of that consummation in virtue he
  does not exalt himself or disparage others. He is not intoxicated with
  that consummation in virtue, not heedless about it, and does not fall
  into heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves consummation in
  concentration. He is gratified with that consummation in
  concentration, but his resolve is not fulfilled. He is not intoxicated
  with that consummation in concentration, not heedless about it, and
  does not fall into heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves knowledge
  &amp; vision. He is gratified with that knowledge &amp; vision, his resolve
  fulfilled. Because of that knowledge &amp; vision he exalts himself and
  disparages others: 'I dwell knowing &amp; seeing, but these other monks
  dwell not knowing &amp; not seeing.' He is intoxicated with that knowledge
  &amp; vision, heedless about it, and falls into heedlessness. Being
  heedless, he dwells in suffering &amp; stress. This, monks, is called a
  monk who grasps the sapwood of the holy life, and with that he falls
  short.
  
  "Furthermore, there is the case where a certain son of good family,
  out of conviction, goes forth from the home life into homelessness,
  [thinking,] 'I am beset by birth, by aging-&amp;-death, by sorrows,
  lamentations, pains, distresses, &amp; despairs, beset by stress, overcome
  with stress. Perhaps the end of this entire mass of stress might be
  discerned!' Having thus gone forth, he encounters gain, offerings, &amp;
  fame. He is not gratified with that gain, offerings, &amp; fame, his
  resolve not fulfilled. He is not intoxicated with that gain,
  offerings, &amp; fame, not heedless about it, and does not fall into
  heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves consummation in virtue. He is
  gratified with that consummation in virtue, but his resolve is not
  fulfilled. Because of that consummation in virtue he does not exalt
  himself or disparage others. He is not intoxicated with that
  consummation in virtue, not heedless about it, and does not fall into
  heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves consummation in
  concentration. He is gratified with that consummation in
  concentration, but his resolve is not fulfilled. He is not intoxicated
  with that consummation in concentration, not heedless about it, and
  does not fall into heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves knowledge
  &amp; vision. He is gratified with that knowledge &amp; vision, but his
  resolve is not fulfilled. Because of that knowledge &amp; vision he does
  not exalt himself or disparage others. He is not intoxicated with that
  knowledge &amp; vision, not heedless about it, and does not fall into
  heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves a non-occasional liberation.
  And it is impossible, monks, there is no opportunity, for that monk to
  fall from that non-occasional release. [1]
  
  "Just as if a man in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering
  in search of heartwood, cutting away just the heartwood of a great
  standing tree possessed of heartwood, were to go off carrying it,
  knowing, 'heartwood.' A man with good eyesight, seeing him, would say,
  'Ah, how this good man did know heartwood, did know sapwood, did know
  inner bark, did know outer bark, did know twigs &amp; leaves! That's why
  he, in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of
  heartwood, cutting away just the heartwood of a great standing tree
  possessed of heartwood, were to go off carrying it, knowing,
  "heartwood." Whatever heartwood-business he had with heartwood, his
  purpose will be served.'
  http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.029.than.html


This Sutta makes it clear that it is incorrect to identify a part of the path such as mindfulness as somehow being identical with the goal. Mindfulness is a tool, not the result.