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)...
Amidst deepening ecological disruption and widespread disconnection from nature, this study explores the emerging field of Earth Awareness (EA) as a relational and experiential aspect of advancing planetary health. EA practices—rooted in Buddhist, Indigenous, mindfulness, and nature-based traditions—support direct experiences of interconnectedness with Earth, ecological awareness and...
Kendo is a martial art that embodies the Zen ideal and practices with bamboo swords, it shares similarities with fencing. Mindfulness is a mental state akin to Zen where one can observe sensations, feelings and thoughts as they happen while remaining impartial to them. Using fMRI of the auditory oddball task we investigated network connectivity based on Menon’s triple network theory and...
A scientific exploration of consciousness through the lens of subjective experience by leading interdisciplinary scholars. This volume brings together international scholars from neuroscience, mathematics, physics, neurophenomenology, psychology, cognitive sciences, philosophy, and the study of Indian and Buddhist contemplative traditions. The book explores fundamental questions such as: Is...
This article presents an ethnographic analysis of the practice of Vipassana meditation in Argentina, framed within the tradition of Therav?da Buddhism. The research is based on fieldwork conducted at the Dhamma Sukhada meditation center, located in the town of Brandsen, Buenos Aires Province. This center is a branch of the international Buddhist organization Vipassana Meditation, founded by the...
In the second scroll of his Treatise on Ten Stages of Mind of Secret Mandala , a Buddhist philosophy compendium, Kukai discusses the lowest level of spiritual progress highlighting the absence of right seeing and inclination towards the wholesome among the beings of this stage as the dominating trait of their mind. The scroll is largely concerned with the cosmological issues including the...
This study explores the lived experiences of Spiritual Emotional Intelligence (SEI), a psychological framework rooted in the Bhagavad Gitā , a foundational text of Indian spiritual philosophy. Building on a previously proposed model comprising five dimensions—ā tma-bodha (self-awareness), samatva (equanimity), niṣkāma-karma (non-attached action), Dharma (virtuous duty), and bhakti (devotion)—we...
Mindfulness has its origins in Buddhist traditions and encourages individuals to accept the present moment exactly as it is, without judging people, actions, or events. Mindfulness techniques are taken up by medical researchers and applied in therapeutic programs for mental health. Also, mindfulness contributes to improve the quality of medical communication, to developing the skills of...
Abstract In the Buddhist conceptualization of tanhā (a form of craving), it is seen as the main reason for suffering, the undermining of morals, and instability in existence. The goal of tanhā-nirodha (the cessation of craving) is Buddhist soteriology, but the goal is not limited to monastic practices and touches on many aspects of modern ethics, psychology, and social issues. In this paper,...
I draw upon the conceptual resources of the extended mind thesis (EM) to analyze empathy and interpersonal understanding. Against the dominant mentalistic paradigm, I argue that empathy is fundamentally an extended bodily activity and that much of our social understanding happens outside of the head. First, I look at how the two dominant models of interpersonal understanding, theory theory and...