Skip to main content

Introduction: Laying Out the Field of Meditation Research

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications

Part of the book series: Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality ((SNCS,volume 2))

  • 4163 Accesses

Abstract

Meditation is not just a simple research object. The rising and popular field of meditation research or contemplative science as it is called has a much larger impact on modern science and on our society as we assume at the first glance. This is because meditation is not only a fascinating research object but also quite a challenge for our current scientific practice. The content of this volume, which summarizes presentations and discussions of an expert meeting in Freiburg, Germany, documents the many facets and implications of meditation research. In this introduction we will touch on a few of them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Belzer, F., S. Schmidt, G. Lucius-Hoene, J.F. Schneider, C.L. Orellana-Rios, and S. Sauer. 2013. Challenging the construct validity of mindfulness assessment – a cognitive interview study of the Freiburg mindfulness inventory. Mindfulness 4(1): 33–44. doi:10.1007/s12671-012-0165-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chalmers, D.J. 1995. Facing up to the problem of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies 2(3): 200–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, P. 2011. Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology’s (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment 23(4): 1034–1040.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, A., J.D. Dunne, and R.J. Davidson. 2007. Meditation and the neuroscience of consciousness: an introduction. In Cambridge handbook of consciousness, ed. P. Zelazo, M. Moscovitch, and E. Thompson, 499–554. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rosa, H. 2010. Alienation and acceleration: Towards a critical theory of late-modern temporality. Malmö: NSU Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, S. 2011. Mindfulness in east and west – is it the same? In Neuroscience, consciousness and spirituality, ed. H. Walach, S. Schmidt, and W.B. Jonas, 23–38. New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shear, J., and F.J. Varela (eds.). 1999. The view from within: First-person approaches to the study of consciousness. Thorverton/Bowling Green: Imprint Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walach, H. 2011. Neuroscience, consciousness, spirituality – questions, problems and potential solutions: An introductory essay. In Neuroscience, consciousness and spirituality, ed. H. Walach, S. Schmidt, and W.B. Jonas, 1–21. New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Walach, H., and A.L.C. Runehov. 2010. The epistemological status of transpersonal psychology: The data-base argument revisited. Journal of Consciousness Studies 17(1–2): 145–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, B.A. 2007. Contemplative science (where Buddhism and neuroscience converge). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Large parts of this volume are based on an interdisciplinary expert meeting taking place in Freiburg Germany in 2010. This meeting as well as the production of this book was sponsored by the Theophrastus Foundation, Germany and by the Samueli Institute, Alexandria; VA, USA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Schmidt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Schmidt, S., Walach, H. (2014). Introduction: Laying Out the Field of Meditation Research. In: Schmidt, S., Walach, H. (eds) Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications. Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01634-4_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics