Background. Different methods are used to study cardiovascular parameters. Of these, heart rate variability (HRV) is a relevant marker for both athletes and physically active people. With regards to physical activity, yoga has become a popular form of activity in the recent years. In fact, research has indicated that yoga is a useful modality for both the management and prevention of several...
RATIONALE: Studies have suggested mental health improvements following the use of the psychotropic plant concoction ayahuasca in non-clinical and clinical samples. OBJECTIVES: The present observational study assessed depressive symptomatology in 20 clinically depressed patients (symptom score > 13 on the Beck's Depression Inventory) before attendance of an ayahuasca ceremony and 1 month and 1...
Consciousness will be introduced axiomatically, inspired by Buddhist insight meditation and psychology, logic in computer science, and cognitive neuroscience, as consisting of a stream of $configurations$ that is $compound$, $discrete$, and (non-deterministically) $computable$. Within this context the notions of self, concentration, mindfulness, and various forms of suffering can be defined. As...
The human response to the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a concerning decline in empathy for each other and the planet. A dualistic conception of mind and body coupled with a capitalist society that requires belief in an inherent self to fuel consumerism both complicate our ability to empathize because these ideas reify our conventional self. This paper argues that an understanding of the...
Mindfulness is understood as a state or practice of guiding attention to the present moment without judgment. While some studies on mindfulness-based interventions demonstrate beneficial effects on cognitive functions (e.g. Chiesa et al., 2011; Yakobi et al., 2021) it still appears challenging to identify underlying mechanisms due to the wide range of research designs and dependent measures...
Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Mind is an annual publication of some of the most cutting-edge work in the philosophy of mind. The philosophy of mind has, for at least half a decade, been torn between a traditional, armchair-led approach and a naturalistic, empirically driven approach. The most prestigious general philosophy journals tend to favor the traditional approach, while journals...
This chapter introduces Zen as an “investigation into the self.” It relates this to the emphasis on self-understanding and self-realization in other philosophical and religious traditions, especially to Socrates’s understanding of the maxim “Know thyself.” It explains why meditation is central to Zen’s method of investigating the self, and specifically how Zen meditation alleviates the...
This book offers an in-depth introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism. The author is a philosophy professor who formally practiced Zen in Japan for more than a dozen years and is authorized to teach Zen. During his years studying and teaching philosophy in universities in Japan, he worked closely with the leading contemporary representatives of the Kyoto School. The book...
This study aims to obtain a comprehensive picture of the self-acceptance of families who have children with autism through cognitive-behavioral and mindfullnes counseling. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method. The treatment was carried out for six sessions. The techniques used in cognitive behavioral counseling are cognitive restructuring and mindfulness therapy...
Abstract This chapter explains the differences between the meditation methods of the Sōtō and Rinzai schools of Zen. It begins by tracing the methodological disputes between these two schools back to the twelfth century, when the Linji (Japanese: Rinzai) master Dahui, who advocated the use of kōans, criticized the “silent illumination” taught by Caodong (Japanese: Sōtō) masters such as Hongzhi....