The emancipation of mindfulness from its religious context

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Mindfulness Studies
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• The mindfulness movement is currently intertwined with Buddhist conceptualizations.
• This religious entanglement may hinder the full potential and scientific understanding of mindfulness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To argue for the emancipation of mindfulness from its religious context.
• To advocate for a stronger alliance between mindfulness and psychological science.
• To propose a scientific framework for understanding mindfulness practices.

Main Methods:

• Critical analysis of the religious underpinnings of mindfulness.
• Philosophical examination of ethical arguments for religious context.
• Proposal for phenomenological research methods focused on psychological processes.

Main Results:

• The argument for a religious context for ethical reasons in mindfulness is deemed untenable.
• Mindfulness skills' ethical application is independent of religious or secular contexts.
• Current mindfulness research is hindered by Buddhist conceptualizations.

Conclusions:

• Mindfulness must decouple from religious traditions to achieve its full potential.
• Psychological science offers a more robust framework for mindfulness research and application.
• Future research should focus on psychological mechanisms like attention regulation.