Recognizing Cognitive Models as Models: Critical Meta-Awareness as a Key to Exploring Buddhist Practices and Their Contemporary Applications
Mindfulness October 1, 2025 Francesco Tormen, C. Mascarello
In Mahāyāna Buddhism, the path to liberation involves recognizing that all phenomena lack inherent existence. This paper reframes that concept using contemporary psychological and cognitive-science terms, introducing 'critical meta-awareness' as a parallel to the traditional notion of wisdom (prajñā). Wisdom is central to reducing suffering, which stems from identifying with a self and treating cognitive models as objective reality. The paper reviews contemplative research to examine how meditation develops critical meta-awareness and how that awareness relates to well-being. It identifies three Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices that cultivate such awareness but have been overlooked by research due to their metaphysical framing. The author argues that, secularly reframed, these practices could advance metacognition research and have broader societal applications.