Contemplative Practices and Soteriological Epistemology: Carrying Forward the Phenomenological Project
Journal of Contemplative Studies November 17, 2025 Ashok Zaman
Contrary to Odysseus Stone and Dan Zahavi's claim that mindfulness and Phenomenology are incomparable because mindfulness focuses on experience rather than the mind-world dyad, the author argues that both traditions aim at knowledge beyond mere words. Drawing on Eugene Gendlin's experiential Phenomenology, the author contends that mindfulness, rooted in its soteriological context, cultivates a form of higher cognition (prajñā) grounded in implicit experience. This provides precise epistemic footing for philosophy, showing that recovering contemplative practice advances rather than diverges from the phenomenological project.