How Practice Differences Shape Participant Experience in Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Qualitative Study of Non-Buddhist University Students

Abstract Objectives Second-generation mindfulness-based interventions (SG-MBIs) incorporate a broader range of contemplative techniques, including Buddhist-derived ethics- and wisdom-based practices. However, little is known about how non-Buddhist participants engage with these practices or whether differences in contemplative composition are reflected in participant experience. This study compared two SG-MBIs differing in contemplative composition among non-Buddhist university students in China, with one incorporating concentration- and ethics-based practices and the other additionally incorporating wisdom-based practices.

Method: Qualitative data were collected in two phases. Written course reflections from the full cohort ( n = 38) provided exploratory scoping material, followed by semi-structured interviews with randomly selected participants from each intervention condition ( n = 12). Interview data formed the primary basis for comparative reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: Four themes were generated: (1) Buddhist-derived concepts were meaningful but not uniformly accessible; (2) meditation practices were experienced as enhancing well-being, awareness, and connectedness; (3) monetary donation was framed as an expression of connection, care and moral responsibility; and (4) the intervention was experienced as valuable but constrained by practical and temporal limits.

Conclusions: Non-Buddhist university students in China were generally able to engage meaningfully with Buddhist-derived practices, although some ethics- and wisdom-based elements were experienced as conceptually or emotionally demanding. Findings suggest that SG-MBIs can retain the attentional and stress-regulation benefits commonly associated with first-generation approaches while also supporting broader forms of psychological and relational experience. Differences in contemplative composition may contribute to distinct patterns of participant experience, highlighting the importance of specifying the practices included within SG-MBIs. Preregistration Statement This study was not preregistered.