Mindfulness-based interventions: what more can the West learn from Buddhism? A fieldwork study.
Frontiers in psychology – January 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
While mindfulness is widely embraced in the Western world, its deepest roots in Buddhism offer even greater potential. A qualitative research effort explored how traditional Buddhist understandings could enrich Western psychology's mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). Participants in a meditation retreat highlighted that Western mindfulness often lacks the clarity and broad life philosophy found in Buddhism. Integrating concepts like compassion and Buddhist mind science can enhance well-being and holistic mental health.
Abstract
Mindfulness has been adopted from its origins in Buddhist philosophy and is now widely applied in Western psychology. Existing research suggests this has been beneficial. The aim of this study is to identify possible areas for further integration of Buddhist approaches into current mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) from the perspective of individuals from a range of geographical areas who have had exposure to mindfulness and traditional Buddhism. Participants were attendees of a 30-day Lam Rim meditation retreat. Data collection involved an online survey (n = 42) and subsequent follow-up semi-structured interviews (n = 11). Qualitative thematic analysis was used to explore the differences between traditional Buddhist and Western Psychological approaches to mindfulness and how Buddhist understandings might be further integrated into Western MBIs. Participants noted that the Western definition of mindfulness remained unclear compared to specific Buddhist understandings of mindfulness. While Western applications of mindfulness often focused narrowly on health and productivity outcomes, traditional Buddhist perspectives offered a broader worldview encompassing a life philosophy. Some broader Buddhist concepts and practices identified by participants as potentially helpful to the West include impermanence, Buddhist mind science, the Four Noble Truths, emptiness, dependent arising, and compassion. Some of the identified concepts and practices such as compassion have already been developed into detailed secular frameworks, but further integration is possible. Future research could also continue secularizing deeper Buddhist perspectives, such as Buddhist mind science, to enrich mindfulness practices and promote holistic mental health and well-being while maintaining a non-religious framework.