Abstract
Reviews of relevant research point to the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in reducing tendencies toward overeating and in leading to weight reduction. In this article, I present an early Buddhist perspective on the potential of mindfulness practice in this respect, based on examining a discourse that reports the Buddha himself giving instructions on mindful eating to a local king. The discourse in question shows that the current employment of mindfulness for such purposes is not a recent innovation but rather has an antecedent in early Buddhist texts. I also relate a recent model of three steps for reducing eating disorders to the early Buddhist teaching on how seeing the gratification and the disadvantage can lead to release from craving-dominated ways of behavior.
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Abbreviations
- EĀ:
-
Ekottarika-āgama
- MĀ:
-
Madhyama-āgama
- MBI:
-
mindfulness-based intervention
- MBSR:
-
mindfulness-based stress reduction
- MN:
-
Majjhima-nikāya
- SĀ:
-
Saṃyukta-āgama (T 99)
- SĀ2 :
-
Saṃyukta-āgama (T 100)
- SN:
-
Saṃyutta-nikāya
- T:
-
Taishō edition
- Up:
-
Abhidharmakośopāyikā-ṭīkā
- Vism:
-
Visuddhimagga
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Anālayo, B. Overeating and Mindfulness in Ancient India. Mindfulness 9, 1648–1654 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-1009-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-1009-x