Tibetan Longevity Meditation
Asian Traditions of Meditation October 31, 2016 DOI: 10.21313/hawaii/9780824855680.003.0008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | mantra recitation secret breathing techniques sexualized visualizations movements and postures |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that Tantric practices in Tibetan Buddhism, aimed at enlightenment, are also used to restore health and longevity by reabsorbing lost life-essence, based on a 'shamanic' worldview. |
Abstract
The central aim of Tantric practice in Tibetan Buddhism is enlightenment, but the same techniques are also used to attain good health and a long life. The image of the Tantric deity and the surrounding mandala enables the imaginative recreation of a universe in which body-mind and wider environment are connected. Along with mantra recitation, secret breathing techniques, sometimes sexualized visualizations, and various movements and postures, this is understood to help the person reabsorb various kinds of life-essence that have been lost to the environment. Technique and culture are intertwined, since the practices are based on a ‘shamanic’ world-view in which life-essence may be lost to external forces, and the body-mind complex restored to good health and functioning through their recovery.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |