Why Buddhism (and mindfulness) part three: with special guest, Mushim Ikeda

Our third and final episode with special guest Mushim Ikeda from the East Bay Meditation Center. In this show, we use the current popularity of mindfulness based meditation practices (and their secularized off-shoots) to answer the “why Buddhism” question. We discuss what mindfulness means in classic Buddhist terms (satti/smrti as well as Pure Land nenbutsu) and in what ways secularized practices diverge from these forms. One area of concern is the commodification of Buddhist practice and the lack of attention paid to how our actions perpetuate systems of injustice and inequality. Rather than merely talking about the positive (often secular-focused) benefit of mindfulness practices, we jump into the deep end to discuss the political and social consequences and limits of Buddhist practice in the modern world. Part One and Part Two of our conversation with Mushim Ikeda. Beyond McMindfulness Mindfulness in Plain English