Making Mindfulness Appealing
Jaime Kucinskas
Oxford Scholarship Online November 22, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190881818.003.0005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that contemplatives transformed Buddhist meditation into varied subcultures by translating it into vernacular languages, removing religious elements, and aligning it with institutional aims in science, business, education, and the military. This diversity helped the movement spread and forestalled opposition, but leaders' lack of regulation over these adaptations led to some cultural forms that failed to support their initial purposes and goals. |
Abstract
This chapter traces the process through which contemplatives transformed Buddhist meditation into many contemplative subcultures to resonate with specific professional audiences in science, business, education, and the military. Contemplatives translated meditation into local vernacular languages, eliminated religious elements unlikely to resonate with targeted audiences, and adapted traditional religious goals of meditation to align with institutional aims. These translation processes created a variegated contemplative culture that was selectively coupled to match certain institutional structures and norms, while decoupled from other aspects of the institutional status quo in an effort to promote individual growth and broader change. The various forms of contemplative culture made the movement appealing to many audiences. While the wide variety of forms helped contemplative practice to spread widely and forestalled opposition from outsiders, the wide variety of forms also had shortcomings. Contemplative leaders lack of regulation over the dynamic processes altering their Buddhist-inspired practices, led to some cultural forms that failed to support their initial purposes and goals.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |