A Mindless Race to the Middle?

What do mindful awareness, Velveeta cheese, and saltines have in common? Other than the fact that I like both meditating and eating Velveeta cheese on saltine crackers, the three don't have much in common. At least not yet.

But as mindfulness meditation moves beyond the realm of academics and adepts (those who have developed an impressive degree of aptitude in the practice of Buddhist meditation) into popular culture there's growing pressure to distill mindfulness down to programs that can be articulated in sound-bites -- or what is called in Hollywood an "elevator pitch." Programs that can be described in one or two lines, the amount of time it takes to ride between floors on an elevator. Sometimes I joke about what seems to be a race to create the "Velveeta Cheese" of mindfulness programs--where wide dissemination, sustainability and replication are paramount, even at the expense of the wisdom upon which the classical traditions (and the programs) are based. (More)

Source: Huffington Post