A study on participation experiences of Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation program beginners: focusing on abyssal meditation

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the process and experience of abyssal meditation based on Zen meditation for beginners in Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation. Method: This study conducted unstructured interviews with 40 people who first encountered Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation, and then analyzed them using a qualitative research method by consensus. Results: As a result of the analysis of this study, 6 categories and 25 subcategories were derived, centering on two areas: the first Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation experience of Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation beginners through the Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation program and the change experience through participation in the Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation program of Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation beginners. Looking at the main categories, first, as a result of examining the first Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation experience of Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation beginners, three categories were derived: ‘Abyss experience through first Seon(禪) meditation’, ‘Positive experience through first Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation’, ‘Experience the difficulty of meditation through first Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation’. Second, as a result of examining the experience of change through Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation beginners’ participation in the Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation program, three categories were derived: ‘Changes in Abyss Experience through Seon(禪) Buddhism Meditation’, ‘Changes in Positive Experiences through Seon(禪) Buddhism Meditation’, ‘Changes in Meditation Difficulty Experiences through Seon(禪) Buddhism Meditation’. Conclusion: The results of this study are significant in that they presented the traditional East Asian meditation as an alternative method tailored to modern needs by confirming the effect of Abyssal Meditation based on Seon(禪) Buddhism meditation.