This paper explores the dynamics of self, time and observation within mindfulness practice, moving beyond conceptual and observer-based frameworks. It revisits the foundational meaning of mindfulness by integrating the early Buddhist doctrine of anattā (no-self) with insights from Jiddu Krishnamurti and related Eastern and Western philosophical views. Through the lens of direct observation, the...
Abstract Starting from the allegation of the Pure Land tradition “as a deviant form of Buddhism,” the paper looks at non-dualist and dualist features in the teachings of the Japanese medieval Pure Land master Shinran Shōnin (1173–1263). It is suggested that Shinran should be understood within the Mahāyāna framework of the two truths or realities (satyadvaya). Shinran retains both perspectives...
In recent decades, historians of religions have turned to, and developed, entirely new methodologies for the study of religion and human consciousness. Foremost among these are a collection of approaches often termed the “cognitive science of religion” (CSR), typically drawing on cognitive science, neuroscience, linguistics, and contemporary metaphor theory. Although we are still “early” in...