THE ZEN MEDITATOR AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS: A STUDY ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS THE MEDITATOR HOLDS WITH THEIR SELF AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Mayte Vergara, Claudio Araya-Veliz, Francisco Javier Hinojosa Henríquez
Límite 2023 DOI: 10.4067/s0718-50652022000100218 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Zen meditation practitioners with eight or more years of systematic weekly practice |
| Intervention | Zen meditation |
| Duration | Eight or more years of systematic weekly practice |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key findings | Meditators reported a new positive intentionality toward others and improved relationships with friends and family, but no consensus on effects on couple relationships. They also reported reduced inner monologue, a more positive attitude, more engagement in meaningful activities, and greater feelings of connectedness with themselves. The authors present this as a preliminary exploration of Zen practice and the relational domain. |
Abstract
During the last twenty years, there has been an increasing interest from the scientific community to study the effects that meditative practices could have in human well-being.However, the academic community has not reached a consensus regarding what are the exact myriad of practices that should be considered meditative, and which should not be considered as such.As a means of provisionally solving this problem, it has been suggested that those practices that fall under an ancestral tradition, in specific Zen meditation, have enough references to be considered meditative.There's plenty of information available regarding the benefits meditative practices could be having, however, there has not been enough research that focuses on the impact that meditation has on people's relationship with themselves or significant others.The present study focused on these questions in order to guide future research into the effectiveness of meditative practice on self and relationship development.To do so, a qualitative approach was chosen, particularly guided by the use of Grounded Theory.This was applied by using an in-depth interview methodology to ten participants which have practiced Zen meditation by a period of eight or more years of systematic-weekly-practice.The resulting investigation allowed us to know that meditators report changes in their relationships: 1.In relation to other people, they perceived the emergence of a new positive intentionality directed to those people and that the quality of their relationships with friends and family had improved, however, a consensus was not reached regarding the influence of the practice in the relationships with their couples.2. In relation to their self, they noticed an increase in the silencing effect of their inner monologues, a positive attitude, a tendency to engage in meaningful activities and feelings of connectedness with themselves.This study is a preliminary attempt to explore how Zen meditative practice influences the relational domain.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Silent illumination: a study on Chan (Zen) meditation, anxiety, and musical performance quality Psychology of Music October 10, 2007
- The impact of Zen meditation on security and satisfaction in monogamous relationships Mental Health, Religion & Culture June 27, 2011
- The Quality of Zen Meditation- Bodily Experiences of Participants with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Nursing & Primary Care October 30, 2018
- The limited prosocial effects of meditation: A systematic review and meta-analysis Scientific Reports February 5, 2018
and 3 more in the library