In recent years, the scientific study of meditation and psychedelic drugs has seen remarkable developments. The increased focus on meditation in cognitive neuroscience has led to a cross-cultural classification of standard meditation styles validated by functional and structural neuroanatomical data. Meanwhile, the renaissance of psychedelic research has shed light on the neurophysiology of altered states of consciousness induced by classical psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, whose effects are mainly mediated by agonism of serotonin receptors. Few attempts (...) have been made at bridging these two domains of inquiry, despite intriguing evidence of overlap between the phenomenology and neurophysiology of meditation practice and psychedelic states. In particular, many contemplative traditions explicitly aim at dissolving the sense of self by eliciting altered states of consciousness through meditation, while classical psychedelics are known to produce significant disruptions of self-consciousness, a phenomenon known as drug-induced ego dissolution. In this article, we discuss available evidence regarding convergences and differences between phenomenological and neurophysiological data on meditation practice and psychedelic drug-induced states, with a particular emphasis on alterations of self-experience. While both meditation and psychedelics may disrupt self-consciousness and underlying neural processes, we emphasize that neither meditation nor psychedelic states can be conceived as simple, uniform categories. Moreover, we suggest that there are important phenomenological differences even between conscious states described as experiences of self-loss. As a result, we propose that self-consciousness may be best construed as a multidimensional construct, and that “self-loss,” far from being an unequivocal phenomenon, can take several forms. Indeed, various aspects of self-consciousness, including narrative aspects linked to autobiographical memory, self-related thoughts and mental time travel, and embodied aspects rooted in multisensory processes, may be differently affected by psychedelics and meditation practices. Finally, we consider long-term outcomes of experiences of self-loss induced by meditation and psychedelics on individual traits and prosocial behavior. We call for caution regarding the problematic conflation of temporary states of self-loss with “selflessness” as a behavioral or social trait, although there is preliminary evidence that correlations between short-term experiences of self-loss and long-term trait alterations may exist. (shrink)

While philosophers of mind have devoted abundant time and attention to questions of content and consciousness, philosophical questions about the nature and scope of mental action have been relatively neglected. Galen Strawson’s account of mental action, arguably the most well-known extant account, holds that cognitive mental action consists in triggering the delivery of content to one’s field of consciousness. However, Strawson fails to recognize several distinct types of mental action that might not reduce to triggering content delivery. In this paper, (...) we argue that meditation provides a useful model for understanding a wider range of types of mental action than heretofore recognized. Conclusions yielded by two distinct bodies of current psychological research on meditation and cognition, and meditation and introspection, buttress meditation’s suitability for this role. (shrink)

This essay examines the relation between meditative experience, metaphysical interpretation, and ontological responsibility. It acknowledges the seriousness of spiritual experience and the legitimate attempt to move beyond inherited belief toward lived realization. Yet it argues that the immediacy, depth, or transformative power of an experience does not by itself establish the truth of its metaphysical interpretation. A meditative state may be experienced as boundless, divine, or universal without thereby proving that reality itself is universal consciousness, divine being, or absolute bliss. (...) -/- The essay also considers the reverse movement. Within an established spiritual tradition, an inherited ontology may shape the interpretation of experience so strongly that practitioners come to treat their own meditative, devotional, or transformative states as confirmations of a realization they have not themselves attained. This is especially important in relation to Sarkar’s concept of “Cosmic Consciousness,” which refers not to an expanded state of individual consciousness, but to the ontological ground of cosmic reality itself. Responsible spiritual transmission therefore requires distinguishing experience, interpretation, authority, usefulness, and ontology, so that neither immediacy nor inherited authority is mistaken for ontological justification. (shrink)

I argue for a possible Buddhist theory of free will that combines Frankfurt's hierarchical analysis of meta-volitional/volitional accord with elements of the Buddhist eightfold path that prescribe that Buddhist aspirants cultivate meta-volitional wills that promote the mental freedom that culminates in enlightenment, as well as a causal/functional analysis of how Buddhist meditative methodology not only plausibly makes that possible, but in ways that may be applied to undermine Galen Strawson's impossibility argument, along with most of the other major arguments for (...) free will skepticism. (shrink)

