Meditation application They are a modern way in today's world to prevent stress, calm your mind and focus on the present moment. The app targets regular meditation fans, Buddhists, anxiety people and sometimes even children. Is this only a modern trend, or can you really practice Buddhist meditations with the app?

We are Buddhist scholars who specialize in social media research. In August 2019, we searched the Apple App Store and Google Play for more than 500 Buddhism related applications. Most applications have focused on mindfulness practice.

The practice of mindfulness

Mindfulness practices followed by Buddhist applications include guided meditation, breathing exercises and other forms of relaxation. Clinical tests show that mindfulness alleviates stress, anxiety, pain, depression, insomnia and hypertension. However, there are several different kinds of mindfulness applications.

The current understanding of mindfulness is derived from the concept of SATI, which describes mindfulness as a process of awareness of one's body, feelings, and other states. In early Buddhist texts, mindfulness meant not only attention, but also distinguishing the kinds of thoughts, feelings, and actions according to the teachings of the Buddha. This was to lead to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. For example, the Buddhist text "Satipattha Sutta" describes not only the awareness of the breath and the body, but also the comparison of the body with the corpse in the cemetery to emphasize the cycle of the emerging and ending material body.

"One is aware that the body exists only to the extent necessary for knowledge and awareness."

Mindfulness in this case makes it possible to appreciate instability, not to be attached to material things, and to strive for greater consciousness. Current kinds of mindfulness applications encourage people to cope with and adapt to society. They ignore the underlying causes and conditions of suffering and stress, which may be political, social or economic.

Lucrative industry

Current applications are part of the lucrative industry. The most widely used CALM and HEADSPACE applications account for nearly 70% market share. These applications will satisfy a wide audience of both religious and people who are inclined to spirituality without religious beliefs. Today, people spend up to 5 hours a day on their smartphones. A large percentage of people check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up. Are you one of them?

The purpose of these modern Buddhist applications deviates slightly from the original idea of ​​Buddhism and serves rather as a means of calming down in the present stressful world. So if you want to follow the path of Buddhism, these apps won't help you much. But if you want to calm down, realize your body and breath, then these apps can do a great job. But it is necessary to find a suitable moment for meditations. It should not be immediately after waking up. It is also important to ensure that apps designed to improve and free our mind do not become the reason for our attachment to smartphones and tablets.

Do you have a tip for an app or video that helps you meditate or just calm your daily stress? Feel free to inspire others in the comments below.