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The concept of sati, translated into English as “mindfulness,” provided the philosophical inspiration for many of the third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies. Mindfulness practice offered a new and often more effective way to understand thoughts.

Cognitive behavioral psychologists integrated Buddhist beliefs that challenged many of their deeply held biases about the mind. Particularly the Buddhist view that sense-perceptions were often illusions; those thoughts were separate from the true self and did not reflect reality. In mindfulness practice, one learns to gain distance from their thoughts because thoughts do not represent their true nature. “Cognitive clouds passing through the mind” provides a perfect symbol of the Buddhist contribution to cognitive behavioral psychology.