Meditations. A meditation is a voluntary exercise intended to increase awareness, sustained over some time. The main purpose of the present Meditations is to inspire and assist readers to practice meditation of some sort, and in particular ‘sitting meditation’. This includes practices such as: observing the mechanisms of one’s thinking, stopping unnecessary thought, forgetting things about one’s self and one’s life that are irrelevant to the current effort of meditation, dealing with distractions, becoming aware of one’s (...) breath, being here and now. After such practice for some time, one gets to realize the value of meditation, and one’s commitment to it grows. The need for behavioral improvement becomes more and more obvious, and one finds it easy and natural to put more discipline into one’s life. Various recommendations are given in this regard. Prior to such practical guidance, so as to prepare the reader for it, the book reviews the theoretical teachings relating to meditation in the main traditions of mankind. The ultimate goals of meditation, the various methods or techniques used to achieve them, the experiential results of meditation, and the interpretations given to them, are topics treated here. (shrink)

Anna Sebastian Perayil (26), a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young (EY), died in July 2024, four months after joining the company. She died because of overwhelming work pressure (BBC: 25 September 2024). There are so many like Anna, young people dying every day, just because of anxiety or stress. As per the WHO, 4% of the global population has anxiety, and more than 300 million people have an anxiety disorder. The paper assesses Value Education and Meditation in connection (...) with NEP20, SDG 3, and SDG 4, which will give anyone strong mental health to set a unique Mindset, acquire perfect Knowledge, and develop specific Skills.. Keywords: Anxiety, lifestyle, meditation, NEP20, IKS, SDG 3, SDG4. (shrink)

This paper focuses on meditation as natural luminousity.

This paper interprets Ortega y Gasset’s Meditations on Hunting (1972) through the concept of cognitive scaffolding in order to analyse the relationship between hunter and hunting dog as a form of inter-species distributed cognitive system. In recreational hunting, the hunter and the dog engage in a reciprocal process of mutual cognitive scaffolding that transforms both their capacities. It is further argued that this scaffolding also serves as a means of affective regulation, and that it is the affective rather than the (...) cognitive features of the system that point to the function of the scaffolding. Namely, the production of an affective state in the hunter. We detail the ways in which the cognitive and affective features of the scaffold operate and interrelate. We then explore the role of the game-animal in the affective functioning of the scaffold and consider that the hunter-dog system might represent a harmful form of scaffolding. (shrink)

This paper focuses in detail on the practice of meditation as becoming aware of awareness as a field vast and multidimensional.

Psychedelic ingestion and meditative practice are both ancient methods for altering consciousness that became widely known in Western society in the second half of the 20th century. Do the similarities begin and end there, or do these methods – as many have claimed over the years – share some deeper common elements? In this chapter I take a neurophilosophical approach to this question and argue that there are, indeed, deeper commonalities. Recent empirical studies show that psychedelics and meditation modulate (...) overlapping brain networks involved in the sense of self, salience, and attention; moreover, psychedelics can occasion lasting increases in “mindfulness-related capacities” for taking a non-reactive stance on one’s inner experience (e.g. Sampedro et al. 2017). The self-binding theory of psychedelic ego dissolution (Letheby and Gerrans 2017) offers a plausible explanation of these findings: by disrupting self-related beliefs implemented in high-level cortical networks, both psychedelics and meditation can “unbind” mental contents from one’s self-model, moving these contents along the continuum from phenomenal transparency to opacity (cf. Metzinger 2003). In other words, both psychedelics and meditation can expose and weaken our foundational beliefs about our own identity, allowing us to disidentify with these beliefs and see them as “just thoughts”. There are connections between these ideas and recent arguments suggesting that psychedelic use may have epistemic benefits consistent with philosophical naturalism (Letheby 2015, 2016, 2019). I conclude with a proposal: these connections may help in thinking about the putative epistemic benefits of meditation practice from a naturalistic perspective. (shrink)

