[iamcasen]

I agree. Mindfulness really is just another word for spirituality. Being mindful of where your food comes from, and being thankful for the nourishment it provides your mind and body, is just a different way of praying and "thanking the lord" for your food.

Religions are a way of trying to package this mindfulness and disseminate it. As you know, most organized religions have been coopted by power-hungry men and twisted into the ridiculous displays we now know today. We should reject those religions and what they've become, but we shouldn't reject the root they sprung from.

[GavinMcG]

I think there's a pretty significant difference between mindfulness and spirituality.

Spiritual traditions may well ritualize mindfulness, but there are many other components of spirituality apart from it, and there are secular mindfulness practices that don't intersect with the feelings and experiences many associate with spirituality.

[krageon]

"mindfulness" is precisely the parts of spirituality that could nicely be packaged and sold to people that feel there's something missing from their lives. Now there is this commercial alternative that everyone appears to be in to, and the word is used so much it's basically lost all meaning (to be fair this happens to everything that is over marketed).

[iamcasen]

That's true, you're right. There is a fine line between the two in my mind. For me, spirituality is recognizing the complexity of the universe and my part in it. Mindfulness helps me tap into that complexity and derive meaning for myself.