Mindfulness – not just a
technique!
August 15,
2016 Ravi Pradhan Patheos
In the West, mindfulness is often presented as just a technique,
and widely claimed to be secularized by Western experts.
Where and
how did such a perspective emerge? How is this different from the
claims in the Eastern Wisdom traditions which have a long proven
track record in mindfulness meditation
– beyond just being a
technique?
You have to
go back to 16-17 century Europe where Copernicus and Galileo were
up against the all-powerful and all-knowing Catholic Church. The
Church was based on a set of Beliefs as per the bible and
interpretations by the Pope and could not be questioned nor
investigated. There was no space to challenge God’s words. If you
did, it cost you your career, money or even your life.
To create
space for scientific research and scientists, the concept of
“secularism” emerged. Secularism created space for scientists to
investigate, carry out research, propose new hypothesis, and argue
new theories — but only of the material world. For example, it was
the brilliant model of a fragmented body-mind-emotions-soul
proposed by Rene Descartes that allowed scientists to dissect the
human body and this create a new medical science. The rise of
secularism and science led them to classify Christianity as set of
beliefs and rituals – all based on blind faith and which could not
be investigated nor verified by scientific methods and theories. It
was this same set of lens that Westerners then used to label
Eastern wisdom traditions as a set of beliefs and rituals – all
based on faith. Until very recently, Western scientists had failed
to see and understand that Eastern traditions were actually based
on a set of practices that could be tested and verified – not just
a set of beliefs.
So, fast
forward to the 21st century. Western scientists without a direct
experience of meditation according to Eastern Wisdom traditions
continue to cling to the mistaken view of yoga and meditation as
belonging to religions of the East. In essence they still think
such practices emerge from a set of Eastern Beliefs based on blind
faith and which cannot be verified. With this view, they then go on
to claim that they have secularized mindfulness – a key to making
it acceptable and digest-able by the vast majority of Western
consumers. So, by promoting secular mindfulness as a standalone
technique without any ties Eastern religion it has enabled
mindfulness to be more widely accepted in the West.
However,
the reality is the the fundamental concepts and techniques of
mindfulness as currently taught in the West is not different from
what is taught in the Eastern traditions. Just changing the
language does not make it secular. But, of course, Western media
and the public have already bought into this fundamentally flawed
label of mindfulness as a secular technique aimed at stress
management, becoming more calm, a better leader, etc. Given the
cultural, legal and political context in the US, in particular, any
linkages to Eastern religion, if proven in the court of law, could
ban mindfulness from being taught in schools, and possibly from
mental health therapy.
In a
capitalist, consumer based society, increasing customers and sales
revenue is essential to be called a success. So, mindfulness today
is promoted as a STANDALONE technique to reduce stress, become more
focused and improve your effectiveness.
What is
often not publicly acknowledged in the West, is that the word
“mind” or of awareness and consciousness is still not defined,
least of all accepted by scientists yet we talk as if there is a
common meaning of mind. Medical science still accepts and practices
the 300-year old superstition of Rene Descartes fragmenting the
mind-emotions and body – despite the evidence. How to break this
superstition so widely promoted by white coated experts and the
pharma-medical complex? How to break the monopoly of those Western
experts on the nature and meaning of mindfulness – when their lens
is colored by a biased view of Eastern Wisdom traditions as being
just a set of beliefs and rituals?
Western
scientists have begun to delve into the nature of awareness,
consciousness and hence nature of self – which they can no longer
pretend is just a set of Eastern Beliefs. There seems to be a
growing recognition that these topics are central to mental health
and to science in general.
In the
Eastern wisdom traditions, mindfulness is the foundation for a
larger set of practices and way of living that is directly
connected with ethics, kindness, positive emotional habits and
hence can be very perturbing and challenging. In essence,
mindfulness meditation is not just a technique or tool; rather
mindfulness has been part of a secular set of practices to
transform our patterns of thinking-feeling-behaving to realize
one’s true potential as a human being.
