Silent Epistemology: Embodied Intersubjectivity in Zazen
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 1, 2026 Nicholas J Watkins
Shared silence in seated meditation is not a break from social connection but a medium for a distinct form of intimacy. An ethnographic study of zazen at the Bristol Zen Dojo found that practitioners feel alone together, connected through stillness, posture, and affective synchrony rather than dialogue. This silence generates a silent epistemology: a mode of knowing grounded in somatic attention and atmospheric attunement. Silence also transforms temporal perception, has effects that persist beyond the meditation hall, and poses unique challenges for newcomers. The work argues that silence is a site of knowledge and co-presence, challenging assumptions about communication and sociality.