The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
March 10, 2021
Martin Laird
3 citations
Abstract Like other religions, Christianity has its own tradition of meditation, the practice of contemplation, that has evolved over two millennia. This tradition has a core celebration and a core problem. The core celebration is that by grace we are all one in the ineffable mystery of God in Christ. The core problem is that we live most of our lives in ignorance of this. The practice of...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
February 10, 2021
Scott Kugle
3 citations
Abstract In the Islamic tradition, diverse meditative practices expand on elements of the ritual prayer. Sufi Muslims explore their potential as independent practices to introspect, uncover the delusion of the ego, and purify the heart. There is no single term meaning “meditation.” Dhikr or remembrance consists of repeating phrases from Qurʾan or names of God. Focusing on God’s presence without...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
February 10, 2021
Carlos Henrique Do Carmo Silva
2 citations
Abstract The aim of the chapter is to compare meditation in the Western Christian tradition with the Hindu tradition, particularly from the Yoga Sūtras. Its main focus is to highlight the essential differences between meditation in these two traditions. One can find various contrasts as well as unexpected convergences, such as the description of exercises involving focused concentration and the...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
February 10, 2021
Ronald E. Purser, David J. Lewis
Abstract In recent years a style of thought has emerged that privileges molecular biology, in the form of cognitive neuroscience, as the preferred or even only valid foundation for the scientific study of mind and mental life. Despite the lack of progress and honest positive prognosis, neuroscience has managed to create a false but pervasive sense of achievement and meaning that dominates...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
February 10, 2021
Jessica Frazier
Abstract This chapter outlines a theory of meditation as an art of self-shaping, by emphasizing meditation’s efficacy as a tool for sculpting the “plastic” structures of the mind. First, it considers modern views of meditation as a form of healing that brings the mind “back” to its natural functioning. This stands in contrast with most traditional views of meditation as a way to change the self...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
February 10, 2021
David Brazier
Abstract This chapter explores the application of Buddhism as psychotherapy. Buddhism is primarily a religion or Dharma that has inspired the arts, social life, architecture, and foundational aspects of the cultures where it has become established. In considering it as psychotherapy, this chapter similarly applies principles and images springing from its religious root. Buddhism is also a...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
January 13, 2021
Nobuyoshi Yamabe
5 citations
Abstract This chapter outlines the early form and development of Buddhist meditation. First, it discusses the “application of mindfulness,” especially “mindfulness of the body,” which can be largely classified into two types of practice. One is “mindfulness per se,” without reflective thought, and the other is a more reflective or visual approach. “Mindfulness per se” (in particular, mindful...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
January 13, 2021
Katherine M. Auty
Abstract In recent years interest in the use of meditation programs in prison has grown considerably, yet empirical research evidence for their effectiveness has been slower to accumulate. This chapter explores the application of meditation programs that take place within prison walls and evaluates their effectiveness in three key areas: (i) mental health and psychological wellbeing; (ii)...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Candy Gunther Brown
3 citations
Abstract This chapter examines school-based meditation programs for children ages 4–17—including Transcendental Meditation, ashtanga yoga, and mindfulness-based stress reduction—popularized between the 1960s and 2010s in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India. Practices entered mainstream education as promoters distanced meditation from religion, particularly Hinduism and...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
David W. Orme-Johnson
Abstract The Transcendental Meditation technique (TM) is a process of transcending from the active mind to the silent mind, creating a feeling of well-being that many people describe as blissful. As the mind settles, the body becomes deeply rested, as indicated by reductions of physiological stress markers. The meditator typically experiences expanded inner awareness, which corresponds to...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Kieran C. R. Fox, B. Rael Cahn
Abstract The aim of this chapter is to provide an accessible introduction to the neuroscience of meditation. First, a review of studies examining the relationship between meditation and alterations in the structure of the brain’s grey and white matter (so-called morphometric neuroimaging) is offered. Next, the chapter discusses findings from functional neuroimaging methods, such as functional...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Patricia Lynn Dobkin, Kaveh Monshat
Abstract: The intention of this chapter is to re-envision mental illness within a paradigm that unites the biopsychosocial paradigm with a modern Buddhist spirituality, particularly associated with mindfulness. Emotion regulation, a balanced relationship with one’s self-concept, and social connection are usually regarded as essential components of well-being within both systems of thought....
