41 research outputs found

    Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters).

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    Modern exponents of mindfulness meditation promote the therapeutic effects of "bare attention"--a sort of non-judgmental, non-discursive attending to the moment-to-moment flow of consciousness. This approach to Buddhist meditation can be traced to Burmese Buddhist reform movements of the first half of the 20th century, and is arguably at odds with more traditional Theravāda Buddhist doctrine and meditative practices. But the cultivation of present-centered awareness is not without precedent in Buddhist history; similar innovations arose in medieval Chinese Zen (Chan) and Tibetan Dzogchen. These movements have several things in common. In each case the reforms were, in part, attempts to render Buddhist practice and insight accessible to laypersons unfamiliar with Buddhist philosophy and/or unwilling to adopt a renunciatory lifestyle. In addition, these movements all promised astonishingly quick results. And finally, the innovations in practice were met with suspicion and criticism from traditional Buddhist quarters. Those interested in the therapeutic effects of mindfulness and bare attention are often not aware of the existence, much less the content, of the controversies surrounding these practices in Asian Buddhist history

    Ambicultural blending between Eastern and Western paradigms : fresh perspectives for international management research

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    East and Southeast Asian worldviews are distinctly different from those of the West. Westerners and Asians construct their environments differently, not least because they construct the notion of \u27self\u27 very differently. This paper describes and exemplifies distinctions in cognitive and linguistic styles between the East and the West and outlines the implications of these styles for environmental perspectives and research paradigms. Examples from Thailand illustrate the philosophical roots and practical implications of an indigenous Eastern perspective for local business interactions. We explore the privilege afforded in Western, Cartesian paradigms in (Asian) management research and stimulate debate on the benefits of promoting alternative Asian indigenous perspectives for both management research and management practice. We support the idea that Asian management discourse needs more self-confidence and deserves a more prominent place in international research, not least because international management research will greatly benefit from freshly \u27blended\u27 perspectives that incorporate Eastern and Western perspectives

    Tibetan Buddhist Perspectives on Death and Dying

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    Tibetan Buddhist understandings of the death process bridge scientific, materialist observations and religio-spiritual interpretations. Tibetan Buddhism and medicine overlap in the context of death, and doctors of Tibetan medicine are trained in tantric Buddhist theories as well as anatomy and pharmacology. Based on written as well as contemporary oral sources, this essay explores Buddhist concepts of the process of dying and the experiences of consciousness as it transitions from one life to the next. It describes end-of-life rituals and funerary customs, notions of timely versus untimely death, and the possibility of returning from death to one’s previous life. A Tibetan Buddhist perspective challenges reductionist western medical theories that refuse to allow for the continuation of consciousness at death. In modern medical contexts, Buddhist theories of karma and rebirth influence treatment decisions such that, as opposed to prolonging life for as long as possible, people are encouraged to accept the certainty of death and learn to face death with less anxiety. From a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, a good death is more valuable than a prolonged life
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