Introduction

Stephen Bachelor explores the ideas and philosophy behind Buddhism, including its influence on Western society. Mindfulness just seems like another fad but it actually has its roots in ancient Buddhism. We see mindfulness pretty much in every sphere of modern life today. And I find this quite extraordinary, really, how this practice has found its way into completely non- Buddhist settings. It's been doing this in fits and starts now for nearly 200 years before which the West knew absolutely zero about Buddhism. The word Buddhism is an invention of Western scholars. There is no equivalent in the classical languages.