Mindfulness has all but become a mainstay in modern education. Yet despite the incredible enthusiasm and increased application in schools, there remains significant divergence between advocates and critics. Advocates assert that mindfulness practice promotes individual and societal health and well-being. Meanwhile, critics question the intention…

This paper assumes that educators are now involved in a struggle for their souls and for the souls of their students. The idea of the soul in this case is not the religious one, but the soul invoked by Foucault (1977) to name that aspect of self, (subjectivity, psyche) that 'exists, or is produced … within the body … or born … out of methods of…

In Thailand, Buddhism has played an important role in terms cultivating morality and ethics for people in the society. Later, it has become an important part of the educational system of the country. This paper has its aims to clarify some backgrounds of Buddhist studies in Thai educational system from the early period to the present day. First,…

'Mindfulness' is a term which holds increasing currency within educational research, policy and practice. However, there is substantial variation in its use, especially with respect to its historical roots in the Buddhist tradition. I develop a conceptual distinction between 'thin' mindfulness and 'thick' mindfulness, with attendant ontological,…

Revolutions spring forth and are guided by love. Education, like love, is immersed in the political. It can be argued within the American educational landscape, textbook selections and school policies are acts of ideological evangelization, which serves not to democratize, but to indoctrinate the citizenry and reinforce capitalist ideologies;…

While contemplative approaches have recently garnered much attention in different areas of transformative education, the interpersonal and relational aspects of contemplative training have received less scrutiny. This article examines the relational dynamics involved in contemplative education from a Lacanian viewpoint. The concept of transference…

This dissertation examines the effect of a Buddhist-based program of mindfulness, taught as part of the curriculum of a graduate program, on the relationship of teacher-practitioners with their work. Collecting data on the experiences of three cohorts over a nearly three-year period, this longitudinal case study examines the experiences of…

How does one teach dissent in a classroom which is a disciplinary space? As a pedagogue whose work is to instil philosophical and critical thinking in students, in this article I reflect on the modalities of teaching dissent versus teaching about dissent. While it is very possible that teaching about dissent may create a model for students to…

For decades, a review of environmental education initiatives in and beyond schools indicates that many of them were implemented from an anthropocentric perspective. The rationale behind them is often that we must not destroy the environment because doing so is harmful for ourselves, human beings. One striking feature of the various forms of…

In this article, I use arts methods to explore the concept 'intercultural mindfulness' as performed in students' meaning-making about their intercultural experience at a UK university. The findings identify some less discussed qualities for mindfulness such as affective openness, embodied openness, and ethical-oriented openness, generosity,…

In traditional Chinese philosophy, silence occupies a pivotal position by not being merely treated as the absence of speech, but also as the transcendence of it. Silence in early Confucianism implies the timing, subjects and issues to which one should not teach and talk about, and in depth it also refers to the manifestation of utmost sincerity…

In this article, I learn from the Buddhist 'right' ground of mindfulness which provides rich insights about 'good', insights relevant to my thinking regarding what 'good' might entail for the interculturalist. By discussing the 'right' ground of mindfulness and a counter-example of 'McMindfulness', I learnt that the 'good' cannot be separated from…

In this article, we argue that virtues can emerge from contemplation which can lead us to attunement with the Dao thereby realizing our inner goodness and intrinsic traits. This requires us to persist in doing inner and outer work. Inner work involves meditation and reflective practices to awaken ourselves and others. Outer work involves engaging…

This article is focused on the relevance between Christianity and happiness from a perspective of higher education. To discuss the article systematically, three research questions are addressed. First, what is happiness in the Bible? Second, what are relations between Christianity and happiness from the Biblical standpoint? Last, what is the…

Can the philosophical foundations of spiritual practices inform management education pedagogy and in the long-run support emotional development and more ethical and responsible business practice? In this article, we introduce the essential aspects of three different spiritual traditions--Daoist inner work, Buddhist mindful reflexivity, and Quaker…