McMindfulness

This post is part of a larger series of Book Reports -- summaries and commentary on the books I read. Check out the full Book Report Page to see more.

"Individual happiness seems hollow unless all human beings are free of oppression, poverty, and violence -- as well as free to speak and act in the public sphere."

I can't remember the last time I DEVOURED a book from cover to cover in less than 24 hours, but I did it with this book, and I need to tell y'all about it.

The book is McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality by Ronald Purser (a practicing Buddhist). I'm gonna say that this is absolutely required reading for anybody who is into mindfulness, mediation practices, and/or Buddhist studies. This book spoke deeply to so many things I couldn't quite put my finger on concerning my unease with many aspects of the current popularity of mindfulness while simultaneously still being extremely into studying Buddhism and its practices.

The basic breakdown is that much of what is currently touted as "mindfulness" in our modern Western society is really just reinforcing the evils of our hyper consumer/capitalist world by encouraging narcissism and placid obedience while victim-blaming each of us as individuals for our very natural responses to a screwed up world full of greed and injustice. All the while, folks who sell this McMindfulness are making tons of money and helping to reinforce the status quo.

McMindfulness has been completely divorced from the ethical foundations of Buddhism, and is packaged as an apolitical, completely secular tool that anybody can use. Of course, it co-opts exotic Eastern mysticism when it needs to appeal to certain groups, and it clings to (flimsy) scientific studies when it needs to appeal to other groups. In the end, it teaches its users that all you have to do to achieve happiness is tune into the present moment and bliss out.

The above quote from the book sums up my feelings perfectly. If your religion/spiritual practice/philosophy doesn't actively call you to act with compassion towards your fellow humans and work for social justice, then it's just bullshit. Real Buddhism does this, and it's one of the many reasons why I've been studying it academically since I was 15, and I continue to consider the idea of calling myself a practitioner.

But McMindfulness, as we see it popularized today, makes no call to action. It doesn't ask you to question authority or work to help others, or even to analyze the causes and conditions that cause you to be stressed out and in need of meditation in the first place. McMindfulness allows you to gain some shallow, momentary peace while never challenging you to make any real changes to your lifestyle or way of thinking.

Mindfulness is not supposed to be the end goal. It’s a tool — a means to an end that goes far beyond the serenity it momentarily grants. It’s meant to help you quiet your mind long enough to gain real insight into the way your mind works and how you percieve the world. Calmness doesn’t equate to enlightenment, it’s a tool to help you get there. The best comparison I like to use concerning mindfulness is the Force in Star Wars. You can learn to sense it and use it to transform yourself into a skilled warrior over a long period of deep practice, but it's not inherently "good" or "bad" unless you attach your own morals to it. Jedi use the Force, but so do Sith Lords! Without the guidance and self-discipline of compassion, practicing mindfulness is nothing more than navel-gazing self-care at best, and a powerful tool for selfishness at worst.

If any of this resonates with you, go read this book. It's important.