Throughout the history of philosophy, ethics has often been a source of guidance on how to live a meaningful life. Accordingly, when the ethical foundations of mindfulness are considered, an important question arises concerning the role of meditation in providing meaning. The present article proposes a new theoretical route for understanding the links between mindfulness meditation and meaningfulness by employing the terminology of Susan Wolf’s contemporary philosophical account of a meaningful life. It opens by examining the question of (...) what kinds of life-meanings are made available by Buddhist doctrine, considering the two alternatives of a cosmic, human-independent meaning of life versus the subjective meanings that humans give to their individual lives. After surveying current psychological theories that aim to explain the correlation between mindfulness as a trait and meaning in life, all of which see mindfulness as a mediating factor in the production of meaning, I argue that Wolf’s framework offers a promising theoretical basis for clarifying the relationship between mindfulness and meaning in that it explains why mindfulness has a direct bearing on meaning in life. I then show that mindfulness meditation, as understood in Buddhism, can respond to some of the philosophical worries that arise from Wolf’s theory, specifically her concern with the standards for securing the objective value of meaningful activities and projects. My claim is that mindfulness meditation is representative of a broader class of activities that are non-subjectively valuable insofar as they are required for any exploration of objective meaning or standards of values, as well as for engagement in objectively valuable projects and activities. (shrink)

This essay proposes that Socrates practiced various spiritual exercises, including meditation, and that this Socratic practice of meditation was habitual, aimed at cultivating emotional self-control and existential preparedness. Contemporary research in neurobiology supports the view that intentional mental actions, including meditation, have a profound impact on brain activity, neuroplasticity, and help engender emotional self-control. This impact on brain activity is confirmed via technological developments, a prime example of how technology benefits humanity. Socrates attains the balanced emotional self-control (...) that Alcibiades describes in the Symposium because of the sustained mental effort he exerts that directly impacts his brain and his emotional and philosophical life. The essay concludes that Socratic meditative practices aimed at manifesting true dignity as human beings within the complexities of a technological world offer a promising model of self-care worthy of embracing today. (shrink)

Mindfulness-based interventions are reported as being efficacious treatments for a variety of psychological and somatic conditions. However, concerns have arisen relating to how mindfulness is operationalized in mindfulness-based interventions and whether its ‘spiritual essence’ and full potential treatment efficacy have remained intact. This qualitative study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine participant experiences regarding the acceptability and effectiveness of a newly designed secularized intervention called meditation awareness training (MAT) that follows a more traditional Buddhist approach to meditation. Participants (...) (with issues of stress and low mood) reported experiencing improvements in psychological well-being due to receiving MAT. The wider implications are discussed. (shrink)

In this paper, I argue that the performance stories in the Zhuangzi, and the Butcher Ding story, emphasize an activity meditation practice that places the performer in a mindfulness flow zone, leading to graceful, efficacious, selfless, spontaneous, and free action. These stories are metaphors showing the reader how to attain a meditative state of focused awareness while acting freely in a flow experience. From my perspective, these metaphors are not about developing practical or technical skills per se. My argument (...) challenges a strict instrumental reading. Although instrumental reasoning can easily lead one to focus on the pragmatic outcomes depicted in these stories (See Eno, “Cook Ding’s Dao;” Callahan, “Cook Ding’s Life;” and Robins, “Beyond Skill”), the proposed pragmatic outcomes are merely a kind of collateral result of effortless, free actions, in the flow experience. The metaphors of Butcher Ding, the Lüliang rapids swimmer, the Wheelwright Bian, the Woodcarver Qing, the cicada catcher, the naked artist and so on are used to show the reader a way to engage in free and graceful action in the flow experience. Zhuangzi is not concerned about developing labour skills. He criticizes such skills; seen below when the Butcher claims to have “… left skill behind …” (進乎技矣) (Graham, Chuang-tzu, 63), and chapter five notes that “… skill is a peddler” (工為商) (Watson, Complete, 75). (shrink)

This philosophical meditation examines cognitive decline, particularly Alzheimer's disease, as a unique existential threat to those who ground their identity in rational consciousness. Drawing on phenomenological and existential frameworks, this paper argues that the gradual dissolution of mental faculties represents not merely a medical condition but a fundamental challenge to philosophical personhood—one that cannot be overcome through reason precisely because it attacks reason itself. This meditation explores the paradox of self-aware dissolution, wherein consciousness becomes witness to its own (...) dismantling, and examines why this particular form of mortality may constitute the philosopher's deepest fear. By interrogating the relationship between identity, memory, and rational capacity, this work suggests that cognitive decline forces a confrontation with the limits of philosophy's primary tool: the reasoning mind. The paper concludes by considering what this vulnerability reveals about the nature of human existence and the relationship between consciousness and mortality. (shrink)

