Did Socrates Meditate? On Some Traces of Contemplative Practices in Early Greco-Latin Philosophy
Religions June 23, 2022 John Michael Chase 1 citation
Drawing on Pierre Hadot's insights, this paper argues that while explicit discussions of breath control and psychosomatic techniques are absent in early Greek thought, analogous practices likely existed, possibly as early as Socrates. Evidence from Aristophanes and Plato suggests Socrates may have engaged in a two-stage meditative practice resembling Zen Buddhism: first, a top-down, egocentric focused meditation leading to sensory absorption, followed by a bottom-up, allocentric open meditation for a universal perspective. The paper also examines contemplative withdrawal in Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Evagrius Ponticus, and Gregory Palamas.