I picked up McMindfulness by Ronald E Purser when I saw it at a store, right after it had been mentioned on a podcast. I’d heard of this look at the “mindfulness industry” and how repurposed stripped-down Buddhism was used to basically serve capitalism. So I picked it up, read it, and found that my summary was a little too genteel. So let me review the book – and heartily recommend it.
The book starts by looking at how, over the decades, mindfulness exercises taken in part from Buddhism had become big business in seminars and corporate advice. The core idea is that you become more aware of your actions (and reactions) and thus mindful, are not as troubled by the world because you are so aware. You’ll notice, by the way, it stops there – you just learn to navigate the world better as opposed to asking “why am I so stressed out?” and “why do things suck?”
The author, a Buddhist himself, walks through the Mindfulness Industry and shows how widespread it is but also how useless it is. Since the industry is firmly lodged in neoliberal capitalism, it has no interest in fixing the system it’s in – which often causes the problem. In fact, seeing how Mindfulness has become a corporatized product illustrates the problems of our economic and culture – which the Mindfulness Industry can’t and won’t solve.
During this tour, Purser notes firmly and intelligently that this separated selfish pseudo-self awareness misses out on Buddhism’s teachings on community, compassion, and responsibility. The Mindfulness Industry doesn’t just take a few bits of Buddhism, it outright excludes the social elements of the religion and its teachings. It couldn’t include them since then they’d basically be selling something that wouldn’t fill those big corporate conferences – and worse.
Because, Purser goes in depth more than I expected on mindful politics, war-waging, and more. We’re so used to the “mindfulness” stuff we might not realize how far it’s penetrated, showing up in banal political speeches and efforts that desensitize people in the name of “not being reactive.” Even if you pay attention to this stuff, you may be surprised beyond your capacity for cynicism.
Purser also speculated on how McMindfulness produces a selfish, separated, almost abstract sense of self. I can see echoes of the prosperity gospel and online conspiracy theories in his speculations – both ways to seek wealth and self-aggrandizement, but without any responsibility or even real transformation. If anything, I think there’s more to study in this area.
He does see hope – or ways – to free Mindfulness from its current corporate shackling. So it’s not a hopeless book – it’s one carried by a kind of passionate loving rage. So yes, you’ll get angry Buddhist when you read this.
A firm recommendation for seekers like ourselves.
-Xenofact