The purpose of this mixed method interdisciplinary study was to investigate lay individuals’ (i.e., community members’ and college students’) perceptions and understandings of meditation. Within our analytic sample (n = 200), participants completed an online survey. Specifically, we asked each participant to define “meditation” in their own words, and then we used thematic analysis to identify themes from their responses. Further, we analyzed responses to quantitative questions regarding participants’ views on religious/spiritual aspects of meditation. The majority of (...) participants identified as being White, non-Hispanic (72.0%), and female sex at birth (n = 63.5%). Overall, seven distinct themes were identified based on participants’ definitions of meditation: (a)“Religious, Spiritual, and Philosophical”; (b)“Attention/Observing”; (c)“Calming, Grounding, and Relaxation”; (d)“Mindfulness-Oriented”; (e)“Virtue Cultivation”; (f )“Techniques”; and (g)“Solitary Reflection.” Further, 30.5% of participants endorsed that the practice of meditation is spiritual and religious, 39.5% endorsed spiritual but not religious, 1.0% endorsed religious but not spiritual, and 29.0% endorsed neither spiritual nor religious. Several significant differences were found in both theme endorsement and quantitative responses based on prior experience with meditation and religious/spiritual self-identification. Overall, our results suggest that laypeople’s preconceived ideas (or misconceptions) about what meditation is, and what it entails, vary based on prior meditation experience and self-identification with religion and spirituality. (shrink)

Meditation research has produced extensive empirical data on the neural and psychological correlates of contemplative practice, yet lacks a unified computational framework that explains how meditation transforms conscious experience. We address this gap using computational phenomenology (the formalisation of lived experience through generative models) applied to the two fundamental modes of Buddhist contemplative practice: Shamatha (tranquillity) and Vipassanā (insight). We propose that both arise from a single metacognitive architecture capable of parametric inference, the capacity of a generative model (...) to infer and modulate its own inference parameters, operating through two complementary mechanisms. Shamatha corresponds to opacification: hierarchical precision control modulates the precision assigned to mental content, rendering previously transparent phenomenal states opaque to the organism and dissolving a necessary condition for psychological suffering. Vipassanā corresponds to model restructuring: Bayesian Model Reduction under the constraint of non-action simplifies the generative model by eliminating structure that sustained observation reveals to be redundant, converging toward the phenomenological profile formalised as minimal phenomenal experience. Because the metacognitive architecture on which opacification depends must be built before restructuring can simplify it, the framework predicts a non-monotonic trajectory in which neural markers of top-down modulatory connectivity increase as that architecture develops and decrease as restructuring simplifies the model it monitors, a pattern consistent with neuroimaging evidence of an inverted U-shaped relationship between meditation experience and attention-related activation. (shrink)

In Ethics 4, Spinoza argues that “A free man thinks of nothing less than of death, and his wisdom is a meditation on life, not on death” (E4p67). Spinoza’s argument for this claim depends on his view of imagination, reason, and scientia intuitiva and on his notion of conatus. I explicate Spinoza’s view of life in terms of power (potentia) and show that Spinozan death amounts to reconfiguration rather than absolute annihilation. I then show that E4p67 reflects Spinoza’s well-known (...) account of the three kinds of knowing. Thinking of death is quintessentially imaginative and passive. The free person of E4p67 is in contrast a rational person. To reason, and as becomes especially clear E5, to experience scientia intuitiva, moreover is to think of things “without any relation to time, but [rather] sub specie aeternatitis”(E2p44c2) and to experience activity To the extent, then, that we are rational, free, and active, death is a non-issue. Indeed, to the extent that we are able to meditate on life sub specie aeternitatis, we actually experience joy, love (E5p20s, p32c), eternity (Sp23s), and “the greatest satisfaction of the Mind” (E5p27). (shrink)

A critical reply to the anti-mindfulness critics in the collection, who oppose the popular secularized adoption of mindfulness on various grounds (it is not Buddhism, it is Buddhism, it is a tool of neo-capitalist exploitation, etc.), I argue that mindfulness is a quality of consciousness, opposite mindlessness, that may be cultivated through practice, and is almost always beneficial to those who cultivate it.

