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Buddhist Meditation: Culture, Mindfulness, and Rationality
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Buddhist Meditation: Culture, Mindfulness, and Rationality

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 4298

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Heather Kempton

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Psychology, Massey University Auckland, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Interests: meditation; mindfulness; spirituality; Buddhism; transformation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Religions that explores the multifaceted dimensions of Buddhist meditation, focusing on its cultural contexts, psychological mechanisms, and philosophical foundations. Buddhist meditation has long been a subject of scholarly interest across disciplines such as religious studies, anthropology, psychology, and cognitive science. In recent decades, practices such as mindfulness have gained prominence in both clinical and secular settings, yet the cultural, doctrinal, and rational underpinnings of these practices are often simplified or overlooked, making this an important area for deeper interdisciplinary inquiry.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together diverse scholarly perspectives to critically examine how Buddhist meditation is understood, practiced, and adapted across historical and contemporary contexts. This Special Issue aligns with the scope of Religions by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on religious traditions, spiritual practices, and their intersections with modern life. Moreover, this Issue seeks to bridge classical Buddhist scholarship with contemporary applications, offering insights into both the spiritual and psychological dimensions of meditation.

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

  • The historical development of meditation practices in Buddhist traditions;
  • The role of meditation in different Buddhist schools and cultures;
  • The adaptation of mindfulness in contemporary therapeutic contexts;
  • Cognitive and emotional effects of meditative practices;
  • Philosophical debates on rationality and introspection in Buddhist thought;
  • Ethical and epistemological implications of secularizing Buddhist practices;
  • Comparative approaches to Buddhist meditation across traditions;
  • Critiques of the modern mindfulness movement and its cultural translations.

We hope this Special Issue will deepen the understanding of Buddhist meditation as both a spiritual discipline and a tool for psychological well-being. By bringing together scholars from diverse fields, this collection will highlight Buddhist meditation as a living tradition and a dynamic area of research.

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

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Heather Kempton
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.

Keywords

  • Buddhism
  • meditation
  • mindfulness
  • culture
  • psychology
  • philosophy
  • rationality
  • introspection
  • secularization
  • in-terdisciplinarity

