The Buddhist roots of mindfulness training: a practitioners view
Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1080/14639947.2011.564835 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Citations | 70 |
| Key points | Argues that while Kabat-Zinn's secularization of mindfulness made it accessible, it may also close a door to the richness of Buddhist context; proposes a 'back translation' of mindfulness concepts into basic Buddhist concepts to help MBSR/CT teachers reconnect with Buddhist roots. |
Abstract
Jon Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living skilfully succeeded in translating traditional Buddhist concepts in modern everyday language so as to make them accessible to the West. It was a stroke of genius to take mindfulness training out of the Buddhist context, but the risk might be that, instead of opening a door to the Dharma (the Buddhist teaching), it might also close a door leading to the vast richness of that context full of valuable insights and practices. This article aims at back translating some mindfulness concepts to basic Buddhist concepts (in a movement opposite to Jon Kabat-Zinn's first move) to make Buddhist literature more accessible to MBSR/CT teachers that are less familiar with the Buddhist traditions and to allow us reconnect with some treasures that are present in our roots. It freely walks through texts and concepts of different Buddhist traditions when they seem relevant to this enterprise, drawing from the logic of the Pali Canon, the metaphors of the Mahayana sūtras and the paradoxes of Zen koans.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Mindfulness and Behavioural Insights Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change November 30, 2022
- Mindfulness and CBT: a conceptual integration bridging ancient wisdom and modern cognitive theories of psychopathology. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Mindfulness-Based Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Children and Parents Mindfulness July 16, 2019
- Mindful but forgetful: The negative effect of trait mindfulness on memories of immoral behavior Business and Society Review September 1, 2023
- Mindfulness The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology 2026
and 11 more in the library