Toward a Unified Model of Advanced Meditation, Human Development, Meditation Maps, and Transtradition Metaphors: Facing Impermanence, Suffering, and Death
Terje Sparby, Matthew D. Sacchet
Mindfulness July 29, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02632-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Conceptualization Impermanence Transformative learning Spiritual development Epistemology Process computing Psychotherapist Cognitive science Developmental psychology Spirituality |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key points | Proposes that advanced meditation involves a process of metaphorical death and rebirth, which can be scientifically investigated to understand meditative development. |
Abstract
While there exists a large body of research on the possibility of measuring certain aspects of human development, what might be called inner development has mostly been neglected, in particular as it pertains to advanced meditation. A central aspect of this kind of development, which we call meditative development, is associated with access to bliss, peace, wisdom, and the reduction of suffering, which have been regarded as highly desirable or even ultimate aims of human life. The potential for such development is currently being scientifically studied and developmentally mapped. While the use of maps to guide meditation during practice has been criticized, the conceptualization of a transformative process involving a metaphorical death and rebirth, or the dissolution of an old identity and the emergence of a new one, is common across various wisdom traditions. In the meditative traditions, some maps, such as the one described by Mahāsī Sayādaw, describe this process in a way that is both highly detailed and grounded in experience. Here, we propose an outline of the process of metaphorical "death and rebirth" in advanced meditation, which may form a foundation for the scientific investigation of meditative development and support a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Active inference, computational phenomenology, and advanced meditation: Toward the formalization of the experience of meditation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 1, 2026
- Toward a neuroscience of consciousness using advanced meditation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 1, 2026
- Advanced meditation, sleep, and consciousness science: An emerging frontier. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews August 1, 2026
- Exploring the interior spaces of music Emotion, space and society July 21, 2026
- Meditation and neurofeedback: A systematic scoping review, synthesis, and future directions Imaging Neuroscience 2026
and 4 more in the library
Cites 39
- The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Neuropsychology Review August 4, 2021
- A Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development Mindfulness April 13, 2023
- The Varieties of Spiritual Experience August 18, 2022
- Defining Meditation: Foundations for an Activity-Based Phenomenological Classification System. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- Introduction: Mysticism, Constructivism, and Forgetting The Problem of Pure Consciousness March 29, 1990
and 34 more in the library