Rethinking Meditation: Buddhist Practice in the Ancient and Modern Worlds

A dizzying array of meditation practices have emerged in the long and culturally diverse history of Buddhism.Yet if you are seeking out meditation today in North America and Europe-and, increasingly, in the rest of the world as well-you will likely encounter one particular type, often under the label "mindfulness." You will find it taught in Zen monasteries, Insight Meditation centers, health clubs, colleges, psychologists' offices, corporations, liberal Christian churches, prisons, and the US military.Countless articles in popular magazines promote its benefits, often depicting it as a panacea for problems as wide-ranging as anxiety, depression, heart disease, eating disorders, and psoriasis.There are books on mindfulness and meditation not only by Buddhist monks but also by medical doctors, psychologists, computer engineers, business consultants, and a US congressman.Meditation teachers will sometimes say that this is the same meditative practice that the Buddha taught over 2500 year