Monks’ Mindfulness
J. L. Cassaniti
Remembering the Present April 15, 2018 DOI: 10.7591/cornell/9781501707995.003.0002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Buddhist monks in Thailand |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness in Thailand is commonly understood as raluk dai ('recollecting the mind') and is cultivated through specific meditative practices, with variations between rural and urban monastic settings. |
Abstract
This chapter examines the ways that monks in Thailand make sense of and make use of mindfulness in the course of their everyday lives at Thai monasteries. It focuses on two monks in particular as representative case studies: a rural wandering thudong monk in a remote monastery in “Mae Jaeng” outside of Chiang Mai, and an urban monk at the busy university monastery of Wat Suan Dok in the city. In relating the experiences of these two monks it explains some of the most common definitions of mindfulness in Thailand, as raluk dai (‘recollecting the mind’), along with some of the most common affective uses and some of the most common meditative practices to cultivate mindfulness. It also introduces some of the most well-known textual renderings of mindfulness in the region, as drawing from Thai iterations of Pali-language texts.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |