Mindfulness: Where It Comes From and What It Means

“A brilliant and precise introduction to the deep roots of mindfulness.”

“Mindfulness, Shaw argues, has always been a crucial part of Buddhism, and it has shifted meanings and methods. . . . This accessible, robust exploration will appeal to readers interested in the Buddhist origins of the widely taught practice.”

“Mindfulness . . . thoroughly examines the different meanings of mindfulness, from early Buddhist texts to today’s therapeutic applications. This study will be of value to the Buddhist student who wants a deeper understanding of what it means to pay attention to the present moment and how the practice has evolved in different corners of the world over the last 2,600 years.”

“Sarah Shaw . . . does a thorough job of tracing the history of mindfulness within Buddhism, dissecting all the strands associated with the word and the practices it represents.”

“This book enables the reader to understand mindfulness with scholarly wisdom and a skillful modern application.”

“What is mindfulness? Is it a scientifically proven method for reducing stress? An evidence-based strategy for improving performance? A path to complete liberation from suffering? Or is it simply a way to live a more contented life? With directness and warmth, Oxford University’s Sarah Shaw explains why the answer to each of these questions is yes. Her expertise (and storytelling ability) as both an academic and a practitioner take ‘mindfulness’ out of the pop culture loop to give us the historic and spiritual meanings of the word. This illuminating book is for anyone who wants to discover the true potency of mindfulness that may otherwise be obscured by our self-help leanings.”

“In this insightful book, Sarah Shaw chronicles not only how mindfulness has played a central role in Buddhist meditative practices but how it is embedded in a complete system for liberation, undergirded by ethical sensibilities. Illuminating the genealogy of mindfulness and how this term has been rendered historically in a wide range of Buddhist teachings, readers will gain a deeper appreciation for a practice that goes far beyond a modern simplification of simply ‘being in the present moment.”

“Sarah Shaw traces the genealogy of mindfulness within Buddhism, mapping its development across diverse doctrinal and geographical contexts”