Mindful Apocalypse: Contemplative Anthropology Investigating Experiences of World-Loss in Deep Meditation

Federico Divino

doi:10.3390/rel14070941

Mindful Apocalypse: Contemplative Anthropology Investigating Experiences of World-Loss in Deep Meditation

Federico Divino

Religions July 21, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/rel14070941 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Ethnographic inquiry Peer reviewed
Topics	Buddhism Meditation
Keywords	Contemplation Aesthetics Psychotherapist Epistemology Theology
Citations	7
Key findings	Personal crisis in meditation should be understood as a meaningful phenomenon, with contemporary mindfulness practices experiencing a 'crisis of presence' while traditional Buddhist meditation aims for the dissolution of subject-object distinction in samādhi.

Abstract

This article investigates the challenge of personal crisis during deep meditation, as observed in an ethnographic inquiry into mindfulness and traditional contemplative practices. The study distinguishes between the “crisis of presence” in contemporary mindfulness practices, and the dissolution of the subject-object distinction in traditional Buddhist meditation. By analyzing Ernesto De Martino’s concepts of crisis and presence, the article highlights the significance of understanding this phenomenon in meditation rather than perceiving it negatively. The research explores the contemporary evolution of mindfulness and its detachment from original Buddhist contemplative practices, leading to an approach criticized for reinforcing neoliberal and capitalist modes of cognition. In contrast, traditional Buddhist meditation aims for the state of samādhi, where boundaries between self and the world dissolve, signifying a serene “end of the world”. The study underscores the need for mindfulness researchers to explore this aspect of meditation to derive immense benefits from comprehensive contemplative practice.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan...	2017	Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system	2004	Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety	2006	Exploratory mixed methods study	n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context	2001	Qualitative study	n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators	2013	Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

Citations in the library

Cited by 4

Cites 16

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