The Contemplative Corner
What is Contemplative Education?
An authentic contemplative education is characterized by challenging oppressive hegemonic structures and sees contemplation as a radical practice of resistance. Unlike commodified approaches that reduce practices to tools for productivity, it links inner transformation to collective liberation, centers marginalized perspectives, and seeks genuine societal transformation rather than individual adaptation to existing systems.
"Contemplation is Critical" by Kurt Spellmeyer
Summary: As mindfulness becomes increasingly co-opted by corporate interests, contemplative studies must resist reduction to a productivity tool and instead reclaim Buddhism's critical legacy. Drawing from historical precedents where Buddhism served as a transformative social force in India and China, this approach demands acknowledging the Dharma's potential to critique societal structures rather than merely adapting to them. The challenge lies in developing contemplative studies as a rigorous academic discipline that preserves the radical, socially engaged spirit of Buddhist thought, countering managerialist ideologies and workplace spirituality.
Summary: As mindfulness becomes increasingly co-opted by corporate interests, contemplative studies must resist reduction to a productivity tool and instead reclaim Buddhism's critical legacy. Drawing from historical precedents where Buddhism served as a transformative social force in India and China, this approach demands acknowledging the Dharma's potential to critique societal structures rather than merely adapting to them. The challenge lies in developing contemplative studies as a rigorous academic discipline that preserves the radical, socially engaged spirit of Buddhist thought, countering managerialist ideologies and workplace spirituality.
Fasting the Mind from the World - Teachings from Taoism, Hinduism, and Buddhism
