The Dark Undercurrent of Mindfulness

Awakening: A Manifesto for Radical Mindfulness ― Part 5

Note: This is the fifth part of a manifesto that critiques capitalism’s appropriation of Buddhism and mindfulness—while also tracing their transformative power.

New here? The Introduction sets the stage.

You’ll find a full overview of all parts here and at the bottom of the page.

©Lukas Kozmus

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles
― William Shakespeare

Critique of Mindfulness

The Dark Undercurrent of Mindfulness

The inclusive exclusion. What is the hidden, shadowy underside of mindfulness? Does it harbor a dark undercurrent? Like a river that flows silently beneath the surface, only to erupt with tremendous force and sweep everything away, so too might the seemingly harmless practice of mindfulness hide dark veins beneath its serene exterior.

There is a real danger of being deceived by the friendly face of mindfulness and Buddhism. Especially in a time when inhumane ideologies are once again on the rise, seeking new footholds and threatening to absorb things that appear harmless at first glance but turn into dangerous tools in their hands. We must stand firmly against them, look closely—and remain critically vigilant.

The Left, too, cannot afford to be naive if it wants to live up to its own promise of working toward a better world. The last century has painfully shown that noble ideas and ideals alone are not enough. Communism, for instance, was originally conceived as a path to liberation, yet it has also produced unspeakable suffering. Even if the idea was later distorted, one must ask: was there something latent in its very core that allowed such horrific outcomes to take root?

One thing is certain: a good idea does not necessarily lead to good outcomes. Perhaps it was never truly realized—or perhaps it was, and in doing so, revealed a hidden shadow. A critical spirit requires vigilance, sometimes even suspicion, always discernment.

Vigilance Toward Buddhism

Those who see Buddhism and its techniques as tools for reducing suffering must all the more carefully observe where these practices might—directly or indirectly—generate new suffering or perpetuate existing forms of harm. Where do Buddhist ideas or mindfulness techniques stand in the way of a more just world? And where do they even actively serve as stabilizers of inequalities and structures of domination?

We must remain attentive to the potential shadow sides of Buddhism: both those inherent to it—such as problematic assumptions in the original teachings or their religious superstructures—and those that arise in conjunction with other systems, especially capitalism.

Where does mindfulness become an instrument of adaptation, a means of self-optimization, a passive acceptance of an unjust system?

Do Buddhism or its techniques structurally support the creation or reproduction of inequality? Do they foster an ethic of passivity, depoliticization, and self-centeredness?

Uncovering the dark veins of Buddhism and highlighting the ways it can be co-opted or misused is the aim of this chapter. For a mindful hunter is no less dangerous—on the contrary.

The following critique is only a small first step. It is a call for urgently needed intellectual efforts, for Buddhist self-examination and self-critique. It is a call to use critical theory—in its spirit and its methods—to examine Buddhism and its techniques for blind spots, hidden ideologies, and dangers that lie in wait beneath the surface, especially where it enters into alliance with systems of power.

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🧭 Fields

Buddhist Ethics, Capitalism, Critical Theory, Ethics, McMindfulness, Meditation, Mindfulness, Politics

🌊 Movements / Traditions

Buddhism, Communism, Contemporary Buddhism, Critical Buddhism, Engaged Buddhism, Progressive Movements, Western Buddhism

🧵 Concepts

Critical Thinking, Critique of Ideology, Emancipation, Inclusive Exclusion (Agamben), Inequality, Liberation, McMindfulness, Radical Mindfulness, Power, Radical Politics, Radical Thinking, Reflexion, Revolutionary Thinking, Social Change, Structural Violence, Suffering

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Overview of the Series

Opening: Mindfulness: From a Path of Liberation to a Commodity

1. Introduction: The Critical Potential of Buddhism

2. Mindfulness

   1. As Event. As Radical Simplicity

   2. Making Sense of a Concept: From ‘Mindfulness’ to ‘Right Mindfulness’

   3. Mindfulness and Meditation as Cultivation of Awareness

3. Critique of Mindfulness

   1. The Dark Undercurrent of Mindfulness

   2. Mindfulness and Meditation as Strategies of Governmentality

This post was originally written in German.