Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Sarah Shaw
1 citation
In early Pāli Buddhist literature, meditation objects are not fixed but varied, reflecting a tradition that emphasizes a graduated path tailored to individual needs. Objects that induce calm and meditative states (jhāna) are typically recommended before those producing insight, though some objects can foster both. The Dhammapada narratives illustrate a flexible pedagogy that uses internal and external experiences, chance events, and skilled teacher interventions to guide practitioners. The key is how objects are given and used, prioritizing individual need over rigid structure.
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.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Madhu Khanna
1 citation
In Hindu Tantric meditation, the Śrīyantra is a visual tool composed of nine circuits that correspond to psychic energy centers along the subtle body's vertical midline. The meditative process moves from the peripheral circuit, representing gross consciousness, inward toward the central Bindu, symbolizing subtle and transcendent consciousness. The yantra's symbolic universe includes mantras, deities, cosmic categories, and psychological traits, which provide an interpretative frame for inducing psychocosmic identities between the meditator and the meditative object, overcoming their dichotomy and disconnection.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Johannes Bronkhorst
The essay argues that the confusing descriptions of meditation in Jaina canonical texts, such as the Āyāraṅga and Uttarajjhayaṇa, led to many discontinuities and innovations in the history of Jaina meditation. The term dhyāna (jhāna) is used for both meditative and non-meditative mental activity, and canonical lists of four types of dhyāna were typically misread as types of meditation. Only one type, "pure meditation," was considered truly meditative, but it was often thought to occur only in the last moments before death or to be inaccessible in the present age. Post-canonical writers like Hemacandra filled the resulting vacuum, sometimes drawing on experience and external influences.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Harold D. Roth
The classical Daoist textual corpus, often interpreted as abstract philosophy, actually emerged from a tradition centered on specific meditative techniques and goals. These practices included proper posture, breath cultivation, focused attention, and apophatic training to restrict desires, emotions, thoughts, and perceptions, aiming to reveal a deeper reality called the Way. Over time, these self-cultivation methods were seen as beneficial for rulership, connecting the ruler to a correlative web of cosmic energies.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Morten Schlütter
A meditation technique called kànhuà, developed by Chinese Zen master Dàhuì Zōnggǎo (1089–1163), focuses on the keyword or punch line (huàtóu) of puzzling kōan stories. Dàhuì taught that this practice leads to sudden breakthrough enlightenment, contrasting it with seated meditation in the rival Cáodòng tradition, which he considered a dead end. Over subsequent centuries, four innovations emerged: using kànhuà to calm the mind, emphasizing doubt more, integrating Pure Land practice, and occasionally calling the huàtóu aloud. Despite these changes, kànhuà remained faithful to Dàhuì’s original vision.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Are Holen
Scientific research on meditation began in the 1970s with a focus on the physiology of relaxation, while a second ongoing wave emphasizes modes of attention and their neural correlates. Anglo-American scientists have dominated both waves, yet the meditation practices studied have almost exclusively Asian origins. This essay argues that the shifting focus of meditation research is shaped not only by available scientific methods but also by the specific form of meditation under investigation and by influences from society and popular culture.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Halvor Eifring
Meditation is defined as an attention-based technique for inner transformation, providing a common reference for cross-cultural study. The essay discusses how meditative attention varies in focus and mode across cultures, attitudes toward its technical nature, and the relationship between short-term state changes and long-term trait changes in inner transformation. It distinguishes meditation from non-technical, state-oriented, or mechanical practices like automated mantra repetition, and explores fuzzy boundaries with prayer, mysticism, ritual, shamanism, medicine, martial arts, relaxation techniques, and psychotherapy.
Asian Traditions of Meditation
October 31, 2016
Halvor Eifring
Meditation practices can be divided into two types: directive meditation, which uses outside-in processes to bring about inner change, and non-directive meditation, which relies on inside-out processes. They differ in meditation object (thematic vs. technical), mental attitude (concentrative vs. non-concentrative), and context (suggestive vs. non-suggestive). Most practices combine both elements but vary in emphasis. The essay argues that the common contrast between concentrative and insight meditation is problematic for non-Buddhist forms. Social constructivism in cultural history has favored directive explanations, overlooking the importance of non-directive processes.