Meditation research, past, present, and future: perspectives from the Nalanda contemplative science tradition.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12273 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Nalanda Compassion training Contemplative science Polyvagal theory |
| Key findings | The Nalanda tradition's cumulative framework may help interpret meditation research data and guide future studies, and its multimodal approach shows promise of being more effective than familiar approaches. |
Abstract
This article offers an overview of meditation research: its history, recent developments, and future directions. As the number and scope of studies grow, the field has converged with cognitive and affective neuroscience, and spawned many clinical applications. Recent work has shed light on the mechanisms and effects of diverse practices, and is entering a new phase where consensus and coherent paradigms are within reach. This article suggests an unusual path for future advancement: complementing conventional research with rigorous dialogue with the contemplative traditions that train expert meditators and best know the techniques. It explores the Nalanda tradition developed in India and preserved in Tibet, because its cumulative approach to contemplative methods produced a comprehensive framework that may help interpret data and guide research, and because its naturalistic theories and empirical methods may help bridge the gulf between science and other contemplative traditions. Examining recent findings and models in light of this framework, the article introduces the Indic map of the central nervous system and presents three testable predictions based on it. Finally, it reviews two studies that suggest that the multimodal Nalanda approach to contemplative learning is as well received as more familiar approaches, while showing promise of being more effective.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Can Embodied Contemplative Practices Accelerate Resilience Training and Trauma Recovery? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience April 11, 2018
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial with functional magnetic resonance imaging and a 6-month follow-up Journal of Health Psychology July 5, 2018
- Compassion-based mindfulness training in teacher education: The impact on student teachers at a South African university South African Journal of Higher Education March 1, 2020
- Meditative State Scale (MSS): Psychometric Validation and Exploration of Gamma-Band Correlates Mindfulness September 27, 2022
- A Meadian Approach to Radical Bohmian Dialogue Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour June 13, 2016
and 12 more in the library
Cites 34
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 29 more in the library