Buddhism has been impacted and shaped a variety of cultural and societal trends within the western world, often altering its teaching to appeal to a western audience. Within the book Mindful America: The Mutual Transformation of Buddhist meditation and American culture, Jeff Wilson analyzes how mindfulness has evolved from a Buddhist principle to a widely accepted cultural phenomenon in western culture. Chapter one, entitled “Meditating Mindfulness: How Does Mindfulness Reach America?” deal with how mindfulness transitioned from a traditional practice of ordained Buddhists to a cultural phenomenon, progressing and altering throughout the decades in America. Wilson, drawing upon the texts written by western Buddhist scholars and monks, argues
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Developing out of early Indian Buddhism, American mindfulness pays particular attention to breath, also noting that mindfulness “is that of simply mentally observing and noting changes as they occur within oneself or in one’s environment” (Wilson, 20). This practice was originally spread to America by Buddhist monks who authored books detailing meditation. A key figure in this early spread was Soma Thera, who wrote The Way of Mindfulness: The Satipatthana Sutta and Commentary, which describes how mindfulness can be utilized in order to obtain nirvana. However, Thera claimed that mindfulness was “not suited to the ordinary person” (Wilson, 25), meaning the action and truth of mindfulness was specific only to the Sangha. This belief was quickly altered by two monks, Nyanaponika Thera and Walpola Rahula, who both detailed how mindfulness can be utilized by any individual in multiple texts. These texts and practices were quickly discovered by the American population as military and political actions in Southeast Asia exposed Americans to Buddhist cultures and traditions. This knowledge of Buddhism’s practices progressed as college education became more accessible and Asian immigrants migrated to America. Wilson argues that the practice of mindfulness gained popularity as individuals such as Chogyam Trungpa taught Buddhism in the United States, citing his ability to …show more content…
This is particularly important to Theravada Buddhism, mainly because it is dependent upon the teachings of the monastical community. When the teachings of the Buddha and monks can reach a much larger audience and be adopted by individuals with no previous experience of Buddhism, the actual input from the Sangha can be limited, their message warping to be accepted into today’s society. Wilson showcases how mindfulness, first developed by monks as a practice of meditation in the Noble Eightfold Path, was altered into a cultural norm to adapt to the American culture. This alters how individual can understand Buddhism, newer interpretations mixing with the traditional methods to form a completely new method of understanding.
Wilson expertly crafts the evolution of mindfulness as a Buddhist doctrine and American ideal by analyzing how mindfulness was interpreted and presented by Buddhist teachings. By looking at mindfulness through the lens of texts from Buddhist monks discussing how to practice correct sati through the decades. By presenting how the ideology of mindfulness has evolved from its early Indian Buddhist meditation in the form of Sati to the current day self-help books, Wilson proves how Buddhist practices can now “reaches a larger and more diverse audience, expanding the cultural penetration” (Wilson,
Developing out of early Indian Buddhism, American mindfulness pays particular attention to breath, also noting that mindfulness “is that of simply mentally observing and noting changes as they occur within oneself or in one’s environment” (Wilson, 20). This practice was originally spread to America by Buddhist monks who authored books detailing meditation. A key figure in this early spread was Soma Thera, who wrote The Way of Mindfulness: The Satipatthana Sutta and Commentary, which describes how mindfulness can be utilized in order to obtain nirvana. However, Thera claimed that mindfulness was “not suited to the ordinary person” (Wilson, 25), meaning the action and truth of mindfulness was specific only to the Sangha. This belief was quickly altered by two monks, Nyanaponika Thera and Walpola Rahula, who both detailed how mindfulness can be utilized by any individual in multiple texts. These texts and practices were quickly discovered by the American population as military and political actions in Southeast Asia exposed Americans to Buddhist cultures and traditions. This knowledge of Buddhism’s practices progressed as college education became more accessible and Asian immigrants migrated to America. Wilson argues that the practice of mindfulness gained popularity as individuals such as Chogyam Trungpa taught Buddhism in the United States, citing his ability to …show more content…
This is particularly important to Theravada Buddhism, mainly because it is dependent upon the teachings of the monastical community. When the teachings of the Buddha and monks can reach a much larger audience and be adopted by individuals with no previous experience of Buddhism, the actual input from the Sangha can be limited, their message warping to be accepted into today’s society. Wilson showcases how mindfulness, first developed by monks as a practice of meditation in the Noble Eightfold Path, was altered into a cultural norm to adapt to the American culture. This alters how individual can understand Buddhism, newer interpretations mixing with the traditional methods to form a completely new method of understanding.
Wilson expertly crafts the evolution of mindfulness as a Buddhist doctrine and American ideal by analyzing how mindfulness was interpreted and presented by Buddhist teachings. By looking at mindfulness through the lens of texts from Buddhist monks discussing how to practice correct sati through the decades. By presenting how the ideology of mindfulness has evolved from its early Indian Buddhist meditation in the form of Sati to the current day self-help books, Wilson proves how Buddhist practices can now “reaches a larger and more diverse audience, expanding the cultural penetration” (Wilson,