From a Quantum Cosmic perspective, a new theology is developed based on the doctrine that humans have an energy code and a biological code that allow us to achieve direct contact with the cosmic energies permeating the universe and flow in with the Alpha Energy, namely, the energy of the Creator or God. The energy codes of human beings transcend physical death as energy never ceases to exist, only to transform. Moreover, our ‘energy body network’ produces new energy through biophotons (...) which allow beings to be in total command of their existence and communicate with the cosmos through a cosmic language. Patient and consistent practice of cosmic meditation and mental physics will lead to an awakening and evolution to a Cosmic Quantum Consciousness that resembles the ultimate connection with the Alpha Energy. This article will explore the perennial approach of Quantum Cosmic Theology which suggests that all people can be united under one fundamental creed while concurrently respecting relatively minor differences in religious belief and practice. (shrink)

Descartes intended to revolutionize seventeenth-century philosophy and science. But first he had to persuade his contemporaries of the truth of his ideas. Of all his publications, Meditations on First Philosophy is methodologically the most ingenuous. Its goal is to provoke readers, even recalcitrant ones, to discover the principles of “first philosophy.” The means to its goal is a reconfiguration of traditional methodological strategies. The aim of this chapter is to display the methodological strategy of the Meditations. The text’s method is (...) more subtle and more philosophically significant than has generally been appreciated. Descartes’ most famous work is best understood as a response to four somewhat separate philosophical concerns extant in the seventeenth century. Section 1 describes these. Section 2 discusses how Descartes uses and transforms them. A clearer sense of the Meditations’ methodological strategy provides a better understanding of exactly how Descartes intended to revolutionize seventeenth-century thought. (shrink)

This essay outlines the different forms of meditation, how they are performed, and what their benefits are.

Our experiences with the external world are possible mainly through vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell providing us a sense of reality. How the brain is able to seamlessly integrate stimuli from our external and internal world into our sense of reality has yet to be adequately explained in the literature. We have previously proposed a three-dimensional unified model of consciousness that partly explains the dynamic mechanism. Here we further expand our model and include illustrations to provide a better conception (...) of the ill-defined space within the self, providing insight into a unified mind-body concept. In this article, we propose that our senses “super-impose” on an existing dynamic space within us after a slight, imperceptible delay. The existing space includes the entire intrapersonal space and can also be called the “the body’s internal 3D default space”. We provide examples from meditation experiences to help explain how the sense of ‘self’ can be experienced through meditation practice associated with underlying physiological processes that take place through cardio-respiratory synchronization and coherence that is developed among areas of the brain. Meditation practice can help keep the body in a parasympathetic dominant state during meditation, allowing an experience of inner ‘self’. Understanding this physical and functional space could help unlock the mysteries of the function of memory and cognition, allowing clinicians to better recognize and treat disorders of the mind by recommending proven techniques to reduce stress as an adjunct to medication treatment. (shrink)

Meditation often reveals a progressive emergence of inner light phenomena that are poorly understood in cognitive science and frequently dismissed as entoptic noise or hallucinatory artifacts. This study offers a structured phenomenological analysis of endogenous vision in meditation and introduces the concept of the Ultrasubjective Hyperspace (USH), a lawful, internally accessible field of luminous experience that emerges when sensory attenuation and attentional stabilization unlock deeper levels of perception. This paper identifies six developmental phases of luminous perception: (1) reactive (...) flickers, (2) geometric grids, (3) fractalized central luminosity and figural emergence, (4) immersive visionary fields, (5) vortical transport and encounters with luminous beings, and (6) collapse into a unified radiant field. At this final stage, perceptual content dissolves into dimensionless luminosity, marking entry into the Ultrasubjective Hyperspace, a non-dual field where the distinction between seer and seen collapses into self-luminous awareness. Contrary to pathological interpretations, meditation-induced inner light experiences exhibit phenomenological coherence, autonomy, and progressive refinement, distinguishing them from migraine aura and neurological dysfunction. Supported by neurophenomenological literature, these luminous states correspond to mechanisms of sensory deafferentation, homeostatic excitation of the visual cortex, gamma synchrony, and predictive processing dynamics. Rather than visual byproducts, they reveal intrinsic structures of consciousness and invite reconsideration of perception as a generative, internally luminous process. This study reframes inner light as a legitimate domain of contemplative science and positions the Ultrasubjective Hyperspace as a foundational concept for future research on visionary cognition, neurophenomenology, and transpersonal psychology. It also reopens the path of Yoga of Inner Light as a rigorous contemplative discipline grounded in direct experience rather than metaphysical speculation. (shrink)

