The DOI matches its Crossref record; 59 of the 59 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 5 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters)
Open accessAbstract
Modern exponents of mindfulness meditation promote the therapeutic effects of “bare attention”—a sort of non-judgmental, non-discursive attending to the moment-to-moment flow of consciousness. This approach to Buddhist meditation can be traced to Burmese Buddhist reform movements of the first half of the 20th century, and is arguably at odds with more traditional Theravāda Buddhist doctrine and meditative practices. But the cultivation of present-centered awareness is not without precedent in Buddhist history; similar innovations arose in medieval Chinese Zen (Chan) and Tibetan Dzogchen. These movements have several things in common. In each case the reforms were, in part, attempts to render Buddhist practice and insight accessible to laypersons unfamiliar with Buddhist philosophy and/or unwilling to adopt a renunciatory lifestyle. In addition, these movements all promised astonishingly quick results. And finally, the innovations in practice were met with suspicion and criticism from traditional Buddhist quarters. Those interested in the therapeutic effects of mindfulness and bare attention are often not aware of the existence, much less the content, of the controversies surrounding these practices in Asian Buddhist history.
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17 Own interpretation · 9 No basis given · 5 Not checked yet · 4 Sources not found · 1 No full text of the sources
In the paper
“In my own work on the roots of the Zen (Chinese: Chan) tradition in 8thcentury China, I found that certain early Zen teachers seem to have turned away from traditional forms of meditation-repentance practices, meditations on corpses and the impurity of the body, and so on-in favor of instructing their disciples to simply set aside all distinctions and conceptualizations, and allow the mind to come”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Sharf, 2014b
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and is arguably at odds with more traditional Therava ¯da Buddhist doctrine and meditative practices.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Abstract
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In addition, these movements all promised astonishingly quick results.”
- Also stated in: § Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention · plain
“they touted a method that was simple, promised quick results, and could be cultivated by anyone in a short period of time.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention · plain
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Instead, Mah as ı placed emphasis on the notion of sati, understood as the moment-to-moment, lucid, non-reactive, non-judgmental awareness of whatever appears to consciousness.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“And finally, the innovations in practice were met with suspicion and criticism from traditional Buddhist quarters.”
- Also stated in: § Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention · plain
“Given the ambiguities surrounding sati, it is not surprising that the Mah as ı method quickly came under fire from a number of quarters, including both Therav ada traditionalists in Southeast Asia and practitioners and scholars in the West.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention · plain
In the paper
“The psychological model behind Nyanaponika's understanding of sati as bare attention may owe more to internalist and empiricist epistemologies than it owes to early Buddhist or traditional Therav ada formulations (Sharf, 1998).”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Sharf, 1998
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In each case the reforms were, in part, attempts to render Buddhist practice and insight accessible to laypersons unfamiliar with Buddhist philosophy and/or unwilling to adopt a renunciatory lifestyle.”
- Also stated in: § Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention · plain
“Designed to be accessible to laypersons, it did not require familiarity with Buddhist philosophy or literature”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Abstract
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention · plain
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“(3) escape requires, among other things, abandoning hope that happiness in this world is possible.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Introduction
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Mah as ı designed this method with laypersons in mind, including those with little or no prior exposure to Buddhist doctrine or liturgical practice.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“early Buddhist sutras in general, and Therav ada teachings in particular, hold that (1) to live is to suffer”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Introduction
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 7
- Probably not a substantial claim. 7
- The quote only partly states this claim. 1
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Modern teachers of mindfulness rarely make such demands of their students; the liberating, or if you will therapeutic, benefits apparently do not require dramatic changes in the way one lives.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Designed to be accessible to laypersons, it did not require familiarity with Buddhist philosophy or literature, most notably with the scholastic literature known as abhidhamma.”
