The Lived Experience of Meditation
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology September 1, 2001 J. Barnes 2 citations
A first-person phenomenological exploration of meditative experiences describes how bodily sensations such as sounds, vibrations, and light are perceived through the senses yet recognized as non-physical. The practitioner brackets expectations and meditates, finding that deep meditative states preclude awareness of the material world, so experiences are described only upon emerging. Focusing attention on these sensations increases their intensity, leading to a spiritual realm where time, space, and materiality become irrelevant. The author concludes that meditative and spiritual experiences occur both during and outside structured meditation, challenging the initial assumption that meditation requires a specific technique.