In This World or the Next: Investigation Over the “End of the World” in Contemplative Practice Through the Pāli Canon
Annali Sezione Orientale August 15, 2023 DOI: 10.1163/24685631-12340142 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that the Pāli term "loka" describes the world as a cognitive construct, and that the "end of the world" in Early Buddhism refers to a meditative goal of full consciousness rather than an apocalyptic event. |
Abstract
This article is the result of a research dedicated to the analysis of the term loka (“world”) in the Pāli canon. This work consists mainly of a translation and analysis of the Pāli suttas concerning loka and related terms. What this study reveals is a peculiar conception of the world as a cognitive construct, with a close relationship to the philosophy of mind and language. The “end of the world” (lokanta) corresponds to the state of full consciousness necessary to become a Buddha. The figure of the world ender (lokantagū) is also fundamental as a metaphor for the Buddha as an otherworldly being (lokuttara), a concept we also find in the Abhidhamma and which will form a significant part of this study. Instead of an apocalyptic vision, the idea of the end of the world seems to be the main goal of meditation in Early Buddhism and part of the Buddhist epistemological panorama.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Language and Consciousness in Early Buddhist Thought: On the Early Reflections on the Theme of Language and the Perception of Reality in the Pāli Canon Philosophies April 25, 2025
- Beyond semiosis: early Buddhist phenomenology and theory of consciousness Cogent Arts and Humanities July 16, 2025
- Re-Visioning Ethnography Through Meditative Practice: The Proposal for a Contemplative Anthropology and Its Experience through Visual Elicitation Technique Journal of Contemplative Studies August 6, 2024
- Meditation Transcending Signs: Seven Concepts for a Buddhist Psychosemiotics Philosophies January 12, 2026
- Gates of Consciousness: Buddhist Phenomenology of Cognition in the Abhidhamma Philosophies June 10, 2025
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