The effects of Chinese Buddhist meditation tradition: the impact of nature observation and literary creation.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2025 Tiankai Liang, Minkai Sun, Seiko Goto
Chinese Buddhist meditation traditions that incorporate nature observation and literary creation can enhance relaxation beyond traditional rock meditation. In two experiments at a Buddhist temple, participants observing a water landscape showed longer observation duration, greater heart rate reduction (from 78.1 to 72.4 beats per minute), and improved mood, particularly reduced depression-dejection, compared to forest or rock landscapes. Adding a poetry-creation task in the water landscape further optimized relaxation and cognitive engagement. The findings suggest that integrating water landscapes and poetry composition into meditation practices may offer evidence-based approaches for mental health interventions.