The emancipation of mindfulness from its religious context.
Explore June 23, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2021.06.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Attention Religion and psychology Ethics Phenomenological practices |
| Key points | Argues that the mindfulness movement should emancipate itself from its religious context and ally fully with psychological science, and that the claim mindfulness meditation needs a religious context for ethical reasons is untenable. Contends that mindfulness-based treatments and research remain partly enmeshed with Buddhist conceptualizations of the world, and proposes that research methods focus on phenomenological practices in terms of psychological processes such as the regulation of attention and attitudes. |
Abstract
The present paper argues that if the so-called mindfulness movement is to reach its full potential it needs to emancipate from its religious context and ally itself fully with psychological science. The argument that mindfulness meditation needs a religious context for ethical reasons is untenable. Although mindfulness skills may well be used for un-ethical purposes, this applies equally to both religious (e.g., Buddhist) and secular contexts, and is best handled by an open-minded philosophical-ethical discussion. One problem with present mindfulness-based treatments and mindfulness research is that they are still partly enmeshed with Buddhist conceptualizations of the world, which are thought to represent "seeing things as they are". If the full potential of mindfulness meditation is to be understood, research methods are needed which focus on the phenomenological practices involved in terms of psychological processes such as the regulation of attention and attitudes.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Psychological Science within a Three-Dimensional Ontology Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science December 12, 2017
- A treatment in search of a disease? Challenges in mindfulness research and practice. Explore May 26, 2021
- Experimental Phenomenology in Mindfulness Research Mindfulness February 1, 2020