Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/meditation

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Bodymind (in meditation traditions)

Bodymind is a compound of body and mind and may be used differently in different meditation traditions. These different understandings often inform each other. The Buddhist philosopher, Herbert V. Günther, has stated:

What we call 'body' and 'mind' are mere abstractions from an identity experience that cannot be reduced to the one or the other abstraction, nor can it be hypostatized into some sort of thing without falsifying its very being.

Modern Western cultures inherited the concept of Cartesian dualism which isn't evident in many other cultures. As a result of multiculturalism and globalization, the bodymind philosophies found in other cultures, such as in Navajo and Tibetan societies, have been integrated into the bodymind concept adopted by the Western New Age movement.

Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism

In Vajrayana, Mahayana, Theravada and Zen Buddhism the concept of bodymind, or namarupa, is key. In Vajrayana, namarupa is informed by the related doctrines of heartmind and Yogachara's mindstream. Within these traditions, Bodymind is held as a continuüm and field phenomenon. Arpaia and Rapgay discuss the connection of mindbody in the eighth chapter of their book, *Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life *, entitled "Health: strengthening the mind-body connection".

David E. Shaner, PhD, coined the compound term "bodymind" in his thesis work at the University of Hawai'i, "The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism", which he defended in 1979 and published in 1985.[2] Shaner translated the term 心身統一合氣道, Shinshintouitsu Aikidō.

Notes

References

  • Arpaia, Joseph & D. Lobsang Rapgay. 2004. Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass.
  • Benson MD, Herbert. 2000 (1975). The Relaxation Response. Harper.
  • Shaner, David E. The bodymind experience in dōgen's "shōbōgenzō": A phenomenological perspective. Philosophy East and West.35(1):17-35(1985).

References

  1. {{Harvnb. Mipham. 1973
  2. "The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

meditation
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Bodymind (in meditation traditions) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report