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Harold D. Roth
Abstract Daoism is the indigenous Chinese religious tradition that has been a major feature of this culture for over two thousand years. It is grounded in a comprehensive cosmology of the Way (Dao) that derives from the ancient practice of a meditation that emphasizes attentional focus and mental tranquility attained through an apophatic (self-negating) practice of systematically emptying...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Deane H. Shapiro
Abstract Spiritual, religious, and secular traditions emphasize the importance of control over one’s thoughts, feelings and behavior, and the relevance of meditation in achieving this control. Meditation practices, in particular, can be understood as one strategy amongst others for achieving self-regulation. While the main focus in Western psychology has been on active instrumental control,...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Conrad Hackett
Abstract This chapter describes which U.S. groups report meditating frequently. While there is little cross-national data available to analyze demographic characteristics associated with meditation, Pew Research Center’s nationally representative 2014 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) asked more than 35,000 U.S. adults, “How often do you meditate? Would you say at least once a week, once or twice...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
November 10, 2020
Ann Gleig
3 citations
Abstract This chapter illustrates connections between meditation and social change, distinguishing assimilative and radical currents recognizable in the adoption of meditation as a tool of social stability and social transformation, especially within a North American context. The assimilative approach rests on the assumption that individual meditation practice will naturally lead to social...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
November 10, 2020
Caifang Zhu
1 citation
Abstract This chapter features meditation theory from the perspective of Chan Buddhism. Simply known as Chan, or Zen in Japanese, it is regarded as the sinification of Indian Buddhism, especially of Indian dhyāna. There are three major periods of Chan in China. It started with Bodhidharma and his six major successors up to Huì Néng, the sixth patriarch. This period is known as the Pure Chan...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
November 10, 2020
Sarah Shaw
Abstract This chapter describes texts and practices associated with meditation in Southern, or Pali, Buddhism, sometimes known as Theravada Buddhism. It explores some different approaches to meditation that characterize this form of Buddhism, as well as the textual basis for their practice and theory. The word “meditation,” with its application in Southern Buddhism, is examined. In Southern...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
November 10, 2020
Ivana Buric, Inti A. Brazil, Valerie van Mulukom
Abstract Meditation generally has small to moderate effects on health and well-being, but some people experience greater benefits from meditation than others. What are the characteristics of the study participants or meditation students that lead to beneficial outcomes of meditation? This chapter adopts a multilevel approach to evaluate the evidence on the relationship between participant...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
October 8, 2020
Juhn Y. Ahn
7 citations
Abstract Buddhists commonly assumed the path to liberation to require perfect concentration or supernatural insight, or the combination of the two. Concerns were therefore often voiced about the inability to attain concentration and the possibility of insight going awry. Buddhists came to regard these undesirable conditions as sickness and called them meditation sicknesses. This chapter...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
October 8, 2020
Masoumeh Rahmani
Abstract S. N. Goenka’s Vipassana movement is famous for its ten-day intensive silent retreats and its consistent rejection of religious categories, though its teachings and practices are directly derived from Theravada Buddhism. Drawing from qualitative research, this chapter examines a range of rhetorical strategies that Goenka uses to distinguish his movement from religion and the...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
August 6, 2020
Doug Oman
Abstract This chapter traces the history of modern meditation research. Meditation is conceptualized primarily as a seated practice for systematically training attention. Historically present in every major religion, meditation was traditionally used for spiritual purposes and usually accompanied by ancillary practices, such as spiritual fellowship. This chapter traces the dynamics and evolving...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
July 9, 2020
Brian Victoria
Abstract: Can meditation kill? This chapter claims that meditation-induced samādhi, and the power associated with it, were used in Imperial Japan (1868–1945). The Zen school is founded on samādhi and the power associated with it. Without samādhi, “Zen,” (Sankrit Dhyāna; English meditation) would become just another “mental health” practice, rather than the basis for a profound realization of...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
May 7, 2020
Manu Bazzano
Abstract This chapter looks at the links between meditation practice and the post-secular turn in the wider domain of culture. The latter is a multifaceted phenomenon, and the chapter focuses on one of these—namely the assertion of immanence over transcendence. This calls for a reinterpretation of the habitual opposition between secularism and religion. Meditation is often embedded in either a...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
May 7, 2020
Madhav Goyal, Heather L. Rusch
Abstract: This chapter reviews the evidence for mindfulness-based therapies in the treatment of physical conditions. We reviewed the literature for numerous conditions including pain, cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, sexual function, insomnia, substance use, and immune function. There is moderate evidence that mindfulness-based therapies improve symptoms of pain in...