The nucleus accumbens orchestrates processes related to reward and pleasure, including the addictive consequences of repeated reward (e.g., drug addiction and compulsive gambling) and the accompanying feelings of craving and anhedonia. The neurotransmitters dopamine and endogenous opiates play interactive roles in these processes. They are released by natural rewards (i.e., food, water, sex, money, play, etc.) and are released or mimicked by drugs of abuse. Repeated drug use induces conditioned down-regulation of these neurotransmitters, thus causing painful suppression of everyday pleasure. (...) As with many spiritual traditions, Buddhism provides strong advice against the pursuit of worldly pleasures to attain the ‘‘good life.’’ In contrast, many forms of meditation give rise to an immense and abiding joy. Most of these practices involve ‘‘stilling the mind,’’ whereby all content-laden thought (e.g., fantasies, daydreams, plans) ceases, and the mind enters a state of openness, formlessness, clarity, and bliss. This can be explained by the Buddhist suggestion that almost all of our everyday thoughts are a form of addiction. It follows that if we turn off this internal ‘‘gossip of ego,’’ we will find relief from the biochemical dopamine/opiate down-regulation, which is, perhaps, the perpetual concomitant of our daily rumination. (shrink)

This philosophical note argues that love, when lived with awareness, functions as a natural form of meditation. Moving beyond the conventional view of meditation as a formal practice and love as mere emotion, the paper examines their shared structure in consciousness. Both involve intensified attention, the softening of rigid ego-boundaries, and the observation of inner movement. Love spontaneously stabilizes awareness around the beloved, revealing fear, attachment, longing, and vulnerability, thereby exposing the deeper layers of the self. When attraction (...) matures into pure attention, love shifts from psychological entanglement to conscious presence. In this integration of emotional intensity and reflective stillness, love mirrors the essential structure of meditation. Thus, love may be understood as meditation imposed by life itself — an experiential mode through which consciousness encounters its own depth. (shrink)

This work explores Buddhist meditative practices, focusing on the vipassana technique and the various jhanas, as well as their relevance to the scientific understanding of subjective experience. It begins with a historical context of Buddhist philosophy and the path toward enlightenment, highlighting the differences from Western philosophy of mind. Through analysis of early texts and the perspectives of various authors, it describes the nature of ordinary and transcendental jhanas, as well as their role in transforming experience. The historical difficulties in (...) determining Buddha's original teachings are discussed, and it is argued that Buddhist meditative practices offer valuable qualitative characterizations that can enrich the scientific study of experience. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of integrating Eastern and Western perspectives to advance understanding of mental states and their relationship to the physical world, suggesting that Buddhist meditation practices can contribute significantly to scientific and practical knowledge of human experience. (shrink)

Had we grown up elsewhere or been educated differently, our view of the world would likely be radically different. What to make of this? This paper takes an accuracy-centered first-personal approach to the question of how to respond to the arbitrary nature in which many of our beliefs are formed. I show how considerations of accuracy motivate different responses to this sort of information depending on the type of attitude we take towards the belief in question upon subjecting the belief (...) to doubt. (shrink)

The focus of this paper is showing that meditation is becoming aware of awareness itself...and this awareness is a field phenomena.

