The DOI matches its Crossref record; 6 of the 6 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Is mindfulness present-centred and non-judgmental? A discussion of the cognitive dimensions of mindfulness
Abstract
This essay critiques the standard characterization of mindfulness as present-centred non-judgmental awareness, arguing that this account misses some of the central features of mindfulness as described by classical Buddhist accounts, which present mindfulness as being relevant to the past as well as to the present. I show that for these sources the central feature of mindfulness is not its present focus but its capacity to hold its object and thus allow for sustained attention, regardless of whether the object is present or not. I further show that for these sources mindfulness can be explicitly evaluative, thus demonstrating the degree to which classical Buddhist accounts differ from the modern description of mindfulness as non-judgmental. I conclude that although this modern description may be useful as an operational definition intended for practical instruction, it does not provide an adequate basis for a theoretical analysis of mindfulness, for it fails to emphasize its retentive nature to privilege its alleged nonconceptuality.
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In the citing paper
“A key component is decentering, which refers to a mindset in which thoughts, feelings, and other experiences are seen as transient events that are detached from oneself and that do not reflect reality (Bishop et al., 2004; Dreyfus, 2011).”
From Mindfulness Effects on Anxiety: Disentangling the Role of Decentering and Treatment Expectations (2024) · cites this paper as Dreyfus, 2011
In the citing paper
“Awareness was characterised in Buddhist discourse as a continuous monitoring of the totality of the current experience, rather than past or future events (Dreyfus, 2011; Cardaciotto et al. 2008; Deikman 1996; Roemer and Orsillo 2003).”
From Awareness Versus Un-Clinging: Which Matters in Mindfulness? (2017) · cites this paper as Dreyfus, 2011
In the citing paper
“According to Buddhist discourse, it is equally important for an individual to stay in wholesome and in unwholesome mental states while examining the beneficial or detrimental nature of various mental states (Mendis 1993; Dreyfus, 2011).”
From Awareness Versus Un-Clinging: Which Matters in Mindfulness? (2017) · cites this paper as Dreyfus, 2011
In the citing paper
“In the Satipa ṭṭ hāna Sutta , mindfulness was described in detail as involving 'the mind's ability to attend to and retain whatever experience one is engaged in, so as to develop a clear understanding of the experience and the ability to recollect such experiences in the future' (Dreyfus, 2011, 48).”
From Awareness Versus Un-Clinging: Which Matters in Mindfulness? (2017) · cites this paper as Dreyfus, 2011
Citations
Cites
Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition.
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The path of purification: Visuddhimagga
Buddhaghosa, & Ñāṇamoli, B. (1976) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 293
The Buddhist Path to Awakening: A Study of the Bodhi-Pakkhiyā Dhammā
Gethin (1992) · doi:10.1163/9789004644724 · Cited by 156
A guide to the Bodhisattva's way of life
Śāntideva, T. C., & Batchelor, S. (1981) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 39
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- Bodhi Bhikkhu, 2000, A comprehensive manual of Abhidhamma
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- Mendis N. K. G., 1993, The questions of King Milianda: An abridgment of the Milindapañha
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Cited by
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Van Dam, N. T., van Vugt, M. K., Vago, D. R., Schmalzl, L., Saron, C. D., Olendzki, A., Meissner, T., Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Gorchov, J., et al. (2018) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691617709589 · Cited by 1,506
Vago, D. R., & Silbersweig, D. A. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00296 · Cited by 1,310
Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT
Lindsay, E. K., & Creswell, J. D. (2017) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.10.011 · Cited by 919
“…of mindfulness include attention monitoring, but some do not view acceptance as a defining component of mindfulness (cf. Desbordes et al., 2015; Dreyfus, 2011), Tenet #2 focuses on evaluating whether high attention monitoring skills predict specific outcomes at high vs. low levels of…”
BackgroundInfluentialContemplating Mindfulness at Work: An Integrative Review
Good, D. J., Lyddy, C. J., Glomb, T. M., Bono, J. E., Brown, K. W., Duffy, M. K., Baer, R. A., Brewer, J. A., & Lazar, S. W. (2016) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0149206315617003 · Cited by 1,043
Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice
Dahl, C. J., Lutz, A., & Davidson, R. J. (2015) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2015.07.001 · Cited by 809
Metadata
- Authors
- Dreyfus, G.
- Corresponding author
- Dreyfus, Georges
- Venue
- Contemporary Buddhism
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2011-05-01
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 41-54
- ISSN
- 1463-9947 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-7953
- OpenAlex
- W2027526537
- Cited by
- 424
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 282.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Contemporary Buddhism (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Keywords
- mindfulness, non-judgmental awareness, sustained attention
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