Meditation Self-Help Critiques

When someone says mindfulness most of us automatically think of organizing endless thoughts we have throughout the day. In the three articles assigned they have similar yet different views on what mindfulness entails. Ranging from being in the now, a means for survival, and simplicity.  The question is can mindfulness keep the promise mainstream would like us to believe without loosing our self-understanding.

“The Mindfulness Conspiracy” by Ronald Purser goes on to talk about the promise mindfulness offers through a profit of about four billion. She goes on to explain the mainstream purchasing books, magazines, and other types of forms to just just dismiss our civil responsibility. How do we balance ourselves. “We are repeatedly sold the same message: that individual action is the only real way to solve social problems, so we should take responsibility.”(Purser) In this article she goes over a lot of valid points we can possibly neglect by buying into what society considers mindfulness.

 “The problem of mindfulness,” by Sahanika Ratnayake perspective is rooted through Buddhism which I found very interesting as I am a believer of a lot of their teachings. The comparison of western views compared to her own beliefs show how the common person can loose self care in mindfulness.  “With its promises of assisting everyone with anything and everything, the mistake of the mindfulness movement is to present its impersonal mode of awareness as a superior or universally useful one.”(Ratnayake) As I started meditation with the class and doing the assignments I can relate to her views on one size or spectrum does not fit all and could be used at your discretion. In this we are able to be aware of what is right for us as an individual in an industry that says one size fits all. 

“The Mindful Revolution” by Kate Pickert  take a simplicity approach to mindfulness as making our bodies and mind the key elements. It is our well being that is the main focal point that has to be in order. MBSR ( mindfulness based stress reduction) was the tool she used from being in a course and was able to get good results as have some of her classmates.  “I’m eating a raisin. But for the first time in my life, I’m doing it differently.”(Pichert) With the techniques learned about being in the moment something as simple as eating was a renewed experience and actually intrigues me to try the experiment she went through with the raisin. 

Over all the articles were very insightful. I would lean more towards Ratnayake because some of our views are similar without forgetting about ourselves. Mindfulness for me can not replace all modern medicine as suggested in some articles and has to be taken into consideration with people who do have sever to moderate conditions.