Opening (to) the Sacred: The Ecology of Contemplation in the Tibetan Treasure Tradition
Oriane Lavolé
Journal of Contemplative Studies May 14, 2026 DOI: 10.57010/qeaf9551 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Contemplation Treasure Lifeworld Rest music Desert philosophy Ecology Environmental ethics Aesthetics Anthropology |
| Key points | Argues that an ecological approach to Buddhist contemplation, recognizing the entanglement of mind, body, and environment, is more apt than modern, corporatized mindfulness for understanding the traditional Tibetan lifeworld. |
Abstract
This article calls for an ecological approach to Buddhist contemplation, which recognizes the inherently relational and ethical nature of contemplative practice, in contrast to modern, corporatized approaches to mindfulness as an exercise of detachment. Showing that Tibetan Buddhist onto-epistemologies rest on the entanglement of mind, body, and environment, this piece proposes that an ecological approach to the traditional Tibetan lifeworld is most apt to illuminate its dynamics. Drawing on contemporary ecological theorists, it proposes a case study of the place-based activities of Tibetan contemplative master and treasure revealer Chokgyur Lingpa (1829–1870) and his two closest collaborators.
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 |