The concept of mindfulness has strong roots in Buddhism, dating back approximately 2,500 years ago. The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, popularly known as the Buddha, summarized his teachings in the Noble Eightfold Path, consisting of eight practices. Each practice is a step towards reaching an end to worldly suffering, a state often referred to as enlightenment or nirvana.
The seventh practice of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Mindfulness, which entails conscious awareness of the present moment without judgment or interpretation. To cultivate Right Mindfulness, one must engage in meditation. The Buddha himself meditated by sitting under a tree, bringing his conscious awareness to all inside and outside of him. It is often said that, through meditation, the Buddha attained enlightenment, an end to the suffering caused by the mind’s tendency to cling to pleasurable states and to resist unpleasant states. From his own experience and teachings, the Buddha was able to instill the importance of meditation in quieting the mind to the Eastern world.
In recent years, the practice of mindfulness has gained popularity in the Western world as well. One influential figure in the promotion of mindfulness in the West is Jon Kabat-Zinn, former Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn was a student under many renowned Buddhist teachers, including Thich Nhat Hanh, who himself greatly influenced Western practices. In 1979, Kabat-Zinn founded a program known as Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which utilizes the wisdom intrinsic in the practice of Buddhism, complemented with scientific evidence. MBSR is presented in the form of an eight-week mindfulness training, including meditation aimed at changing how we relate to our minds. It is used to treat patients with chronic pain, anxiety, but it can also benefit anyone seeking relief from the stresses of everyday life (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).
Across the world, meditation has become a tool that enables individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of their minds to improve the quality of their lives. The fusion of old Buddhist practices with advancing scientific research continues to illuminate the utility of mindfulness for everyone, no matter where on the globe.
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