Introduction
Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation, along with allied concepts of attention, acceptance, and authentic presence, have become popular in contemporary European, Canadian, and US American cultures. Mindfulness is commonly understood as the capacity to be in the present moment, recently developed as a promising therapeutic technique, pursued for enhanced subjective well-being. At the same time, mindfulness has been practiced globally for over two and a half millennia as part of various lay and religious Buddhist traditions, often situated within an ethically informed path to awakening and liberation.
Definition
The English word mindful has been used at least since the fourteenth century with a variety of meanings influencing present usage: having recollection or remembrance, being careful or heedful in doing something, intending to do something, and being conscious or aware, attentive, and thoughtful. From the sixteenth century, the noun mindfulness is used to denote...
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Stanley, S. (2014). Mindfulness, Overview. In: Teo, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_589
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