A critical analysis of the concepts and measurement of awareness and equanimity in Goenka's Vipassana meditation.
Xianglong Zeng, Tian P S Oei, Yiqing Ye, Xiangping Liu
Journal of Religion and Health April 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-013-9796-9 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractGoenka's Vipassana meditation cultivates awareness and equanimity, abilities that overlap with but are not central to mindfulness-based psychotherapies. Existing mindfulness scales measure some aspects of these abilities but fail to capture how they are applied in this specific tradition. The paper critically examines conceptual and measurement problems with awareness and equanimity and proposes solutions for more accurate future measurement.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that existing mindfulness scales cannot adequately capture the awareness and equanimity as applied in Goenka's Vipassana meditation. |
Abstract
Goenka's Vipassana meditation (GVM), a widely applied mindfulness training system rooted in Buddhism, is currently widely used. Although the two abilities cultivated in GVM, awareness and equanimity, exhibit certain similarities with the mindfulness cultivated in mindfulness-based psychotherapies (MBTs), they are not major concerns in MBTs. While many mindfulness scales have been created to measure different aspects of mindfulness constructs and certain scales and items can indeed reflect the basic abilities of awareness and equanimity, none of them can adequately capture the way in which those abilities and related ideas are applied in GVM. This paper presents a critical examination of the problems associated with the concepts and measurement of awareness and equanimity and presents potential solutions for achieving better measurement of these concepts in the future.