Cited by 226Indian and Buddhist StudiesMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsReligion, Spirituality, and Psychology

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 access
Sharf, Robert H.·2015·Transcultural Psychiatry

Abstract

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.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1177/1363461514557561

Cites

59 of 59 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Claims the paper makes

17 Own interpretation · 9 No basis given · 5 Not checked yet · 4 Sources not found · 1 No full text of the sources

Show all 23 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 7
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 7
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
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  • 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.”
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Citations

Cites

Show all 56 references

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Ahn J., 2007, Malady of meditation: A prolegomenon to the study of illness and Zen (Unpublished doctoral dissertation)
  2. Cousins L. S., 1996, The Buddhist Forum IV, seminar papers 1994–1996, 35
  3. Kirchner T., 2006, Hanazono daigaku kokusai zengaku kenkyūjo ronshū, 1, 1
  4. Nyanaponika, 1973, The heart of Buddhist meditation: A handbook of mental training based on the Buddha’s way of mindfulness
  5. Nyanaponika, 1976, Abhidhamma studies: Researches in Buddhist psychology (3rd ed.)
  6. Proudfoot W., 1985, Religious experience
  7. Yanagida S., 1971, Shoki no zenshi I
  8. Zhang Y., 2000, Fu dashi yanjiu

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Metadata

Authors
Sharf, R. H.
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
Sharf, Robert H.
Venue
Transcultural Psychiatry
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
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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