Yogic Perception, Meditation and Altered States of Consciousness
Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften eBooks 2009 DOI: 10.1553/0x00223e25 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Edited volume Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation Altered states of consciousness |
| Keywords | Consciousness Perception Altered state Cognitive psychology Theology |
| Citations | 73 |
| Key points | The volume argues that understanding meditative traditions is better served by social science and humanities methods than by natural science approaches. |
Abstract
The volume presents seventeen papers by different scholars that examine, from an interdisciplinary perspective, questions concerning meditation and yogic perception. The contributions focus on various aspects, such as the nature of consciousness, the relation of body and mind, and health, and bind together the perspectives and approaches of disciplines such as South Asian, Buddhist and Tibetan studies, religious studies, philosophy and the history of philosophy, medieval European history, anthropology and psychology. In contrast to recent interdisciplinary studies on meditation that take the natural sciences as their focal point (notably, quantum mechanics and neurophysiology), this volume uses methods established in the social sciences and humanities as tools for understanding meditative traditions, especially those found in Buddhism and Hinduism.