I'd love to tell you about all the wonderful things Mindfulness Practice has done for me, and can do for you.  And I will, but first-

Whenever I talk about the "purpose" of Mindfulness, I have to also make it clear that paradoxically, there's no purpose of Mindfulness.  I know that doesn't make sense, but that's the nature of paradox. (1)

(1) paradox  par·a·dox  noun : 

 •A statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory

•A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true

I'm in good company, though.  In an interview with Bill Moyers, Jon Kabat-Zinn was asked about the purpose of Mindfulness.  His response: "I would say that there is no purpose… As soon as you assign a purpose, you've made it just another activity to try to get someplace or reach some goal.." He continued: "True… the people in the program were all referred by their doctors in order to achieve some kind of improvement in their condition. But paradoxically, they are likely to make the most progress in this domain if they let go of trying to get anywhere and just learn through the practice… to experience their moments as they unfold."

Now, with that said- here's the purpose of Mindfulness!  

The purpose, or benefits, of Mindfulness Practice come in 5 categories:

1) Decreased Suffering

2) Increased Fulfillment

3) Increased Ability to Learn, to Think Creatively, to Cultivate Wisdom

4) Improved Behaviors and Habits

5) Increased Interest and Ability to Live a Life of Joyful, Effective, Effortless Service

I've written a fair amount about the first two categories, and a little bit about the third category, in my article- What is Mindfulness?  I'll be posting more about categories 3-5 soon.