Mindfulness is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis” (Merriam-Webster). While mindfulness is not necessarily a concept normally tied to the social sciences, it may be argued that heightened mindfulness would assuage many of the problems tackled by the social science disciplines. While not prudent or desirable to imply that mindfulness techniques supplant or negate professional expertise or empirical facts, mindfulness does provide a framework for a “transformative and developmental nature of learning” (Hyland), which may lead to heightened compassion, stress reduction, and improved psychological wellbeing (Chu).
Buddhism’s founder, Siddhartha Gautama, stated one must “. . . gain mastery over your mind; guard yourself from angry thoughts. Keep your mind from mental baseness; use your mind well” (Dharma Publishing). In this connection, Buddhist mindfulness and meditation techniques have been noted for their success in conjunction with more standard philosophical and psychological therapy (Kaklauskas, et al. 74-76).
The benefits of Buddhist mindfulness and meditation first gained widespread currency in the West via the work of the philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer. As Schopenhauer puts it, the normal affairs of this world are a “. . . battle-ground of tormented and agonized beings who continue to exist only by devouring the other,” (Schopenhauer 581), but with adopting a quietist mindfulness, one may transcend this unpleasant state of conflict and unhappiness. Later, Martin Heidegger continued within a similar philosophical framework, as he, “. . . like so many other critics of the Western tradition, found an affinity with the meditative and intuitive thinking of Taoism and Zen” (Clarke 115).
In the field of psychology, Carl Jung praises the Buddha’s self-fulfillment project, as he “. . . renounced all luxury to which he was born in order to go out into the world to live out his destiny to its completion” (Jung 344). In addition, psychoanalyst Erich Fromm lauds the Buddhist concept of non-attachment, in which Buddhism considers egotism “. . . to be the cause of human suffering. . .” (Fromm 51). Accordingly, Fromm sees the ideal human as someone who finds “. . . joy. . . from giving and sharing, not from hoarding and exploiting,” and that “. . . love and respect for life in all its manifestations. . .” transcends “. . . greed, hate, and illusions. . . “(Fromm 147).
In a time of increased political polarization, economic stress coupled with rampant consumerism, and increased negative mental health (Chu), mindfulness and meditation promise a deeper, richer, and more detached way of life in which to cope and ultimately thrive.
Bibliography:
Chu, Li-Chuan. “The Benefits of Meditation Vis-à-Vis Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Stress and Negative Mental Health,” Stress and Health, vol. 26, pp 169–180, 2010.
Clarke, J.J. Oriental Enlightenment, Routledge, 1997.
Dhammapada, translated into English by the Dharma Publishing Staff. Dharma Publishing, 1985.
Fromm, Erich. To Have Or To Be? Bloomsbury, 1997.
Hyland, Terry. “Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Function of Education,” Journal of Philosophy of Education, volume 43, issue 1, February 2009, pp. 119-131.
Jung, C.G. Psychology of the Unconscious, Dover, 2002.
Kaklauskas, Francis J., and Susan Nimanheminda, Louis Hoffman, and MacAndrew S. Jack. Brilliant Sanity: Buddhist Approaches to Psychotherapy, University of the Rockies, 2008.
“Mindfulness,” Merriam Webster, 2021,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mindfulness
Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation, Volume II, translated by E.F.J. Payne, Dover, 1966.