- Also stated in: § Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention · hedged
“It also did not require renunciation of lay life, and it could be taught in a relatively short period of time in a retreat format.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention · hedged
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Perhaps most radical was Mah as ı's claim that the cultivation of liberating insight did not require advanced skill in concentration (samatha) or the experience of absorption (jh ana).”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“an approach to Buddhism that evolved out of a complex intellectual exchange between Asia and the West that took place over the last 150 years or so.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Buddhist modernism and the rhetoric of bare attention
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Mindfulness is promoted as a cure-all for anxiety and affective disorders including post-traumatic stress, for alcoholism and drug dependency, for attention-deficit disorder, for anti-social and criminal behavior, and for the commonplace debilitating stresses of modern urban life.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Introduction
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“the emotional valence of this advanced stage of insight is likened to that of a mother being forced to witness the execution of all three of her sons.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Introduction
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The problem is that, in America at least, these commitments so resemble those of mainstream consumer culture that they go largely unnoticed.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Mainstream consumer culture is ethically dubious and politically reactionary.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The packaging of mindfulness in programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is arguably a variant on the same theme.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. The quote only partly states this claim.
- Rests on an assumption: Mainstream consumer culture is ethically dubious and politically reactionary.
In the paper
“To the extent that the modern approach to mindfulness can be found in premodern Asia, it was a minority position that was met with considerable criticism from traditional quarters.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Conclusion
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Ahn, 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: In the early period, the Buddhist samgha was a renunciate community that embodied a critique of mainstream social values and cultural norms.
- Rests on an assumption: For the early samgha, liberation required letting go, which meant a radical change in lifestyle: opting out of family ties and worldly pursuits and into a communal, celibate, highly regulated lifestyle.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“the early Zen patriarchs and Dzogchen masters, like their modern Burmese counterparts, were interested in developing a method simple enough to be accessible to those who were unschooled in Buddhist doctrine and scripture, who were not necessarily wedded to classical Indian cosmology, who may not have had the time or inclination for extended monastic practice, and who were interested in immediate”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“This is not the place to weigh in on this issue, except to note that this critique too emerges not from without, but from within the Buddhist tradition itself.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Hubbard & Swanson, 1997 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There may be no better exemplar of this ethically dubious and politically reactionary stance than Tricycle Magazine, with its advertisements for expensive meditation gear, for dharmic dating services, dharmic dentists and accountants, and its implicit authorization of the entrepreneurial and commercial activities of countless dharma centers and self-styled Buddhist masters.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Mainstream consumer culture is ethically dubious and politically reactionary.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The early Zen reformers, like the Burmese reformers in the 20th century, were popularizers: they touted a method that was simple, promised quick results, and could be cultivated by anyone in a short period of time.”
§ Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters) > Critiques of mindfulness as bare attention
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
Those interested in the therapeutic effects of mindfulness and bare attention are often unaware of the existence or content of controversies surrounding these practices in Asian Buddhist history.
“Those interested in the therapeutic effects of mindfulness and bare attention are often not aware of the existence, much less the content, of the controversies surrounding these practices in Asian Buddhist history.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Modern exponents of mindfulness meditation may see little need to explore the intellectual history of the concept in Buddhism.
“and thus modern exponents of mindfulness meditation may see little need to explore the intellectual history of the concept in Buddhism.”
The paper relies on this without support.
In the early period, the Buddhist samgha was a renunciate community that embodied a critique of mainstream social values and cultural norms.
“Note that, in the early period at least, the Buddhist institution-known as the sam _ gha-comprised a renunciate community that embodied, quite literally, a critique of mainstream social values and cultural norms.”
The paper relies on this without support.
For the early samgha, liberation required letting go, which meant a radical change in lifestyle: opting out of family ties and worldly pursuits and into a communal, celibate, highly regulated lifestyle.
“For the sam _ gha, liberation required”
“Rather, it necessitated a radical change in the way one lived; one was required to opt out of family ties and worldly pursuits, and opt into an alternative, communal, celibate, and highly regulated lifestyle.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Mainstream consumer culture is ethically dubious and politically reactionary.
“There may be no better exemplar of this ethically dubious and politically reactionary stance than Tricycle Magazine, with its advertisements”
The paper relies on this without support.
Many psychologists, cognitive scientists, and sociologists researching Burmese style mindfulness practices assume that the psychological benefits of such practice are borne out by centuries of Buddhist experience.
