Abstract
No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lifetime. The argument however, is to what extent? Does it arise spontaneously, out of true empathy and compassion for others, or it is goal-oriented with some hidden motive? Here, our primary intention is to convey that, though various meditation-based interventions can be utilized for different purposes like cultivating prosocial behaviors such as compassion, empathy etc., one’s underlying motive and intent seems to play a crucial role in an individual’s development. Most of the studies exploring prosociality, in the context of meditation, usually do not consider the role of hidden or underlying motivation in one’s prosocial expression. By considering an example of how mindfulness may sometimes lead to the wrong consequences, we try to analyze why it is important to include the aspect of inner motivation in future studies exploring the effects of meditation on prosociality. We also propose that while practicing meditation one may need traditional assistance and ethical/moral teachings in addition to those merely isolated techniques.
Highlights
It is natural that we question the nature of the world we perceive, but we question the very nature and purpose of life
Addressing the context, in Mattes (2018), the author states that—‘‘More mindfulness of our human cognitive limitations should lead to less dogmatism in general, and in ethical matters in particular.’’ In the current situation, and based on the preliminary evidence, it is tough to say if prosocial abilities attributed to meditation is because of the practices alone or because of the supplemented traditional teachings. Such a connection has not been explored in detail and we propose that more studies on meditation and its potential to develop prosocial behaviors in the context of moral and ethical dogmatism, in a particular culture, are needed
It is important to examine the potential of different contemplative practices, like meditation, to cultivate prosocial behaviors
Summary
It is natural that we question the nature of the world we perceive, but we question the very nature and purpose of life. We have some preliminary evidence from recent studies that meditation affects prosocial behaviors, the main focus of the majority of these studies were on Buddhist contemplative practices (Hofmann et al, 2011; Gilbert and Choden, 2013; Gilbert, 2014; Kirby et al, 2017; Matos et al, 2017; Luberto et al, 2018) Since exhibiting these prosocial aspects is the fundamental and essential teaching in different schools of Hinduism, we need scientific studies that investigate the role of these practices in cultivating empathy, compassion and altruism etc.
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