Secular Mindfulness and Its Critics

Overview

Recall questions on therapeutic uses of meditation and why some Buddhists welcome them, the criticisms of secular mindfulness and its commercialisation, and how it differs from meditation within the Eightfold Path.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Name two therapeutic applications of Buddhist meditation in modern healthcare.

   Model answer

   Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, used for treating anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.

2. 2

   Why do some Buddhists welcome the use of meditation as therapy?

   Model answer

   They see it as a skilful means of introducing people to Buddhist practice and reducing suffering.

3. 3

   What criticism do some Buddhists make about therapeutic meditation?

   Model answer

   That it removes practices from their ethical and spiritual context, reducing them to mere stress-relief techniques.

4. 4

   What concern do some Buddhists have about secular mindfulness regarding its ultimate purpose?

   Model answer

   That it may serve materialistic goals rather than liberation from attachment and the cycle of rebirth.

5. 5

   Give two examples of modern secular therapeutic applications of Buddhist meditation.

   Model answer

   Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

6. 6

   What conditions are mindfulness-based therapies commonly used to treat?

   Model answer

   Depression, anxiety and chronic pain.

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