The Dharma of Modern Mindfulness: Discovering the Buddhist Teachings at the Heart of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

“Written with disarming candor and clarity, this book takes the reader on an intimate journey through mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), the gold standard of mindfulness training. The author seamlessly reveals both the compassionate heart of MBSR and core teachings from Buddhist psychology that underlie the program. If you want to understand mindfulness training more deeply than ever, this wise and generous book should not be missed!”
—Christopher Germer, PhD, author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, coeditor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

“An invaluable companion for anyone taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction course. It makes the teachings of MBSR come alive in a deep, meaningful, and easy-to-understand way. Highly recommended!”
—Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor in the department of educational psychology at The University of Texas at Austin, and author of Self-Compassion

“As a medical professional, Zen practitioner, and teacher of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), Beth Ann Mulligan is able to weave together different perspectives to illuminate a path toward greater health, happiness, and freedom. This book has the power to transform our individual and collective lives.”
—Shauna Shapiro, PhD, professor at Santa Clara University, author, speaker, and mindfulness consultant

“Beth Ann Mulligan’s wise, clear, and compassionate writing brings the ancient teachings of the Buddha to life as she describes her lived experience of teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction. The authenticity, integrity, and vulnerability that she shares in her stories and teachings offer us an intimacy with what it means to be fully human. This beautiful book has touched my heart deeply and enriched my understanding of the roots of mindfulness-based programs. It is a true gift, a shining pearl in the growing field of modern mindfulness.”
—Diane Reibel, PhD, director of the Mindfulness Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, coauthor of Teaching Mindfulness, and coeditor of Resources for Teaching Mindfulness

“This beautifully structured, wise, and compassionate book takes us behind the scenes of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) class for an insider’s view. Beth then offers in-depth teachings from the Buddhist tradition that underlie MBSR. Most importantly, Beth’s years of personal meditation practice and teaching shine through; the writing is infused with both theory and a deep experiential knowing. It is sure to be a seminal work for students and teachers of mindfulness alike.”
—Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, and coauthor of Fully Present

“What a gem of a book! Beth Ann Mulligan leads us, with her many years of experience in teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and even more years of being a dedicated Dharma student, intimately through one eight-week MBSR course, chock-full of wonderful people, stories, and insights. She weaves into this the Dharma teachings as they show up in the classroom, without ever being mentioned in there. She makes the invisible visible and understandable for us, so we can teach MBSR and other mindfulness-based classes from a place of deeper understanding. This is a must-read for all MBSR and mindfulness-based intervention teachers, and anybody else curious about how the Buddhist teachings are informing modern mindfulness.”
—Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, certified MBSR teacher, adjunct faculty of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, director of MBSR programs and senior teacher at InsightLA, vipassana and mindful self-compassion (MSC) teacher, and coauthor of A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness

“A wise and openhearted invitation to the teachings of modern mindfulness and Buddhism. Beth Ann Mulligan tells stories and offers the teachings that arise directly from our human experience, showing how the path of modern mindfulness parallels the ancient teachings of Buddhism. Weaving these two streams, Beth offers us a way of finding freedom right in the middle of the challenge of our lives. Down-to-earth and inclusive, this book is a wonderful introduction to mindfulness-based stress reduction and the basic teachings of Buddhism.”
—Roshi David Dae An Rynick, author of This Truth Never Fails

Beth Ann Mulligan, PA-C, graduated magna cum laude from the Duke University School of Medicine physician assistant program in 1982, and has practiced primary care medicine with diverse populations for the past thirty years. She is a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher and international teacher trainer for the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness, as well as a certified mindful self-compassion (MSC) teacher and international teacher trainer. She teaches MBSR, MSC, and mindful eating at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and at InsightLA, and has been a presenter at the International Scientific Conference on Mindfulness. The Guiding Dharma teacher at Insight Community of the Desert, and a longtime senior student at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, she leads meditation retreats across the country.

In 1993, Melissa Blacker joined the staff of the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Until 2012, she was a member of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teaching staff, associate director of the Stress Reduction Clinic, and director of professional training programs. Blacker offers private instruction in mindfulness meditation, and is also available for group workshops, classes, and silent mindfulness meditation retreats.