2015Kelly Graves, Jeffrey G. Snodgrass, Lynn Kwiatkowski et al.
This research will examine the unique cultural context of Japanese Zen as it is practiced, embodied and shared in an American monastic setting. It will look at how this particular “culture of meditation” (defined as the U.S. Zen monastic culture) promoted within these communities may influence the way a person frames their bodies, sense of self and environment. Through this process, I suggest...
Videogame players commonly report reaching deeply "immersive" states of consciousness, in some cases growing to feel like they actually are their characters and really in the game, with such fantastic characters and places potentially only loosely connected to offline selves and realities. In the current investigation, we use interview and survey data to examine the effects of such...
On May 11 and 13, 1998, India tested a series of nuclear devices in the desert state of Rajasthan. On May 28, Pakistan completed similar trials. During these tests I was researching spirit possession in Rajasthan in the town of Udaipur just to the east and south of the blasts. The trials, though not of direct concern to my research, were hard to ignore. Everyone was eager to discuss them with...