ZEN MEDITATION AND TIME-EXPERIENCE
Tadashi Chihara
PSYCHOLOGIA 1989 DOI: 10.2117/psysoc.1989.211 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Zazen |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Subjective time became longer during Zazen, with underestimation of time attributed to environmental, physiological, and subjective conditions. The authors argue this tendency reflects the Zen Buddhist relation between Muga (Non-Ego) and Muji (No-Time), and that Muga means an unfettered, free self rather than complete absence of consciousness, while time itself is relative, that is, Ku. |
Abstract
A series of experiments was performed to clarify the unique time structure in Zen.As a result, subjective time became longer during Zazen, and those factors for underestimation of time were provided in terms of all conditions, including environmental, physiological and subjective.This tendency toward underestimation of time during Zazen appears to realize a relation between Muga (Non-Ego) and Muji (N 0-Time) in Zen Buddhism.However, Muga in Zen Buddhism does not mean a complete absence of consciousness but an unfettered, free self, that Muji does not mean the time that binds us, and that time, also, like all existences or beings, is not reality but relative, that is Ku.In conclusion, experimental problems and prospects in future were discussed.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on buddhism, most cited first.