Rather than trying to overcome or suppress unwholesome mind states, Joseph Goldstein—drawing from the Satipatthana Sutta, a foundational Buddhist discourse on mindfulness—teaches that the path to freedom lies in clear, non-reactive awareness of these states as they arise. The practice is not about achieving a mind free of defilement, but about knowing each state for what it truly is: impermanent, insubstantial, and not-self. This shift in approach transforms the relationship to difficult mental states from struggle to investigation, and makes the path itself accessible in moment-to-moment practice.
What Are the Three Unwholesome Roots?
In Buddhist psychology, there are three fundamental mental defilements or "roots" from which all unskillful mind states grow: lustful mind (greed/attachment), angry mind (aversion/hatred), and diluted mind (delusion/ignorance). Rather than viewing these as foreign invaders to be expelled, Goldstein frames them as natural tendencies of the untrained mind. The Buddha's teaching is not that practitioners should wait until these states disappear before beginning practice, but rather that mindfulness of them when they arise is itself the path to freedom.
This reframes the spiritual journey fundamentally. Many practitioners enter the path believing they must first purify themselves, eliminate their flaws, and achieve some special mental state before they can truly practice. What Goldstein emphasizes is that the practice happens now, with the mind as it currently is—lustful, angry, confused, distracted, or contracted. The instruction is simply to know what is happening.
How Do You Practice Mindfulness When Unwholesome States Arise?
The practice begins with a shift in approach. Instead of reactive judgment ("I'm angry again—I'm failing at practice") or suppression ("I need to get rid of this unwholesome state"), the practitioner develops what Goldstein calls "mindful awareness" of the state itself. This means:
- Noticing without judgment: When lust, anger, or delusion arises, simply acknowledge it: "This is what is present right now."
- Investigating the quality: Rather than being caught in the content of the thought or emotion, observe its nature—how does this state feel in the body? How does it influence attention? What is its texture?
- Recognizing the impermanence: All mental states are transient; none persist unchanged. Even intense anger or craving will shift and change if not acted upon.
- Understanding not-self: The state arises according to conditions, not because of an essential "self" that needs fixing. There is no owner of the unwholesome state.
This investigation is not analytical in the ordinary sense. It is direct, embodied awareness. Goldstein's teaching draws practitioners away from the thinking mind's tendency to create narratives around difficult states and toward simple, clear knowing of the state as it is.
What Does It Mean to Be Aware of the Absence of Unwholesome States?
The Satipatthana Sutta also instructs practitioners to be aware when unwholesome states are absent. This might seem simple—when you are not angry, you are not angry—but Goldstein points to something deeper. When lust, aversion, or delusion is not present, the mind naturally rests in a state of clarity, ease, and openness. These are not exotic achievements; they are the natural state when the mind is not contracted by defilement.
Crucially, Goldstein emphasizes that positive attributes—generosity, compassion, wisdom—are present within the absence of the unwholesome roots. You do not have to cultivate goodness as something separate from the lack of greed, hatred, and delusion. Rather, as the mind is freed from these contractions, wholesome qualities naturally express themselves. This is a liberating insight: the work is not to build goodness from scratch, but to clear away the obstacles to it.
How Do Intention and Moral Measure Factor Into Practice?
Goldstein teaches that the moral worth of an action is measured by the intention behind it, not by the action's external form. This means that when investigating unwholesome states, it is the motivation driving the state that matters. An action born from greed, hatred, or delusion carries karmic weight and tends to reinforce those very states. An action born from generosity, compassion, or clear understanding points toward liberation.
This insight is radical in its implications. It means that the path is not about being "good" in a conventional, external sense—following rules or avoiding certain behaviors. It is about the direction of the heart and mind: toward connection and wisdom, or toward contraction and confusion. When a difficult mind state arises, the question is not "Is this bad?" but "What is the intention behind it, and does it move toward freedom or away from it?"
What Role Do Difficult Mind States Play in Liberation?
Goldstein's framing transforms the relationship to difficulty. Rather than viewing anger, craving, or confusion as obstacles to the path or signs of failure, they are understood as part of the path itself. Each difficult state is an opportunity to practice—to meet what is present with mindfulness rather than reactivity. This is why Goldstein can say that "mindfulness of them when they arise is the path to freedom."
