Meditation, Buddhism, and Science

Abstract

This volume discusses modern transformations of Buddhist and Buddhist-derived meditation and the scientific studies of these practices from the humanistic perspective of scholars in the interdisciplinary field of Buddhist Studies. Meditation, particularly “mindfulness” meditation, has garnered enormous attention in recent years as the object of scientific study, to the point of redefining the very conception of meditation in the popular imagination and the academy. For millennia, these practices occurred almost exclusively in monastic contexts for soteriological purposes. Yet today, the institutional settings, goals, and the practices themselves have undergone momentous changes. Contemporary practice often focuses on practical matters, such as health, relationships, and work life, with little to no consideration given to the beliefs, values, or cosmologies that underpin such practice from the Buddhist point of view. Moreover, meditation’s institutional homes have gone from the monastery to some of the most powerful institutions in the world, including public universities, hospitals, multinational corporations, and the US military, as well as many non-institutional settings. The plethora of scientific studies conducted in recent years have, in fact, not only undergirded these transformations, but have helped to create them. The contributors to this volume seek to understand these changes within their broader historical, cultural, and institutional contexts. Their chapters show the importance of the humanistic study of the complex interrelations between Buddhism and the scientific study of meditative practices.