Buddhist Meditation and the Skillful Integration of Self: Buddhist Pedagogy and Scientific Models of Mind
Brian D. Somers
Religions February 10, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/rel17020208 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Impermanence Interrogation Scientific modelling Abstraction Buddhist philosophy Epistemology Aesthetics Experiential learning Bodhisattva |
| Key points | Argues that the Theater-of-the-Mind model and the Buddhist Ten Ox Herding Pictures model can be pedagogically reconciled, and that tensions between secular and religious approaches to meditation can be reduced through philosophical interrogation of implied models of mind. |
Abstract
This article aims to show how scientific interpretations of the mind can be integrated with traditional Buddhist models of the mind that maintain no-self in light of modern Buddhist meditation practices. Building on David McMahan’s work, it compares two models of mind, the Theater-of-the-Mind and the Ten Ox Herding Pictures (C. Shíniútú; K. Sibudo 十牛圖). The former places the self at the center of experience, while the latter, although it makes use of a conventional self, ultimately maintains the impermanence of the self. While this article primarily contributes to a theoretical understanding, a practical claim is made regarding the pedagogic reconciliation between these two approaches. This is done through the analysis of the two models of mind, an explanation of how Buddhist pedagogy integrates a model that reifies the self through provisional acceptance, and finally by providing an example of this integration with a recently developed Buddhist-based meditation program. One implication of this work is that the tensions between the secular and religious approaches to meditation that afflict so much of the discussion surrounding practices such as mindfulness can be quelled, at least to some extent, by a careful philosophical interrogation of the models of mind implied by those practices.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- From Meditation to Techno-Mindfulness: On the Medicalization of Contemplative Practices and Future Prospects Histories March 27, 2024
- Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs Clinical Psychological Science May 18, 2021
- Meditation, Buddhism, and Science Oxford Scholarship Online October 19, 2017