From Chapter 13 ("Mindfulness (Sati)") of Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana:

Fully developed Mindfulness is a state of total non-attachment and utter absence of clinging to anything in the world. If we can maintain this state, no other means or device is needed to keep ourselves free of obstructions, to achieve liberation from our human weaknesses. Mindfulness is non-superficial awareness. It sees things deeply, down below the level of concepts and opinions. This sort of deep observation leads to total certainty and complete absence of confusion. It manifests itself primarily as a constant and unwavering attention which never flags and never turns away.

This pure and unstained investigative awareness not only holds mental hindrances at bay, it lays bare their very mechanism and destroys them. Mindfulness neutralizes defilements in the mind. The result is a mind which remains unstained and invulnerable, completely unaffected by the ups and downs of life.

(cf. Purpose of Meditation (2009-04-07), Equanimity (2012-02-01), This Is Equanimity (2015-03-15), Mindfulness of the Body (2015-06-14), ...) - ^z - 2016-07-27