The Varieties of Contemplative Experiences and Practices

Sisir Roy, null, Posina Venkata Rayudu

While the diverse contemplative techniques are employed across a plethora of traditions around the world, contemplative research over the years has not reflected this variety.  Despite growing interest in research on meditation, studies in contemplative science have largely focused on a narrow selection of practices (e.g., mindfulness, compassion, etc.) and traditions (e.g., Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation, etc.).

Over the years, repeated calls have been made by researchers to expand the field of contemplative science to incorporate the vast trove of lesser-known and studied contemplative practices.  However, little has been done to fill this gap.  At the same time, even within commonly researched meditation traditions such as Buddhism, there are often practices (e.g., visualization / tantric practices) that don't strictly fall within the scope of clinically-applicable practices such as mindfulness.  Such practices are either not sufficiently understood, or when they are, they are categorized under a broadened rubric of mindfulness.  This last point is partly due to the loose definitions of the term mindfulness; sometimes it refers specifically to the select few focused attention and open monitoring type practices used in mindfulness-based interventions that are de-contextualized from Buddhism, while other times it encompasses any or all studies conducted using a sample of Buddhist meditators (this has been particularly true in case of some prominent meta-reviews of mindfulness literature).  While the developmental trajectory of contemplative practices from different traditions is closely associated with the larger context of that tradition (e.g., soteriological, social, historical, political), such context has largely been overlooked in the field of contemplative science, mainly because the field of contemplative science serving a primarily clinical purpose in its initial years.  While serving a valid clinical purpose, such approach has undermined a more basic scientific understanding of contemplative practices.

By choosing this topic, we hope to broaden the scope of contemplative science.