“To conclude, it is my impression that many of the psychologists, cognitive scientists, and sociologists doing research on Burmese style mindfulness practices seem to assume that the psychological benefits of such practice are born out by centuries of Buddhist experience.”
Claims other papers make about this one
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In the citing paper
“Associating Buddhist mindfulness with resilience has been widely regarded as a particularly western modern reinterpretation of Buddhism (Samuel 2015; Sharf 2015; Wilson 2014; Gleig 2019).”
From Introduction: Buddhism and Resilience (2021) · cites this paper as Sharf 2015
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Citations
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Buddhist Doctrine and Entrepreneurship
Fiet, J. O. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-43386-3_24 · Cited by 2
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The Six R’s Framework as Mindfulness for Suicide Prevention
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Embodied Liberation in Participatory Theory and Buddhist Modernism Vajrayāna
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The Skillful Art of “Heartfulness” and “Kindfulness” in Relational Buddhism
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Buddhist influence in the Mindfulness Movement within Western Psychology
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“Although interdisciplinary studies between Buddhist studies and contemplative science have been increasing—with Sharf (2015), McMahan (2008), and Lopez (2012) analyzing the relationship between Buddhism and modern science from historical and critical perspectives, and Lindahl (2012) undertak‑ ing…”
The Psychological Reconstruction of Mindfulness: From Buddhist Origins to Modern Operationalization
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Exploring the Interplay of Healthcare, Spirituality, and Urban Well-Being
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“Contemporary religious thought integrates consciousness into daily life through mindfulness, which has its roots in Buddhism and is practiced in religious and secular contexts (Sharf, 2015).”
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Kang, Z., Choi, Y., Ahn, G., Blackwell, L., Bryan, P. A., Lee-Chong, E., & Glymour, M. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02979-4 · Cited by 1
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“…of the narratives in this group is the theme of Perennialism – the idea that there is a shared essence, a mystical core or an ultimate reality behind the plurality of religious and philosophical traditions, which is often conceived as a non-dual absolute consciousness (Sharf, 2015: 477).”
BackgroundBoyle, J. (2019) · Digital Commons (Liberty University) · Cited by 1
Namaste in Teaching: How Yoga Practice Affects Novice Teacher Resilience
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Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.001.0001 · Cited by 1
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Introduction: Buddhism and Resilience
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Hestad, G. (2015) · Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) · doi:10.5072/prism/28185
15 Ideengeschichtliche Genogramme
(2017) · Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht eBooks · doi:10.13109/9783666402722.183
Is mindfulness enough? The therapeutic experiences of people engaging in western Buddhist practices
Leipow, R. A. (2017) · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
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Meditation, enactivism and introspective training
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Fractured Understanding of Mindfulness: A Response to Clarifying the Mindfulness Muddle
Wilson, M. M., & Gearity, B. T. (2021) · Journal of Sport Psychology in Action · doi:10.1080/21520704.2020.1870375
“However, as we have articulated, references to traditional Buddhist mindfulness coexist alongside psychological or performance discourses, which contributes to ambiguity around mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions in general (Sharf, 2015).”
BackgroundOs conceitos de mindfulness e suas relações com a educação
de Souza, R. C. (2020) · Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo) · doi:10.11606/d.48.2020.tde-15062021-121124
Komjathy, L. (2017) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119156734.biblio
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0006
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0007
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0004
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0001
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0003
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0005
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0008
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.003.0002
カリフォルニアのスピリチュアル・ムーブメントと インターネットにおける身体と心（1960年代と2010年代）
小木曽, 航., & 三浦, 敦. (2022) · Staps · doi:10.3917/sta.129ja.0063
Développer ou approfondir sa pratique de méditation - cahier de formationPreprint
Gill, L.-N., & Malchelosse, K. (2022) · OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/hucaq
(2019) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-816484-6.02001-7
Giraldi, T. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29003-0_8
Métivier, A. (2022) · Anthropologica · doi:10.18357/anthropologica64120221077 · Cited by 2
Cronache di integrazione. Viaggio tra le criticità di un’accoglienza tutta italiana.
