Eastern Philosophy and Western Consumerism

This book explores the idea of ‘mind-creationism’: that consciousness has the capacity to create and transform the material reality that it experiences. Richard King discusses the roots of this idea in ancient Hindu and Buddhist thought, then shows how it has been appropriated and transformed in western culture through western notions of ‘mysticism’, a dramatic increase in the application of yoga and Buddhist-inspired ‘mindfulness’ practices in health-care systems across the world, and an explosion of self-help books and popular films. What are the key similarities and differences between the classical Indian and contemporary New Age versions of mind-creationism and what social, historical and cultural factors account for the contemporary transformations and translations of this idea? What are the socio-political and ethical implications of such philosophical claims when taken seriously? And is it true that such ideas promote apathy, conformism and an ethic of individual responsibility to the detriment of a wider ethical awareness of society and structural forms of injustice? This hard-hitting and stimulating book provides a remarkable insight into an important strand of Eastern philosophy and how it has been appropriated and translated in unexpected and far reaching ways.