The Buddha did not promise that the path would eliminate negative mind states. Rather, he offered the possibility that through clear awareness, the practitioner would no longer be bound by them. The subtle but profound shift is from "I have unwholesome states, and they are a problem" to "Unwholesome states arise in the field of awareness, and I can know them without being controlled by them."
This is why Goldstein emphasizes not judging oneself or being reactive to negative states. Self-judgment and reactivity are themselves contractions of mind, further defilements added on top of the original state. When anger arises and is met with judgment ("I shouldn't be angry"), the mind becomes angry at anger—a compounding of the problem. Mindfulness offers a different way: anger arises, it is known, and the mind remains open and clear.
What Is the Difference Between a Distracted Mind and a Contracted Mind?
Goldstein draws a distinction between different qualities of unwholesome states. A distracted mind is scattered, pulled in multiple directions by sensory stimuli and thoughts. A contracted mind is tight, resistant, narrow. Both are defilements, but they have different characteristics. A distracted mind loses focus and stability; a contracted mind has focus but it is fused with resistance or aversion. The practice of mindfulness can work with both, recognizing their different patterns and how they influence the quality of consciousness.
Understanding these distinctions helps practitioners recognize what is actually happening in meditation or daily life. Sometimes the work is to gather and settle attention; sometimes it is to open and soften a grasping or resistant quality. The clarity that comes from mindfulness of mind states naturally guides what needs attention.
How Can Sense Pleasures and Moods Deceive the Mind?
Goldstein addresses a subtle trap in practice: the seduction of sense pleasures and moods. A pleasant mood can deceive the mind into thinking all is well, when in fact the mind may be in a state of delusion or subtle attachment. Sense pleasures—whether visual, auditory, gustatory, or mental—can pull attention away from deeper investigation. The teaching is not to reject pleasure, but to remain aware that it arises and passes away, and that relying on it as a basis for well-being is unreliable.
This is where mindfulness of mind becomes crucial. When the mind is caught in the pleasantness of a mood or sensation, mindfulness reveals the state clearly: "This is a pleasant mood, and it is arisng from conditions that are impermanent." The clarity itself frees the mind from being deceived or trapped.
What Is the Process of Liberation?
Goldstein teaches that liberation is not a single, permanent achievement that happens once and forever changes the mind. Rather, it occurs in short moments, repeated many times. Each moment of clear awareness, each instant of knowing a mind state without being caught in it, is a moment of freedom. Over time, as the mind is trained through repeated mindfulness, these moments become more frequent and stable, and the habitual contractions loosen their grip.
This understanding is tremendously encouraging for practitioners. It means that freedom is not a distant goal reserved for advanced meditators or the exceptionally pure. It is available in the next moment of clarity, and the moment after that. The path is not something done to achieve a future state, but something lived in present-moment awareness.
How Does Mindfulness of Mind Point Toward Freedom?
Ultimately, mindfulness of the mind itself—knowing the three unwholesome roots when they arise, being aware of their absence, recognizing the difference between distracted and contracted states, and observing how pleasures and moods influence the mind—is the direct path to freedom. This is not a theoretical understanding, but a lived practice of knowing each state for what it is: insubstantial, impermanent, and not-self.
The simplicity of the instruction can be deceptive. "Ask yourself what is happening," Goldstein teaches. "Take the time to acknowledge it." This basic practice of honest self-inquiry, sustained over time, gradually loosens the knots of reactivity and identification. The mind learns, through direct experience, that it is not imprisoned by unwholesome states—it is freed by knowing them clearly.
Where to Go From Here
If this teaching resonates, the next step is experiential: begin to notice in your own practice or daily life when lustful, angry, or diluted mind states arise. Rather than struggling with them or suppressing them, simply observe them with curiosity. What does this state feel like? How does it influence your breathing, your body, your attention? Can you know it without judging yourself for having it? These simple inquiries, returned to again and again, embody the Satipatthana Sutta's instructions on mindfulness of mind and open the door to the freedom the Buddha pointed toward.
