Knowing the Knowing. Non-dual Meditative Practice From an Enactive Perspective.
Frontiers in Psychology 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.778817 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | non-dual-oriented practices |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Mahāmudrā Awareness Consciousness Contemplative science Enaction Non-dual |
| Citations | 17 |
| Key points | Proposes that an enactive cognitive science framework can provide theoretically grounded hypotheses for studying non-dual practices and experiences, and that the model coheres with Mahāmudrā practice. |
Abstract
Within a variety of contemplative traditions, non-dual-oriented practices were developed to evoke an experiential shift into a mode of experiencing in which the cognitive structures of self-other and subject-object subside. These practices serve to de-reify the enactment of an observing witness which is usually experienced as separate from the objects of awareness. While several contemplative traditions, such as Zen, Mahāmudrā, Dzogchen, and Advaita Vedanta emphasize the importance of such a non-dual insight for the cultivation of genuine wellbeing, only very few attempts in contemplative science have turned toward the study of non-dual-oriented practices. This article starts from a recently developed theoretical cognitive science framework that models the requirements of a temporary experiential shift into a mode of experiencing free from cognitive subject-object structure. This model inspired by the enactive approach contributes theoretically grounded hypotheses for the much-needed rigorous study of non-dual practices and non-dual experiences. To do so, three steps are taken: first, common elements of non-dual-oriented practices are outlined. Second, the main ideas of enactive cognitive science are presented including a principled theoretical model of what is required for a shift to a pure non-dual experience, that is, an experiential mode that is unbound by subject-object duality. Third, this synthesized theoretical model of the requirements for the recognition of the non-dual is then compared with a specific non-dual style of meditation practice, namely, Mahāmudrā practice from Tibetan Buddhism. This third step represents a heuristic for evaluating the external coherence of the presented model. With this, the aim is to point toward a principled enactive view of non-dual meditative practice. In drawing the implications of the presented model, this article ends with an outlook toward next steps for further developing a research agenda that may fully address the concrete elements of non-dual practices.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Not in the drug, not in the brain: Causality in psychedelic experiences from an enactive perspective Frontiers in Psychology April 3, 2023
- Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation. Scientific Reports March 26, 2024
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Non-dual awareness and sensory processing in meditators: Insights from startle reflex modulation Consciousness and Cognition July 8, 2024
- Transforming adversity into an ally: A qualitative study of “feeding your demons” meditation Frontiers in Psychology November 30, 2022
and 9 more in the library
Cites 15
- Mindfulness: diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins, and multiple applications at the intersection of science and dharma Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- Neural correlates of nondual awareness in meditation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to Neurophenomenology - The Case of Studying Self Boundaries With Meditators. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Nondual Awareness and Minimal Phenomenal Experience. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Framing a Phenomenological Mixed Method: From Inspiration to Guidance Frontiers in Psychology March 3, 2021
and 10 more in the library