Stefano, M. D. (2022) · Rivista Italiana di Antropologia Applicata · doi:10.32054/2499-1848-2022-1-5
Pelizzari, E. (2022) · Rivista Italiana di Antropologia Applicata · doi:10.32054/2499-1848-2022-1-1
Pallicer, R. E. (2022) · Rivista Italiana di Antropologia Applicata · doi:10.32054/2499-1848-2022-1-3
Metaphor, Metamorphosis, Mindfulness: Social change through the dispositive of “Mental Presence”.
Divino, F. (2022) · Rivista Italiana di Antropologia Applicata · doi:10.32054/2499-1848-2022-1-2
Repetti, R. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_101
‘Just Sit and Wait’: Žižek’s kōan
Low, R. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-28722-0_1
Elementos para el afrontamiento de riesgos emocionales y físicos por covid-19
Hurtado, G. I. V., Vargas, J. C. R., Arenas, M. E. R., Barona, M. A., Cortés, H. S. R., Paredes, S. R. V., Quintero, K. R., Osorio, L. G., Millán, A. F. C., Cuervo, J. T. R., et al. (2022) · Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia eBooks · doi:10.22490/9789586518789
Mindfulness in Catholic Primary Schools: An Irish Perspective
Carroll, T. (2023) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel14111348
Ennen, T. (2024) · The Journal of East Asian Philosophy · doi:10.1007/s43493-024-00034-x
Weitzman, S. P. (2024) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197658338.003.0009
Mindfulness and Meditation in the United States
Gajaweera, N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197539033.013.16
A Note on Terminology and Transcription
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.002.0008
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.002.0009
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.002.0004
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.005.0002
Vipassana Ten-Day Course Timetable
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.005.0001
Rahmani, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197579961.002.0007
Mindfulness Practice for Surgeons
Tang, S. Y. Q., & Chung, K. C. (2024) · Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery · doi:10.1097/prs.0000000000011272 · Cited by 1
From Yogic Powers to Technological Powers Contemporary Yoga and Transhumanist Spirituality
Formoso, R. F. (2024) · Journal of World Philosophies · doi:10.2979/jourworlphil.9.1.02
“…whether contemporary mindfulness programs can be considered Buddhist, considering that they do not require any “dramatic change” in the lives of practitioners and that their “metaphysical commitments” are so similar to those of the “mainstream consumer culture” that they go unnoticed (Sharf 2014).”
BackgroundThe Vedic Foundations of Secular Mindfulness: A Study of Upaniṣad and Yoga InfluencesPreprint
Kathirasan, K. (2024) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/ufntee
The Vedic Foundations of Secular Mindfulness: A Study of Upaniṣad and Yoga InfluencesPreprint
Kathirasan, K. (2024) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/ufntee.2
Modes of Mindfulness in Post-Catholic Ireland
Carroll, T. (2024) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel15111317
Exploring the Growth and Impact of Contemporary Mindfulness Programs in Japanese Society
Wagh, S. (2025) · JAPANESE SOCIETY AND CULTURE · doi:10.52882/2434-1738-0703
Preparatory Guidelines for Meditation in Pre-Modern Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Traditions
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Nature, Assessment, and Mechanisms of Mindfulness
Bravo, A. J., Lindsay, E. K., & Pearson, M. R. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-47219-0_2
Introduction: Convergences and religious change in Asian religions
Marchman, K. R. (2025) · The Australian Journal of Anthropology · doi:10.1111/taja.70021
The Mental Health Act, 2017 and the Way Ahead
Pandit, S. A. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-96-9685-7_4
Handbook of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation: Introduction to the Volume
Robinson, M. D., Ostafin, B. D., & Meier, B. P. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-91451-5_1
Vago, D. R., & Matwin, S. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-91451-5_9
Divino, F. (2025) · Humans · doi:10.3390/humans5040027
“However, since this practice is also “purged” of a whole series of philosophical, cultural, and historical elements concerning the essence of Buddhism (Sharf, 2015; Purser, 2018; Janes, 2002) and is instead repackaged as a universal methodology, vetted by our ethnocentric wisdom (the episteme of Western biomedicine th…”
InfluentialAre the Words Mindfulness and Meditation Interchangeable? How Did We Get There?