I argue that if the claims Buddhist philosophy makes about meditation virtuosos are plausible, then Buddhism may rebut most of the strongest arguments for free will skepticism found in Western analytic philosophy, including the hard incompatiblist's argument (which combines the arguments for hard determinism, such as the consequence argument, with those for hard indeterminism, such as the randomness argument), Pereboom's manipulation argument, and Galen Strawson's impossibility argument. The main idea is that the meditation virtuoso can cultivate a level (...) of mind control that is impervious to the causal origins of her mental states, on the basis of which ability an account of free will may be erected, consistent with the claim that Buddhist enlightenment consists in some sort of radical conception of the ultimately impersonal nature of the agent. (shrink)

This philosophical meditation explores the transformation of personal catastrophe into systematic philosophical inquiry through the extended metaphor of storm navigation. Beginning with the lightning strike of my father's death when I was eight years old—the epicenter that shattered childhood certainties and initiated years of existential depression—I trace the evolution from raw grief to refined philosophical method. The work examines how philosophers do not simply spin the wheel of fortune for direction but learn, through each philosophical course and carefully studied (...) text, to navigate the vast ocean of philosophy with increasing skill. The meditation investigates the daily paradox of identity through sleep's dissolution, the ecology of ideas that compete for consciousness, and the strange compass of uncertainty that points not toward answers but toward productive questions. Through collecting Requiems as sonic architectures of grief and pursuing decades of philosophical education, I demonstrate how trauma transforms into technique, how the wound becomes method. The perfect philosophical storm emerges as both the condition that creates philosophers and the phenomenon we learn to navigate through accumulated wisdom, revealing that meaning emerges not despite impermanence but through it, in the very act of skilled navigation through uncertainty. (shrink)

We offer a novel interpretation of the argumentative role that Meditation IV plays within the whole of the Meditations. This new interpretation clarifies several otherwise head-scratching claims that Descartes makes about Meditation IV, and it fully exonerates the Fourth Meditation from either raising or exacerbating Descartes’ circularity problems.

This philosophical meditation examines the moderator function within the U236 Thinking framework (Boether, 2025), a nuclear fission model of philosophical cognition that conceptualizes the generative philosophical mind as operating through mechanisms structurally analogous to the fission of uranium-236. Drawing upon three decades of first-person phenomenological observation, empirical self-study, and the broader theoretical corpus developed through the Sougy School—including the Philosopher’s Burden (Boether, 2025), the AZ-5 Psychological Principle (Boether, 2025), and the concept of Attention Focused Hyper Activity Natural Order (AFHANO)—I (...) articulate the problem of cognitive reactor management: how the philosopher whose mind operates in sustained chain-reaction modality can achieve the stable output conditions necessary for productive notation, sustained meditation, and coherent written expression. Through careful chemical study employing laboratory-grade measurement, I report the identification of two specific moderating agents—absinthe and Bordeaux wine—that, at precisely calibrated milliliter dosages unique to my neurochemistry, achieve what I designate Stable Condition No. 1: the equilibrium state in which U236 cognitive fission is slowed to a manageable rate without cessation of output, permitting full metacognitive awareness and sustained philosophical productivity. The meditation further examines the AZ-5 threshold—the dosage boundary beyond which moderation becomes shutdown—and argues that the moderator function, properly understood, represents not an indulgence but a technical necessity for the philosophical mind operating under the conditions described by the Philosopher’s Burden. (shrink)

This paper develops a taxonomic and phenomenological framework for meditation-induced phosphenes, internally generated luminous phenomena that occur with eyes closed during contemplative practice. Synthesizing decades of first-person practice reports with comparative sources from Buddhist, shamanic, and neuropsychological traditions, I propose a three-tier hierarchical taxonomy: (1) Basal Endogenous Visual Patterns (entoptic and early visual forms); (2) Complex Meditation-Induced Phosphenes (structured, geometric and symbol-like visions); and (3) Transpersonal Luminous Manifestations, intense, non-dual luminosities that often accompany insight and ego-dissolution. I distinguish (...) these structured inner-light experiences from pathological hallucination and migraine aura by pointing to preserved reality testing, heightened clarity of awareness, and their characteristic affective correlates (awe, insight, surrender). At the uppermost level I introduce the concept of an Ultrasubjective Hyperspace (USH), a dimensionless, radiant field of experience in which symbolic forms dissolve into unified luminosity, and I suggest how encounters in this domain map onto reports of mystical illumination. Drawing on contemporary neurophenomenology, the paper outlines plausible mechanisms (sensory attenuation, homeostatic visual plasticity, recruitment of higher visual and mnemonic networks) and reports associations with electrophysiological markers such as gamma synchrony and default-mode network attenuation. By integrating contemplative descriptions with neurobiological accounts, this taxonomy reframes inner-light visions as a systematic, investigable class of conscious events and proposes empirical pathways for future research into their phenomenology, function, and neural correlates. (shrink)

