I encountered the world of contemplative practice at a relatively young age. Sensitive by nature, I often found myself overwhelmed by the weight of human suffering and longed for a way to be free from it. Surrounded by shelves of religious books at home, I searched for answers in their pages.
In my early twenties, I was introduced—almost by accident—to Vipassana, the meditative practice said to have been used by the Buddha himself in his pursuit of liberation. (This is the very technique that was later adapted into the psychological modality we now call mindfulness.)
Even now, I can say with certainty: encountering Vipassana was one of the greatest treasures of my life.
I believed then—and still believe now—that this is not merely a spiritual path, but a life skill every human being deserves access to. Driven by that conviction, I entered a doctoral program in education, hoping to explore how mindfulness could be integrated into learning and life. But at the time, the academic climate in Korea was too conservative to even entertain such ideas. Professors dismissed my interests as absurd.
Still, I didn’t give up. To speak about mindfulness in a way that was not religious but universal, I turned to Western philosophy to build a theoretical foundation. That effort eventually led to a PhD.
And now, I speak plainly.
I worry deeply about what mindfulness has become.
As some critics aptly call it, we are witnessing the rise of “McMindfulness”—a watered-down, commodified version of the practice, designed for quick consumption, corporate wellness programs, and superficial calm.
Mindfulness has been standardized, marketed, and reduced to a functional product.
I write to critique this trend.
But more importantly, I write to help people access the real thing—
To understand mindfulness clearly, and to practice it easily.
Though I have since left academia and now pour my energy into the arts,
I still feel a quiet sense of responsibility.
If I have a final task to complete as an educator, it is this:
To share what I’ve learned with clarity, sincerity, and depth.
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