Marion, C., & Spitzenstetter, F. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02709-2
“Nevertheless, the use of the term bare attention has been challenged within Buddhism by Bodhi (2011), who believed that while some approaches to mindfulness might appear to resonate with the term, the practitioner’s prior conceptions and expectations cannot be excluded from the equation.”
InfluentialActivate or Evacuate to Educate?
Baker, B. (2019) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-64113-583-220251002
Pisapia, N. D. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-70581-6_213-1
Kanbur, S., & Çıtak, Ş. (2026) · Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi · doi:10.17066/tpdrd.1588268
Mapping a Culture of Mindfulness: Lay Conceptions of Mindfulness and Why They Matter
Burchett, P. E., Bravo, A. J., McLaughlin, M., Vose, K., Haug, M. C., & Dickter, C. L. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02853-3
“Today’s mindfulness meditation practices, however, trace back less to those early Buddhist teachings than to modern Burmese Buddhist reform movements of the early twentieth century that sought to simplify meditation practice and make it more accessible to lay people (Braun, 2017; Sharf, 2015).”
Seneca Meets the Buddha: The Relationship Between Buddhist and Stoic Mindfulness
Karl, J. A., Fischer, R. D., & LeBon, T. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02875-x
“While many psychological researchers implicitly or explicitly locate current mindfulness approaches in Buddhist thought, some researchers have highlighted that this concept has become decoupled from traditional philosophical and ethical roots (Sharf, 2015).”
Boxer, A., Shawyer, F., Coghlan, I., & Meadows, G. N. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1711922
“…as a first-generation mindfulness-based intervention within the present framework (Kabat-Zinn, 1982, 2003; Van Gordon and Shonin, 2020) and itself was shaped by several Buddhist traditions including Vipassana, Zen Buddhism, and Vedanta (Kabat-Zinn, 2011; Sharf, 2015; Van Gordon et al., 2015).”
Muslims and Mindfulness Training: Teachers’ and Trainees’ Perspectives
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Kempton, H. M. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02927-2
“This may involve maintaining awareness of perceptually available experience, such as the breath, or of internally generated objects and orientations that must be actively held in mind through memory (Bodhi, 2000; Gethin, 2011; Sharf, 2015).”
Ward, L. O., Bailey, C., Wattanatakulchat, P., Stone, B., Bürger, A., Kaplan, D. M., Alvarez, S. J. A., Joyce, C., Eclair, A., Dam, N. T. V., et al. (2026) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/85110 · Cited by 1
“Instead, they aim for spiritual liberation, insight into the nature of reality, and freedom from suffering (dukkha) in the Buddhist sense [29].”
Rethinking Buddhist knowledge in the age of artificial intelligence: a conceptual review
Yang, L., Budasi, I. G., Sariyasa, Paramarta, I. M. S., & Yang, H. (2026) · Cogent Arts and Humanities · doi:10.1080/23311983.2026.2703451
Against the current: Sole authorship as method in contemplative and conceptual scholarship
Kempton, H. (2026) · Accountability in Research · doi:10.1080/08989621.2026.2714974
Consciousness in Buddhist philosophy: Reflexivity and the problem of non-conceptual content
Coseru, C. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-29258-3.00080-x
Worlding the Self: The Ecological Constitution of the Pattern Theory of Selflessness
Rajan, S. V. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02980-x
Nondualism as a Research Paradigm for Mindfulness Research and Beyond
Medvedev, O. N., & Krägeloh, C. U. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02992-7
Nandarathana, N., & Ranjan, J. K. (2026) · Mental Health Religion & Culture · doi:10.1080/13674676.2026.2691447
Metadata
- Authors
- Sharf, R. H.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sharf, Robert H.
- Venue
- Transcultural Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-10-31
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 470-484
- ISSN
- 1363-4615 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7471
- OpenAlex
- W2170759063
- Cited by
- 226
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 191.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- escholarship.org
- Locations
- Transcultural Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- McGill University
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- mindfulness meditation, Theravada Buddhism, Dzogchen, lay Buddhist practice
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Awareness, Buddhism, Humans, Religion and Psychology, Meditation, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, History, Ancient, Mindfulness
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