Chapter Three. The Body And The World In Buddhism
Peter Friedlander
2010 DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004179707.i-300.22 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that Buddhist meditation, rooted in ancient Indian concepts of the body, is a body-based practice that extends from self-contemplation to universal well-being, profoundly influencing contemporary Buddhist practice in Asia and the West. |
Abstract
This chapter presents some understandings of the body from ancient India and considers their influence on different cultures today. It concentrates on examining early Indian notions of the body and lightly touches on modern understandings of some points in some other cultures. Buddhism is famous for its emphasis on the importance of meditation as a means of investigating the nature of ultimate reality. First, the chapter talks about insight meditation, and then loving-kindness meditation. Clearly, one of the interesting features of this in the context of this discussion is that this is a body-based practice; it starts from contemplation of your own body, but then develops to encompass the concept of well being for family, society, nations, the world and the universe. The outcome of this understanding of the body and the world in contemporary Buddhist practice in Asia and the west is profound. Keywords: ancient India; Buddhism; insight meditation; loving-kindness meditation
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 |