This research project aims to explore the concept of Liyan, a very important concept for Nyikina people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Nyikina collaborators have described it as a feeling in the chest area that is linked with a sense of connection, intuition, and general well-being. They have also described contemplative practices that …
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Cultivating mental imagery through prayer
Prayer is a cornerstone of religious life, practiced by over 50% of Americans on a daily basis(1). Prayer practices foster a variety of contemplative experiences with deep personal and cultural significance(2,3). For example, evangelical or charismatic Christians—who make up nearly 10% of the global population(4)—often report seeing visions that they experience as originating from an …
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Intersections of Buddhism and Psychology: An ethnographic study of contextual factors and contemplative practices in Bhutan
This ethnographic research will investigate contextual factors associated with contemplative practices in the nation of Bhutan. The motivation driving this research is twofold: firstly, the impact of contextual factors in the experience of contemplative practice has not been adequately studied; and secondly, Bhutan is experiencing an increase in the rate of suicide. Although the Bhutanese …
Navigating the end of life among Tibetans in exile: A transnational ethnographic study
This multi-sited ethnography in Queens, NY, Kathmandu, and Dharamsala, India, investigates how Tibetans conceive of, and prepare for death. Using death as a site of inquiry, this project considers an apparent paradox: how a temporal focus on life beyond death may enhance agency and empowerment in the present. This project engages a multi-generational sample, in …
Investigating the impact of yoga on brain aging: A randomized controlled trial
With the aging global population, dementia is becoming an increasing concern for global public health. Currently, some evidence suggests that meditation and yoga practice may help decrease risk for dementia and cognitive decline. Furthermore, these interventions have the strengths of being inexpensive and scalable, while also being helpful for brain aging as well as general …
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Ethical Know-How and Christian Contemplative Practices: A Case Study from Late Antiquity
In his lectures to the Università di Bologna published in 1992, Francisco Varela, Chilean neuroscientist and co-founder of the Mind & Life Institute, developed the theoretical infrastructure for a lively intersection between contemplative practices of “three wisdom traditions of the East” (as he puts it) and neuroscientific research on embodied cognition and mindfulness practices. Varela …
Tracking the neural network interaction changes associated with the initiation and maintenance of regular meditation practice with longitudinal EEG data
Meditation-naïve participants (n=45) will be recruited from Auburn University. Once recruited, participants will be randomized to either the meditation group, the active control group, or the inactive control group. Every effort will be made to promote engagement and reduce attrition, including offering extra credit in psychology classes along with monetary incentives. Each EEG and psychophysiological …
The neural bases of heightened awareness to the present moment
Over years of long-term practice, meditators’ brains and minds develop extraordinary abilities. One such ability is being able to exercise control over even basic mental processes that have long thought to be automatic from decades of research on non-meditating populations. A prior behavioral study conducted with expert Tibetan Buddhist practitioners who were shown ambiguous visual …
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From egocentric to ecocentric: Pro-social and pro-environmental actualizations of mindfulness at an intensive monastic retreat
The present research uniquely sheds light on the practices of Humanistic Buddhism (a form of Engaged Buddhism most prevalent in modern Taiwan), which have been completely neglected in contemplative science. It also explores the social and ecological implications of contemplative practice, another under-investigated area of research. By investigating the effects of a Buddhist monastic retreat …
Unseaming the secular: Poetry, process, and belief in the world
Our “real responsibility,” H.H. the Dalai Lama has suggested, is to find a “new approach” or “more holistic view” for the 21st century. A good place to begin might be a holistic understanding of meditation. Yet, is such a view fully articulable in current contemplative science and embodied philosophy? Do concepts such as cognitive ecology …
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