Non-dual Techniques of Body, Energy and Consciousness: The Philosophy and Practice of Meditation

Dear Colleagues,

Meditation is a core physical practice of religion, as there are meditative practices and effects in prayers and rituals. There are thousands of peoples and religions in the world, so the number of meditation types is even greater. From what perspective should we examine these diverse meditation groups? In this Special Issue, entitled "Non-dual Techniques of Body, Energy and Consciousness: The Philosophy and Practice of Meditation", we welcome works that open up new and comprehensive perspectives on meditation research.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on meditation.

In the history of religious studies, meditation research has been ongoing in areas of study such as religious practice, enlightenment, mysticism and ritual. Especially since the mid-20th century, the practice and study of meditation has made significant progress in movements and cultures that aim to transcend modernity, such as counterculture and the New Age. The academic tradition and the demands of the times in relation to such meditation have been heightened in the stressful contemporary world, where global human problems are accumulating.

Under these socio-cultural conditions, meditation research has gradually gained momentum in recent years, with studies of each meditation and the meditations of different religions, as well as comparative studies of meditation in different world regions, gradually gaining depth. Attempts have also been made by Wilber, Goleman, Brown and others to construct a general theory of meditation. However, it is undeniable that the epistemological assumptions of the various studies to date have been based on mind–body dualism and an emphasis on consciousness. There is a kind of Orientalism in such research overemphasis. It is necessary here to take a retrospective look at traditional meditation research, to review it epistemologically and methodologically, and at the same time, by doing so, to re-examine the history of meditation and the socio-cultural situations of meditation in the contemporary world and those surrounding it, as well as the philosophy of meditation.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Research area A: To try and refine new ways of describing meditation through a critical examination of consciousness-centred mind–body dualism and a shift towards a triadic theory of body, energy and consciousness. For example, to describe Zen while also focusing on the energetic dimension.
• Research area B: To construct a more comprehensive general theory of meditation by comparing meditations from different religious traditions, paying attention to the historical influences and transmission processes of meditations that have not yet been proven, rather than stopping at a comparison of meditations from different religions or from different regions of the world.
• Research area C: To re-locate the present state of contemporary meditation, such as mindfulness (MBSR), from a more overarching perspective of the social history of meditation and the philosophy of meditation. Such contemporary meditation can be regarded as a contemporary religious practice, although it claims to be de-religious. We are witnessing an era in which the traditional dichotomy between philosophy and religion is being deconstructed and a new philosophy of practice = religion is being born.

The above-mentioned challenges in the study of religions will lead to a deeper and better understanding of the various religions and at the same time provide a better compass for navigating the seas of meditation practice.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarising their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of this Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Naoki Kashio
Dr. Jørn Borup
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• practice
• prayer
• consciousness
• body
• energy
• bio-force
• mind
• soul
• spirituality
• psychosomatic technique
• body–mind transformation
• non-duality

Title: Positioning of Meditation in Modern Yoga

Abstract: This paper explores the role of meditation in modern yoga, tracing its evolution from the late 19th century to the present. It specifically focuses on Hatha Yoga, Tantra Yoga, and Jnana Yoga.　Hatha Yoga places emphasis on physical postures (asanas) and breath control (pranayama). The Body Scan technique, part of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, is examined within this context. Additionally, the paper discusses Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, known as "moving meditation," which emphasizes the connection between the body and breath. Tantra Yoga, on the other hand, aims to channel life energy without judgment of good or bad. The study explores OSHO's approach, integrating chaotic breathing, emotional catharsis, and mantra-based energy activation into "dynamic meditation," often complemented by psychotherapy and bodywork. Furthermore, the paper delves into Jnana Yoga, particularly the non-dual perspective it embodies. This includes a discussion of Jiddu Krishnamurti and Eckhart Tolle, both prominent practitioners who challenge the idea that meditation techniques and their pursuit are products of the ego or self. In summary, this paper thoroughly examines the multifaceted landscape of meditation within modern yoga, offering insights into its evolution and diverse approaches in the contemporary era.

