Journal of Contemplative Studies
January 29, 2026
Iain Sinclair
The eighth-century Buddhist text Bodhicaryāvatāra, often used in modern meditation teachings, developed alongside restricted tantric practices. The author shows that Śāntideva’s visualization techniques parallel transgressive rituals from the Secret Communion (Guhyasamāja Tantra), and his homage to Mañjunātha, an esoteric deity, suggests tantric influences. Double entendres about bodhicitta may reference libertine yogis. While tantric yoga aims at deification, Śāntideva’s mandalic confession rite fosters humility and altruism, offering an indirect critique of transgressive bodily yogas. The article reconsiders the relationship between guided meditation and ritual action in this contemplative tradition.
Humans
January 14, 2026
Federico Divino
Early Buddhist Pāli sources present cognition as a layered process arising from the interplay of sensory and affective domains, culminating in semiotic determinations (nāmarūpa) and the proliferation of conceptual constructs. Drawing parallels with Peircean pansemioticism, the article argues that both traditions treat phenomena as sign-constituted events, and that contemplative practice can interrupt habitual chains of semiosis. By bridging Buddhist phenomenology with cognitive science and semiotics, the Buddhist model—with its precise technical vocabulary and analyses of attention, perception, and conceptualization—offers tools for understanding and modulating cognitive processes in theory and practice.
Archive for the Psychology of Religion
January 12, 2026
Junyi Hao, Chang Liu, Shaozhen Feng et al.
Daoist meditation practices, such as Sitting in Oblivion and Inner Observation, are less commonly used than Buddhist meditation for psychological regulation due to their philosophical complexity. This analysis compared classical Daoist methods and developed a new technique called Merging Oblivion Meditation, which combines Inner Observation and Sitting in Oblivion. Inner Observation, which involves merging with the cosmic landscape, proved more adaptable for psychological use. Merging Oblivion Meditation uses guided imagination to reduce the sense of self by fostering experiential unity with cosmic landscapes, facilitating nondual awareness without apophatic operations. This approach simplifies traditional Sitting in Oblivion, making it more feasible as a psychological technique. It differs from Buddhist-derived practices in process and effects, potentially engaging distinct mechanisms for nondual experiences.
Philosophies
January 12, 2026
Federico Divino
In Pāli Buddhist texts, language and cognition are deeply intertwined: signs structure cognitive processes and semiosis drives the proliferation of concepts and percepts, organizing a shared yet partly subjective world. Drawing on linguistics, semiotics, and biosemiotics, the paper provides a vocabulary for understanding Buddhist reflections on these issues and offers a genealogical inquiry into why language holds a pivotal role in Pāli Buddhism.
Artificial General Intelligence
January 1, 2026
Ruben E. Laukkonen, Fionn Inglis, Shamil Chandaria et al.
1 citation
Prompting AI to reflect on four contemplative principles—mindfulness, emptiness, non-duality, and boundless care—improves alignment and cooperation. On the AILuminate Benchmark, performance increased with a Cohen's d of .96, and on the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma task, cooperation and joint-reward improved with a Cohen's d greater than 7. The principles help AI self-monitor goals, avoid rigid attachment, dissolve adversarial boundaries, and reduce suffering universally. Active inference is proposed as a way to integrate these principles into AI architecture. This approach offers a resilient alternative to controlling superintelligence and provides an empirical test of ancient wisdom.
International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education
January 1, 2026
Bishnu Hari Paudel
Contemporary scholarship recognizes vocal practices such as sutta recitation, paritta chanting, mantra repetition, and devotional invocation as central to Buddhism, challenging earlier Western views of it as a rational philosophy focused on individual meditation. Chanting involves rhythmic recitation of canonical texts, protective formulas, and mantras, often in liturgical languages not fully understood by lay participants. Prayer overlaps with aspirational verses, bodhisattva vows, and invocations directed toward buddhas, bodhisattvas, or deities, especially in Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. Unlike theistic petitionary prayer, Buddhist prayer emphasizes aspiration for universal welfare, confession, and merit dedication, though popular practice includes requests for protection, health, prosperity, and favorable rebirth.
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology
January 1, 2026
Seth Zuihō Segall
Western Buddhist scholarship and scientific psychology both arose in the late Victorian era and have influenced each other since psychology's beginning. This entry describes how and why psychologists became interested in Buddhism, Buddhism's history and core tenets, and its impact on psychological theory, research, and practice. It also addresses controversies in incorporating Buddhism into a naturalistic empirical framework and unresolved research issues, and outlines future directions for inquiry.
Journal of Humanities and Education Development
January 1, 2026
Dorji Phuntsho
Nirvana is consistently associated with the cessation of craving, ignorance, and suffering across Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism, but its interpretation differs. Theravada emphasizes the realization of non-self and the unconditioned state as the culmination of disciplined insight and ethical practice. Mahayana reinterprets Nirvana through the doctrine of emptiness and non-duality, highlighting the inseparability of Nirvana and samsara. Vajrayana presents liberation as the recognition of awakened awareness through esoteric practice, symbolic methods, and transitional states. The paper suggests that Nirvana is a dynamic and evolving concept shaped by doctrinal, experiential, and historical contexts.
Journal of psychosocial oncology
January 1, 2026
Chloe Wells, William Van Gordon, Paul Barrows
3 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions are effective for psychological distress in cancer care, but their Western adoption raises ethical concerns about cultural appropriation of Buddhist wisdom. This paper examines these ethical implications for patients, practitioners, and researchers. It proposes modifications to ensure practitioners understand Buddhist philosophy and transparently communicate the tradition's origins to oncology patients. Recommendations include ethically introducing Buddhist principles, emphasizing clinician education on mindfulness's philosophical foundations—especially 'Right Mindfulness'—and fostering understanding that mindfulness is an ethically informed practice. The paper advocates for shared decision-making and trauma-informed adaptations while respecting the cultural origins and philosophical depth of this ancient practice.