Meditation Classes, Rites, and Ritual
Patricia Q. Campbell
Oxford University Press eBooks September 2, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793822.003.0004 (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 meditation classes are ritualized to varying degrees and that performance theory offers an illustrative framework for understanding learning and change within these settings. |
Abstract
This chapter describes the main introductory meditation classes offered at Friends of the Heart and Chandrakirti Centre in detail. It breaks the classes down into their various elements—rites of entry, opening prayers, meditation practice, talks or lectures, and so on—and discusses each as formalized or experiential means of learning that are ritualized to one degree or another. Comparisons are made between the two centers' approaches, and the degree to which each center identifies its teachings as specifically Buddhist is discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of ritualization and ritualizing, and the ways in which these concepts apply to meditation classes and practices. Finally, performance theory is introduced as an illustrative means of understanding learning and change in ritualized settings.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |