During Zen meditation in a monastic setting, experienced Vietnamese monks showed significantly higher alpha and theta brainwave power than non-meditating controls, with no change in beta power. This pattern differs from mindfulness practices, where beta power often decreases. Among monks, brain activity did not differ between meditation and mind-wandering states, nor between brief 4-minute and extended 1.5-hour sessions, indicating a continuity of meditative and non-meditative states in advanced practitioners. The findings suggest Zen meditation fosters a distinct state combining relaxation and sustained alertness, and demonstrate the feasibility of mobile EEG technology for in-situ research.
In two studies at Vietnamese Buddhist monasteries, brain activity during Zen meditation was measured. In Study 1, monks and nuns showed higher alpha and theta brainwave activity during meditation than non-practitioners; advanced practitioners could shift from beta waves during mind-wandering to alpha waves within five-minute sessions, indicating dynamic brain regulation. In Study 2, no significant differences appeared between nuns with varying meditation experience, but inhaling essential oils significantly decreased theta wave amplitude. These findings deepen understanding of neural activity in advanced meditation.
Meditation is characterized by a deepened state of relaxation on the one hand and increased alertness on the other. Zen meditation fosters a distinct state combining relaxation and sustained alertness. The study investigated differences in bioelectrical brain activity of monks and nuns during Zen meditation in their natural monastic environment, with 13 practitioners from two Vietnamese Zen monasteries. Results showed a stable increase in the alpha range in both monasteries, an increase in theta and a decrease in beta in one monastery, and distinct meditation strategies between the two monasteries. Mobile EEG technology proved effective in naturalistic settings.