Mindfulness, in its original form, is not a technique but a holistic approach that reveals the constructed nature of experience by dissolving the duality between observer and observed. Integrating the early Buddhist doctrine of anattā (no-self) with insights from Jiddu Krishnamurti, the paper argues that mindfulness transcends the illusion of a permanent self and identification rooted in psychological time. Choiceless awareness captures suffering at its root: the self-construct. The paper concludes that mindfulness leads to individual liberation and cultivates compassion, clarity, and wisdom in daily life.
Historians of religion have adopted methods from cognitive science, neuroscience, linguistics, and metaphor theory, collectively called the cognitive science of religion (CSR). This paper argues that dialogue between religious studies and neuroscience can illuminate mystical texts and practices from a tradition of medieval South Asian Hinduism known as the Vaiṣṇava Sahajiyās. These followers of transgressive Tantric Yoga from seventeenth- to eighteenth-century Bengal provide examples for exploring religion, ritual, consciousness, embodiment, identity, gender, emotions, and sexuality. The study uses insights from philosopher Shaun Gallagher and neurologist Patrick McNamara to enhance understanding of these materials.