"Contemplation is Critical" 

by Kurt Spellmeyer

Summary: 

As mindfulness becomes increasingly co-opted by corporate America, universities must tread carefully when developing contemplative studies programs. At a time when the humanities are in steep decline, academic leaders—aligned with managerialist ideologies—are turning to "contemplative sciences" as a more palatable alternative. This trend mirrors a broader cultural shift, where religion, once central to public life, has found a new home in the workplace.

Buddhism, throughout its history in India and China, has served as a powerful critical force within society. Here in the West, the Dharma can play a similarly transformative role, but only if we acknowledge and embrace its critical potential. This talk will revisit key Buddhist texts to explore how the Buddha’s discovery of the Deathless and the Unborn fueled his engagement with the societal structures of his time. I propose that Contemplative Studies today must reclaim Buddhism's legacy as a vehicle for social critique, rather than allowing it to be diluted into a tool for mere productivity.