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Foundations of Mindfulness and Contemplation: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives

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Abstract

The growing use of mindfulness and contemplative methods in treating mental illness and addiction has elicited interest in their relationship to the comprehensive Buddhist theory and practices that underlie them. This article discusses traditional Buddhist meta-theoretical assumptions regarding ontology and epistemology, along with its perspectives on the self, human functioning, dissatisfaction and dysfunction, and the relationship to mindfulness human well-being. It then describes contemporary elaboration of the concepts of mindfulness and psychological well-being by Buddhist-oriented practitioners and provides examples of therapeutic methods that incorporate these views and techniques.

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Correspondence to Spencer A. McWilliams.

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McWilliams, S.A. Foundations of Mindfulness and Contemplation: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives. Int J Ment Health Addiction 12, 116–128 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-014-9486-1

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