The effects of Chinese Buddhist meditation tradition: the impact of nature observation and literary creation.
Tiankai Liang, Minkai Sun, Seiko Goto
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1615963 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractChinese Buddhist meditation traditions that incorporate nature observation and literary creation can enhance relaxation beyond traditional rock meditation. In two experiments at a Buddhist temple, participants observing a water landscape showed longer observation duration, greater heart rate reduction (from 78.1 to 72.4 beats per minute), and improved mood, particularly reduced depression-dejection, compared to forest or rock landscapes. Adding a poetry-creation task in the water landscape further optimized relaxation and cognitive engagement. The findings suggest that integrating water landscapes and poetry composition into meditation practices may offer evidence-based approaches for mental health interventions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Participants at a Chinese Buddhist temple |
| Interventions | forest poetry composition |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Chinese buddhist temple Literature Mental state Nature |
| Key finding | Observing a water landscape and composing poetry within Chinese Buddhist meditation practices significantly enhanced relaxation and improved mood compared to forest or rock landscapes. |
Abstract
After integrating with indigenous Chinese culture, Chinese Buddhist meditation traditions expanded beyond classical rock meditation to include new practices. This study examines the physiological and psychological effects of nature observation and literary creation within Chinese Buddhist meditation. Experiment 1 recruited 30 participants and used observation duration, heart rate, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and a supplemental questionnaire to compare relaxation effects across water (LS), forest (FS), and rock (RS) landscapes at a Buddhist temple. Experiment 2 recruited 30 new participants and introduced a poetry-creation task in the most relaxing landscape (LS) to test additional effects. The water LS significantly prolonged observation duration [LS: 379.835 ± 47.528 vs. FS: 210.656 ± 15.284 vs. RS: 272.157 ± 25.450, 95% CI (65.638, 272.719), p = 0.000, ηp2 = 0.443, 1-β = 0.985] and induced greater heart rate reduction (72.4 vs. 78.1 bpm at baseline, p = 0.001). POMS scores showed LS most improved negative moods (e.g., Depression-Dejection: -1.47 ± 0.38 vs. FS +1.07 ± 0.37, p < 0.001). Chinese Buddhist practices integrating water landscapes and poetry composition optimize relaxation (heart rate reduction: -7.3% in LS) and cognitive engagement, offering evidence-based insights for mental health interventions.