Title: Initiation and Possession in the Vodun: Active Body-Mind Meditation Techniques

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Title: Tsuruji Sahoda's Yogic Experience: from a Scholar to a Practitioner

Abstract: This paper will focus on Tsuruji Sahoda (1899-1986), who can be called one of the leading figures in popularizing Indian yoga practice and its meditation methods in modern Japan. After studying mainstream Indian philosophy and obtaining his doctorate, Master Sahoda served as a professor in Indian philosophy at Osaka University and other institutions. It was at the age of 62, just before retirement from Osaka University, that he encountered yoga practice by receiving instruction from an Indian in Japan. He then mastered yoga, established a yoga Ashram in Kyoto, trained disciples, and eventually made a significant contribution to the spread of full-fledged yoga in Japan. He published many books and translations on yoga as a physical and meditational techniques. In his writings, how is his experience of meditation and the non-dualistic union with the Absolute understood and elucidated by him? How is his Hindu-rooted yoga coherently related to his background as a Buddhist monk? In other words, is his yoga, which is adapted to the Japanese spiritual or religious soil, consistent with the authentic, authoritative Hindu yoga system without contradiction? By examining these issues through comparison with other yoga founders and practitioners in Japan and abroad, we will reconsider the characteristics and significance of Sahota's yogic meditation from a broader perspective.

Title: Tasting Space: Opening to the nondual un/conscious—the meditative practice of Integral Relational Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Abstract: Through theoretical discussion, elucidating a clinical example, the meditative practice of Integral Relational Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (Pearson & Marlo, 2021; Pearson Trimbach, 2022, 2023) will be presented. Specifically, the synergistic relationship between the Buddhist practice of Mahamudra (a union and fruition of Shamatha and Vipassana meditation) and the combined psychoanalytic practices of evenly hovering attention (Freud), free association (Freud), engaging in clinical practice “beyond memory, desire, understanding, and expectation” (Bion, 1984), resting in at-one-ment (Bion, 1984; Eshel, 2019), and “being and becoming O” (Bion, 1984, 1991; Grotstein, 2000, 2007, 2009a, 2009b; Eigen, 2011, 2014, 2018; Eshel, 2019) will be explored. Through application of Bion’s (1963, 1983, 1984) multiple vertices (centering on the Mystical and the Clinical vertices) and attending to the simultaneity of Grotstein’s (2009a, 2009b) multiple tracks (right-brain dreaming and left-brain clinical tracking), Integral Relational Psychodynamic Psychotherapeutic meditative practice will be illuminated. In regarding meditative and clinical awareness as Siamese twins (Grotstein, 2000, 2009a, 2009b) of Integral Relational Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the contemplative depth of clinical work, through a case example, will be brought out. Partnering these joint yet distinct capacities, the nondual un/conscious will be centered as a contemplative practice of “tasting space”, where the unconscious and consciousness are held as ultimately non-separate dimensions of being and becoming—the site of mystery and opening further into the depths.   References: Bion, W. (1963). Second thoughts. Karnac Books. Bion, W. (1983). Attention and interpretation. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Bion, W. (1991). A memoir of the future. Routledge. Bion, W. (1984). Transformations. Karnac Classics. Eigen, M. (2015). Coming through the whirlwind. Chiron Publications. (Original work published in 1992). Eigen, M. (2011). Contact with the depths. Karnac Books. Eigen, M. (2014). Faith. Karnac. Eigen, M. (2018). The Challenge of Being Human. Routledge. Grotstein, J. (2007). A beam of intense darkness: Wilfred Bion’s legacy to psychoanalysis. Karnac Books. Grotstein, J. (2000). Who is the dreamer who dreams the dream? A study of psychic presences. The Analytic Press. Grostein, J. S. (2009a). “…But at the same time and on another level…” Psychoanalytic Theory in the Kleinian Bionian Mode. Vol.1. Karnac Books. Grotstein, J.S. (2009b). “…But at the same time and on another level…” Psychoanalytic Theory in the Kleinian Bionian Mode. Vol.2. Karnac Books. Eshel, O. (2019). The emergence of analytic oneness: Into the heart of psychoanalysis. Routledge. Pearson, W. & H. Marlo (2021). The spiritual psyche in psychotherapy: Mysticism, intersubjectivity, and psychoanalysis. Routledge. Pearson Trimbach, W. (2023). Psyche's score: Music of the integral psychodynamic sphere and its orbits. Integral Review, 18(1). Pearson Trimbach, W. (2022). Integral Relational Practice of Dreaming the Caesura, Jung Journal, Volume 16 Issue 4.