This theoretical commentary critiques the refined mindfulness definition proposed by Chems-Maarif et al. (2025) — centered on present-centred bare awareness with an equanimous attitude — and examines its implications for theory, cognitive mechanisms, and psychometric measurement in psychological science.
The author argues that defining mindfulness as momentary bare attention excludes memory, attentional regulation, and temporal continuity, which are functionally constitutive of mindfulness across meditation, post-meditative, and everyday contexts. A revised definition is proposed: *a temporally extended capacity to sustain and flexibly regulate attention and attentional mode* across experiential domains, including non-conceptual awareness, with an allowing and equanimous attitude.
- This is a single-author theoretical commentary with no new empirical data; arguments rest on synthesis of existing cognitive and contemplative literature. - The proposed revised definition has not been operationalised or validated psychometrically. - Engagement with the original Chems-Maarif et al. (2025) article is secondary; full evaluation requires reading that source.
Clinicians using mindfulness-based interventions should be aware that trait mindfulness scales and post-meditative applications presuppose working memory and attentional regulation capacities that current narrow definitions do not explicitly capture. Broadening the conceptual frame — beyond momentary bare awareness — may improve alignment between what is taught, what is measured, and how mindfulness actually functions in everyday clinical contexts.
