Abstract
Life is constantly changing. Some changes, including those in the academy, can be very stressful. Mindfulness approaches can be sustaining and enriching, especially during periods of stress . However, situations of precarious employment in universities can not only be stressful, but also outright intolerable. What can mindfulness offer? In this chapter, I draw on contemplative science to explore how our conceptions and practices of mindfulness can inform periods of stress and intolerable pressure in university work . I unpack theoretical frameworks where mindfulness is constructed as a practice, state , trait and/or a life path . I consider personal mindfulness practice through the lens of epistemologies of change, where mindfulness can be constructed as extrinsic or intrinsic to ourselves. I argue that by approaching mindfulness as an intrinsic trait, we can take the pressure off ourselves in terms of the “best” ways to practice. Simply observing non-judgmentally may be enough. Paradoxically, I refer to the “McMindfulness ” critique of mindfulness training in the workplace, where a non-judgemental approach could position employees to experience passive exploitation. I argue that the key to deciding between non-doing or action is in our wise discernment, which at salient times can empower a practitioner not to be a “doormat ”, but instead to sidestep metaphorical “boulders”. Throughout this chapter, I weave through my experiences of mindfulness as a personal path including: following daily practice and ritual; using Thich Nhat Hahns’ mindfulness pebble as a skilful approach to anger ; and supporting LGBTQI + staff and students’ legal rights.
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Notes
- 1.
The dharma are the teachings of the Buddha, or the reality/laws that the Buddha realised. I am following the mainstream convention to write “dharma ” with a lower case “d”.
- 2.
The psychologist Langer (1989) has developed a distinctive conception of mindfulness , which draws from cognitive science and does not involve meditation. Conceptions within Langer’s school of thought are generally incompatible with conceptions more aligned to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and related approaches.
- 3.
Dahl, Lutz and Davidson (2015) offer an alternative typology that categorises mindfulness approaches in terms of “attentional”, “constructive” and “deconstructive” practices.
- 4.
My parents took “hard work ” to mean diligently striving for excellent results. They would not recognise the contemporary usage, where “working hard” implies working inefficiently, or over-working.
- 5.
I would connect “wise discernment ” with the broader classical idea of wisdom informing “skilful” action, which authors such as Harvey (2013) explore with great precision.
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Acknowledgements
I am indebted to Dr. Janette Simmonds for her rich and insightful conversations and feedback; to Jonathan O’Donnell for his optimism and generosity during stresses in the academy; to Dr. Kate Brabon for her keen eye at the last minute; and to Moira Brown. I gratefully acknowledge support through an Australia Government Research Training Program fees-offset scholarship.
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Chang, R. (2018). Doormats and Boulders: Uncovering Mindfulness Traits and Wise Discernment During Stressful Experiences in the Academy. In: Lemon, N., McDonough, S. (eds) Mindfulness in the Academy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2143-6_2
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