The Generation of the Experienced World: A Formal Representation of Vipassana across Philosophical Traditions
Mo Sha
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) December 29, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18079491 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that the experienced world is generated through the interaction of external input, cognitive rendering structures, meaning-endowment orientation, and attachment (upādāna), rather than being a direct mapping of external reality. Proposes that external input serves only as a directional reference, not as a thing-in-itself, and constructs a cross-traditional framework integrating Kantian philosophy, Buddhism, and Yangmingism. |
Abstract
Abstract This paper proposes a structural model to explain the generation of the experienced world. It argues that the world experienced by the subject is not a direct mapping of external reality, but rather a result generated through the interaction of external input, cognitive rendering structures, meaning-endowment orientation, and the state of attachment (upādāna). The "external input" (D) in this model does not assume the ontological status of the "Ding an sich" (thing-in-itself); instead, it serves merely as a directional reference to sources of reality that the subject cannot fully control or directly experience. The generation of the experienced world relies on the constitutive role of cognitive structures rather than a passive reception of reality. On this basis, the paper constructs a cross-traditional framework for experience generation, functionally integrating core insights regarding experiential structures, attachment mechanisms, and the agency of meaning endowment from Kantian philosophy, Buddhism, and Yangmingism (Philosophy of Mind). By distinguishing between the theoretical core model, communicable expressions, and applied projections, this study demonstrates how the model can enter interdisciplinary discourse while maintaining structural consistency.
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 |