Mindfulness: Panacea or Fad?
Buddhist 'mindfulness' meditation is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Is it just another health fad? And how do Buddhists feel about it being secularised and commercialised?
In little more than a few decades mindfulness has gone from being a specialist element of Buddhist teaching to the front cover of Time magazine. It's the must have app for the stars, courses in it are advertised in the back of all the glossies, businesses use it to reduce staff stress and boost productivity. It's even prescribed on the NHS for anxiety and depression. This is the story of "mindfulness" - from its roots in the Buddhist practice of meditation to today's multi-billion dollar, worldwide industry. Devoted followers hail it as a cure-all for the ills of modern life. Or is this just another health fad, destined for disparagement, like homeopathy? And what do Buddhists feel about their heritage being westernised, secularised and commercialised?
Presenter: Emma Barnett. Producer: Phil Pegum.
Last on
Something Understood: Yoga - For Body, Mind and Spirit
Inspired by the late guru BKS Iyengar, Mark Tully investigates the benefits of yoga.
Broadcasts
- Mon 5 Jan 2015 20:00大象传媒 Radio 4
- Sun 11 Jan 2015 13:30大象传媒 Radio 4
Featured in...
Mindfulness
A collection of programmes relating to Mindfulness