Using life and death education to guide the teaching and research of mindfulness.
Huy P. Phan, Bing Hiong Ngu, Si-Chi Chen, Chao-Sheng Hsu
Frontiers in Public Health June 16, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1576500 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Awareness Contemplation Presence Impermanence Mortality Transience Ephemerality Finitude Life-and-death Well-being Personal growth Self-improvement Flourishing Inner peace Mental health Holistic health Education Pedagogy Teaching Learning Instruction Curriculum |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Proposes that mindfulness should be reconceptualized to include philosophical and spiritual dimensions, and that it has a reciprocal relationship with life and death education. |
Abstract
Our teaching and research undertakings, facilitated by extensive international collaboration and networking, have led us to recently proposed an alternative conceptualization of mindfulness. For example, mindfulness has been predominantly interpreted through a psychological lens, often defined as an individual's capacity to be non-judgmental in the present moment. This perspective, we acknowledge, is limited as it fails to acknowledge and/or take into account the broader philosophical and spiritual dimensions of mindfulness. Our reconceptualization largely coincides with the principles of life and death education teaching, which delve into the humanistic nature of life. Life and death education encourages introspection into humanistic pursuits, such as the aspiration to achieve altruistic life ideals (e.g., a teenager's wish to help others). Such personal practices, we contend, may resonate with the deeper philosophical and spiritual teachings of mindfulness, which emphasize the importance of kindness, generosity, compassion, and similar values. Our conceptualization, as discussed in the present theoretical-conceptual article, proposes a reciprocal relationship between mindfulness and life and death education. We argue that life and death education may provide theoretical grounding to complement the teaching of mindfulness and, likewise, the nature of mindfulness may facilitate a deeper engagement with the principles taught in life and death education. Furthermore, in its current stage of development, our theoretical-conceptual premise remains formative, grounded primarily in philosophical analysis and preliminary integrative teaching practices. While conceptually promising, we recognize the present limitations in empirical validation. Accordingly, this article is intended to serve as a foundational platform to stimulate scholarly discourse and guide future lines of inquiry, including empirical examination and curriculum development. We posit that the integration of mindfulness with life and death education holds considerable potential—not only for advancing academic scholarship but also for fostering individual wellbeing, spiritual insight, and the cultivation of humanistic life ideals.
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 20
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
and 15 more in the library