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 407 KB  
Article
Five Hundred Monks in Crisis: Meditation-Related Difficulties and Prescriptive Responses in the Pāli Commentarial Tradition
by Byoungjai Lee
Religions 2026, 17(3), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17030390 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 307
Abstract
Meditation-related difficulties have been systematically documented in contemporary contemplative science, yet the prescriptive resources preserved in the ancient Buddhist commentarial literature remain underutilized in comparative research. This study analyzes the case of five hundred monks in the Paramatthajotikā I’s commentary on the [...] Read more.
Meditation-related difficulties have been systematically documented in contemporary contemplative science, yet the prescriptive resources preserved in the ancient Buddhist commentarial literature remain underutilized in comparative research. This study analyzes the case of five hundred monks in the Paramatthajotikā I’s commentary on the Karaṇīya-metta-sutta. During intensive practice, these monks experienced complex psychosomatic symptoms—perceptual disturbances, fear, somatic distress, and cognitive impairment—and received from the Buddha an integrated prescription of five protective practices (pañca rakkhā). Through Pāli textual and comparative analysis with Lindahl et al.’s taxonomy of meditation-related difficulties, this study demonstrates that the monks’ symptoms correspond systematically to the perceptual, affective, somatic, and cognitive domains of the modern taxonomy, with the critical difference residing in interpretive frameworks rather than in the phenomena themselves. The five practices—loving-kindness meditation, protective chant recitation, contemplation of impurity, mindfulness of death, and the arousal of religious urgency—constitute a sequentially structured system progressing from the emotional reframing of fear to the deconstruction of bodily and existential attachment, culminating in the restoration of soteriological motivation. This study argues that Paramatthajotikā I’s prescriptive system provides a historically grounded, soteriologically oriented complement to contemporary contemplative science, particularly in bridging the gap between phenomenological classification and meaning-centered intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Meditation: Culture, Mindfulness, and Rationality)
23 pages, 502 KB  
Article
Cultivating the Meditative Mind: The Philosophical Integration of Śamatha and Vipaśyanā in Early Yogācāra Thought
by Feifei Yan and Zhanguo Peng
Religions 2026, 17(2), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020200 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 593
Abstract
This study examines the systematic development and philosophical “finalization” of śamatha (止 tranquility) and vipaśyanā (觀 insight) within the foundational texts of the Yogācāra tradition. Central to the transmission of Buddhism to East Asia was the categorization of practice (修行 caryā) through [...] Read more.
This study examines the systematic development and philosophical “finalization” of śamatha (止 tranquility) and vipaśyanā (觀 insight) within the foundational texts of the Yogācāra tradition. Central to the transmission of Buddhism to East Asia was the categorization of practice (修行 caryā) through the lenses of concentration (三摩地 samādhi) and wisdom (般若 prajñā). This paper focuses on two pivotal canons: the Śrāvakabhūmi 聲聞地 section of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra 瑜伽師地論 and the Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra 解深密經. In the Śrāvakabhūmi, Śamatha is presented as a rigorous, self-contained psychological system. The text outlines a cognitive progression from “worldly common paths”—including impurities meditation (不淨觀 aśubhabhāvanā) and the eight liberations (八解脫 aṣṭau vimokṣāḥ)—to the sophisticated “nine stages of mental abiding” (九住心 navākārā citta-sthitiḥ). This research analyzes the psychological mechanisms of these stages, illustrating how they facilitate a metacognitive transition from distraction (散亂 vikṣepa) to absorption (禪那 dhyāna), culminating in the eradication of afflictions (煩惱 kleśa). Furthermore, the paper explores how the Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra provides the ultimate philosophical synthesis of these practices. By framing śamatha and vipaśyanā within the Consciousness-Only (唯識 vijñaptimātratā) framework, the sūtra finalizes the meaning of Adhicitta-śikṣā (增上心學 training in higher mind). By bridging the technical rigor of the Śrāvakabhūmi with the Mahāyāna ontological depth of the Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra, this study clarifies the evolution of buddhist bhāvanā. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Meditation: Culture, Mindfulness, and Rationality)
19 pages, 709 KB  
Article
Mindful Solitude as an Antidote and Antonym to Loneliness: A Historic and Therapeutic Buddhist Perspective
by Heather Kempton and Kamla Waila
Religions 2025, 16(11), 1439; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16111439 - 12 Nov 2025
Viewed by 2015
Abstract
This article explores the concept of mindful solitude as both an antidote and antonym to loneliness, integrating Buddhist doctrinal insights with contemporary psychological research. While solitude is often conflated with isolation or loneliness, we argue that when chosen intentionally and cultivated mindfully, it [...] Read more.
This article explores the concept of mindful solitude as both an antidote and antonym to loneliness, integrating Buddhist doctrinal insights with contemporary psychological research. While solitude is often conflated with isolation or loneliness, we argue that when chosen intentionally and cultivated mindfully, it becomes a space of healing, insight, and relational depth. Drawing from classical Buddhist texts, historical exemplars such as Shakyamuni and Milarepa, and modern scholarship, we trace the evolution of solitude within Buddhist traditions, highlighting its role in ethical transformation and meditative insight. We contrast this with secular mindfulness programs, noting their therapeutic benefits while acknowledging their divergence from traditional Buddhist ethics and soteriology. Through interdisciplinary analysis, we propose a framework in which mindfulness mediates the experience of solitude, fostering autonomy, inner-directedness, and meaningful solitary activities. This reframing positions solitude not as absence but as presence: an intentional engagement with the self that enhances emotional regulation and social connectedness. In an age marked by hyperconnectivity and rising loneliness, mindful solitude offers a counter-narrative: a spiritually and psychologically enriching state that supports wellbeing and compassionate re-engagement. By bridging Buddhist contemplative traditions with empirical psychological findings, this article affirms solitude as a vital condition for both personal and collective healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Meditation: Culture, Mindfulness, and Rationality)
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