Current research in neurobiology
January 1, 2022
Maria Kozhevnikov, Alina Veronika Irene Strasser, Elizabeth Mcdougal et al.
13 citations
Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhist) practices that modulate attentional control through arousal-driven influences, rather than through monitoring continuous thought processes as in mindfulness, produce distinct neural and physiological states. In 16 highly experienced practitioners, the generation stage (Yidam) and completion stage with sign (Tummo) induced parasympathetic withdrawal (arousal) and phasic alertness, seen as decreased high-frequency heart rate variability and increased alpha2 power. These states were later employed in Tantric Mahamudra, which led to high cortical excitability, non-selective focused attention, and reduced attentional control, with power reductions in all frequency bands except theta. In contrast, non-Tantric Mahamudra resembled mindfulness practices, with parasympathetic dominance, tonic alertness, and active monitoring, shown by increased alpha1 power and less pronounced decreases in other bands. A neurobiological model differentiating arousal-based and mindfulness-related practices is proposed.
Journal of Religion and Health
February 20, 2019
Geoffrey Samuel
12 citations
Tibetan thought attributes many conditions that Western medicine classifies as psychiatric illness to an imbalance of rlung (wind, breath), a concept with dual origins in Ayurvedic medicine and Tantric Buddhism. Tibetan theories of rlung show significant correspondences with Western concepts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and Western medicine has also linked psychiatric issues to ANS problems. The article presents elements of both systems, explores similarities and differences, and asks whether these similarities could enable a productive encounter between Tibetan and Western approaches to understanding and treating psychiatric illness, considering what Western psychiatry might learn from Tibetan methods.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Geoffrey Samuel
1 citation
Tantric practice in Tibetan Buddhism aims at enlightenment but is also used for health and longevity. The visualization of a Tantric deity and mandala re-creates a universe linking body-mind and environment. Along with mantra recitation, secret breathing, sometimes sexualized visualizations, and movements, these techniques help reabsorb life-essence lost to the environment. Technique and culture intertwine, as the practices rest on a shamanic worldview where life-essence can be lost to external forces and recovered to restore health.
Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions
January 1, 2008
Geoffrey Samuel
Recent scholarship on Tantra often treats it as a path to enlightenment, separate from ritual healing, mediumship, and spirit possession. Frederick Smith’s book The Self Possessed argues the opposite: that healing, sorcery, and spiritual liberation all share common assumptions and a common idiom. Smith presents the idea of entry, pervasion, or possession (avesa) as a fundamental trope in Indic thought, encompassing conception, Tantric ritual, occupying another body, and malevolent spirit attack. This article questions whether we are applying the wrong categories to understand Indic and other religious traditions, and sketches an alternative way to view the field of possession, exploring its implications.