Meditation research suffers from a labeling problem: different mental practices are grouped under broad terms like mindfulness, hiding real differences in attention training and views of the mind. This leads to inconsistent EEG and fMRI results. The authors build a knowledge graph ontology linking brain measurements to practitioners' experiences across six traditions (Samatha Jhana, Vipassana, Dzogchen Rigpa, devotional/deity practices, Zen/Seon hwadu investigation, and Jōdo Shinshū nembutsu recitation). They add a third axis to the standard two-part model of consciousness, tracking movement toward open, nondual awareness.
A pilot study compared a beginner meditation group (21 participants) with an experienced group (9 participants, >1 year of practice) that also engaged in mindful art. Over 21 days, with twice-weekly 90-minute remote sessions and daily home practice, blood pressure, pulse, breathing rate, and subjective relaxation were measured. The experienced group showed larger average within-session improvements in breath rate and relaxation. The beginner group showed greater improvement over the whole study period, though their average scores remained lower than the experienced group. The findings suggest mindful art may enhance meditation benefits for experienced practitioners, while beginners gain more from standard meditation alone.