Download pdf
The Origin of Mindfulness Revisited: A Conceptual and Historical Review
- 1 Durham University
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Mindfulness, a psychological construct gaining significant attention in contemporary psychology, originates in ancient traditions. This study aims to shed light on the inception of mindfulness by exploring its profound roots to achieve a deeper understanding of the evolutionary journey of ancient wisdom. Through comprehensive conceptual and historical review, the origin of mindfulness is revisited, uncovering its multifaceted essence. Mindfulness was expounded by referring to its original Pali term, “sati”, which was decoded to “memory”. The conventional description of mindfulness differs from its modern interpretation, as the Buddhist viewpoint emphasizes its role in alleviating unnecessary suffering by nurturing a comprehension of the mind’s mechanisms and the fundamental nature of the material world to pave the way to attain inner tranquility and liberation and awakening.
Keywords
mindfulness, buddhist tradition, noble eightfold path
[1]. Hanh, T. N. (2008). The miracle of mindfulness: The classic guide to meditation by the world’s most revered master. Random House.
[2]. Zhang, D., Lee, E. K., Mak, E. C., Ho, C. Y., & Wong, S. Y. (2021). Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review. British medical bulletin, 138(1), 41-57.
[3]. Bodhi, B. (2013). What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective. In Mindfulness (pp. 19-39). Routledge.
[4]. Anālayo, B. (2013). Perspectives on satipaṭṭhāna. (No Title).
[5]. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hachette UK.
[6]. Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical psychology: Science and practice, 10(2), 125.
[7]. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living, revised edition: how to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindfulness meditation. Hachette uK.
[8]. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General hospital psychiatry, 4(1), 33-47.
[9]. Hayes, A. M., & Feldman, G. (2004). Clarifying the construct of mindfulness in the context of emotion regulation and the process of change in therapy. Clinical Psychology: science and practice, 11(3), 255.
[10]. Gethin, R. (2015). Buddhist conceptualizations of mindfulness. Handbook of mindfulness: Theory, research, and practice, 9-41.
[11]. Germer, C., Siegel, R. D., & Fulton, P. R. (Eds.). (2016). Mindfulness and psychotherapy. Guilford Publications.
[12]. Purser, R. E., & Milillo, J. (2015). Mindfulness revisited: A Buddhist-based conceptualization. Journal of Management Inquiry, 24(1), 3-24.
[13]. Carlson, L. E., Labelle, L. E., Garland, S. N., Hutchins, M. L., & Birnie, K. (2009). Mindfulness-based interventions in oncology. Clinical handbook of mindfulness, 383-404.
[14]. Brown, K. W., Creswell, J. D., & Ryan, R. M. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook of mindfulness: Theory, research, and practice.
[15]. Rhys Davids, T. W., & Müller, F. M. (2007). Buddhist suttas.
[16]. Dunne, J. (2013). Toward an understanding of non-dual mindfulness. In Mindfulness (pp. 71-88). Routledge.
[17]. Rhys Davids, T. W., & Rhys Davids, C. A. F. (1910). Dialogues of the Buddha (Vol. II). London: Henry Frowde.
[18]. Ñāṇamoli, B., & Bodhi, B. (1995). The middle length discourses of the Buddha: A translation of the Majjhima Nikaya.
[19]. Gethin, R. (1998). The foundations of Buddhism. OUP Oxford.
[20]. Anālayo, B. (2010). Satipạṭthāna: The direct path to realization. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Windhorse.
[21]. Thanissaro, B., & DeGraff, G. (2012). Right mindfulness: Memory & ardency on the Buddhist path.
[22]. Gethin, R. (2011). On some definitions of mindfulness. Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 263-279.
[23]. Didonna, F. (2009). Clinical handbook of mindfulness (Vol. 18, pp. 5-18). New York: Springer.
[24]. Kang, Y., Gruber, J., & Gray, J. R. (2013). Mindfulness and de-automatization. Emotion review, 5(2), 192-201.
[25]. Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1991). Responses to depression and their effects on the duration of depressive episodes. Journal of abnormal psychology, 100(4), 569.
[26]. Bodhi, B. (1984). The noble eightfold path (p. 63). Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.
[27]. Huxter, M. (2015). Mindfulness and the Buddha’s noble eightfold path. Buddhist foundations of mindfulness, 29-53.
[28]. Bodhi, B. (2010). The noble eightfold path: The way to the end of suffering. Buddhist Publication Society.
[29]. Wallace, B. A., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). Mental balance and well-being: building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. American Psychologist, 61(7), 690.
Cite this article
Ji,M. (2023). The Origin of Mindfulness Revisited: A Conceptual and Historical Review. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,25,33-38.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Global Politics and Socio-Humanities
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).