When teaching mindfulness meditation in a secular context, I often encounter situations where people struggle with the nuanced understanding of secularism. Frequently, I am asked whether individuals who are Christian, Muslim, Jewish or hold other beliefs can attend the sessions, as there is sometimes a misconception that these practices are exclusively Buddhist. Additionally, some participants come to the sessions with a preconception and intention that they will be learning Buddhism or engaging in Buddhist practice when attending secular mindfulness practice.
These are common misconceptions when it comes to secular mindfulness as an intervention and practice to promote physical, psychological, and I would also include spiritual well-being.
In fact, historically, when Jon Kabat-Zinn identified the potential that the Buddhist contemplative practice of mindfulness had at improving well-being, one of his original intentions was to create a mindfulness program that could be attended by persons from diverse backgrounds regardless of their religious beliefs or histories ( (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Kabat-Zinn, 2011).
Kabat-Zinn (2011) points this out explicitly how, although the practices were taken from Buddhism, his aim was to separate and make a distinction between mindfulness practice and Buddhist beliefs.
Although not without its criticism, this was a significant step to re-contextualize mindfulness practices within mindfulness programs like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to be “secular,” devoid of religious beliefs or connotations, making them applicable in different contexts beyond their original religious affiliation. Understanding this intention can help clarify the place of God in secular mindfulness meditation..……….. You can read the rest on the substack “Now About Meditation” by clicking below.