Meditation
Ward Keeler
The Traffic in Hierarchy September 30, 2017 DOI: 10.21313/hawaii/9780824865948.003.0008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Duration | Ten-day meditation retreat |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that meditation's prestige among Burmese Buddhists stems from its model of overcoming vulnerability by withdrawing from interaction, reflecting a cultural value on autonomy, particularly for males. |
Abstract
Many Burmese Buddhists consider meditation the most praiseworthy activity one can undertake as a pious Buddhist, whether religious or lay. This chapter suggests that meditation’s prestige stems from its model of overcoming vulnerability in interaction by withdrawing from it. The chapter relates the course of a ten-day meditation retreat based on the currently more prestigious “insight” rather than “concentration” meditation tradition. It analyzes the prominence of meditation in contemporary Burmese discourse as reflecting the great value placed on autonomy, particularly for males. By instantiating the cessation of interaction, meditation models a condition of invulnerability and serenity that achieving detachment proffers.
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 |