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An Exploratory Study to Define the Concept of ‘Pilgrimage Meditation’

Jung-seop Youm, Kangsuk Shon, Bang-Hyun Shin, Jin-keon Moon, So-Mi Jeong

The Korean Society of Culture and Convergence September 30, 2023 DOI: 10.33645/cnc.2023.09.45.09.705 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population Pilgrims in Buddhist holy places
Topics Meditation
Key findings Pilgrimage meditation involves experiences in five areas, and its definition includes seven categories of elements.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the experience of pilgrimage meditation targeting pilgrims in Buddhist holy places in order to understand the experience of pilgrimage meditation, and to identify the elements that should be included in the definition of pilgrimage meditation in order to clarify the definition of pilgrimage meditation. The study was conducted in two phases. The results of this study are as follows. First, as a result of analyzing the meditation experience experienced through the pilgrimage, 14 categories were derived in 5 areas: ‘meditation experience on pilgrimage’, ‘meditation experience on myself’, ‘meditation experience on others’, ‘meditation experience on the world’, ‘meditation experience through walking’. Second, as a result of analyzing the elements to be included in the definition of pilgrimage meditation, 7 categories were derived from 5 areas: 'motivation and purpose related elements', 'content elements', 'method elements', and 'result elements', 'other elements to be considered'. Third, the final definition of pilgrimage meditation was derived through expert verification. The results of this study are meaningful in providing basic data for the sustainable development of pilgrimage sites by understanding the meditation experience of pilgrims visiting the pilgrimage route and defining pilgrimage meditation.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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