Harmony Meditation, Shinè and Zen. Contemplative Roots and Clinical Innovation of a Transformative Practice
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) October 17, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23437994 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Harmony Meditation |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that Harmony Meditation, a Zen-derived practice codified by Alessandro Mahony, differs from Mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation by using symbols, visualizations, breath, and awareness as a transformative practice aimed at dissolving psychic nuclei that fuel suffering and symptoms. The article compares its aims, mechanisms, and clinical benefits with Shinè (śamatha) and Zen meditation and proposes a placement for it within contemporary contemplative practices. |
Abstract
Harmony Meditation is a meditative practice codified in Italy in the 1990s by AlessandroMahony, derived from the Zen tradition and integrated with psychological, psychophysiological,and neuropsychological expertise. Unlike approaches such as Mindfulness and TranscendentalMeditation, it does not exhaust itself in non-judgmental observation or in the mechanicalrepetition of a mantra, but rather configures itself as a transformative practice that usessymbols, visualizations, breath, and awareness to dissolve the psychic nuclei that fuel sufferingand symptoms. This article, theoretical-comparative in nature, explores the theoretical andmethodological connections between Harmony Meditation, Shinè meditation (śamatha, “calmabiding”), and Zen meditation, highlighting their aims, mechanisms, and clinical benefits. Itfurther proposes a placement of Harmony Meditation within the landscape of contemporarycontemplative practices, with an accredited bibliography including references to PubMed-indexedliterature.
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 |