Abstract
This article explores the role performed by mindfulness in the cultivation of states of meditative absorption. Although this dimension of mindfulness is probably of less relevance to its employment in current Mindfulness-Based Interventions, it is perhaps still of interest to explore the operation of mindfulness in such contexts in order to better appreciate the multifunctionality of mindfulness in its original Buddhist setting. Such exploration points in particular to a monitoring role of mindfulness that is of continuous relevance, from overcoming obstacles all the way through the different levels of absorptions, all of which involve deep experiences of mental unification. Throughout, mindfulness has the task of establishing and maintaining the kind of mental presence that enables a precise appraisal of the current condition of the body and the mind.