(2022) A meditation in regards to Ernest Becker's "Denial of Death," with immortality projects. What does it mean to "leave our mark on the world?".

According to the reading offered here, Descartes' use of the meditative mode of writing was not a mere rhetorical device to win an audience accustomed to the spiritual retreat. His choice of the literary form of the spiritual exercise was consonant with, if not determined by, his theory of the mind and of the basis of human knowledge. Since Descartes' conception of knowledge implied the priority of the intellect over the senses, and indeed the priority of an intellect operating independently (...) of the senses, and since, in Descartes' view, the untutored individual was likely to be nearly wholly immersed in the senses, a procedure was needed for freeing the intellect from sensory domination so that the truth might be seen. Hence, the cognitive exercises of the Meditations, modeled not on the sense- and imagination-based exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, but on the Augustinian procedure of turning away from the senses and imagination to perceive the unpicturable with the fleshless eye of the mind. In accordance with this reading, the function of Descartes' skeptical arguments is not to introduce skepticism so that it can be defeated but to aid the meditator in withdrawing the mind from the senses in order to attend to truths of the pure intellect. These truths then offer the basis for a new natural philosophy, including a new theory of the senses. (shrink)

This paper explores how meditation serves as a tool to modulate and reconfigure the cognitive boundary between the subjective self and objective reality. By integrating Cognitive Constructivism (CC)—which views the mind as a "prediction machine" that constructs experienced reality—with Existential Realism (ER)—which emphasizes the primacy of the immediate "now"—the study examines the deconstruction of internal mental models. A mixed-methods neurophenomenological approach is proposed, combining micro-phenomenological interviews with psychophysiological measures like EEG, fMRI, and Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Evidence suggests that (...) expert meditators exhibit significantly reduced activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), particularly the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), which correlates with a decrease in self-referential narrative and the dissolution of spatial self-boundaries. Phenomenological reports further validate these findings, describing transitions into states of Bare Existence or contentless consciousness where the distinction between "I" and "it" collapses. Ultimately, the paper argues that meditation is both a deconstructive and existential procedure that reveals the contingency of the self-model while deepening contact with present-constrained existence. (shrink)

Descartes, Divine deception, First Meditation, Suarez.

In this paper, a new Intervention Meditation approach is outlined by the current author. To overcome lack of clarity in defining meditation, a new universal Operational definition of meditation is proposed with elaborative explanation. The new meditation approach has multitude of deeper concepts from Bhagavad Gita and modern psychology and the expert / Guru of the proposed method must be a qualified and experienced before getting trained on this approach specifically. This paper elevates meditation from (...) a casual approach level to a separate systematic branch of psychology level. (shrink)

Dieses Buch des Philosophen und Evolutionswissenschaftlers Lev Krivitsky widmet sich der Meditation als einer säkularen, wissenschaftlich begründeten Psychotechnologie zur Förderung von Gesundheit und Vitalität. Der Autor analysiert und synthetisiert die historischen Ansätze klassischer religiös-meditativer Systeme wie Yoga, Buddhismus, Daoismus, Tantrismus und Sufismus. Er befreit diese Praktiken von religiösen Dogmen und dem Glauben an das Übernatürliche. Stattdessen stellt er den Menschen, seine physische und psychische Selbstregulation sowie die Steigerung der Lebensqualität direkt in den Mittelpunkt.Das Kernstück des Buches bildet ein originelles, (...) strukturiertes System, das den meditativen Prozess in 16 aufeinanderfolgende Stufen unterteilt. Jede Phase baut logisch auf der vorherigen auf. Sie führt den Praktizierenden von der ersten Muskelentspannung über Atem- und Energiearbeit bis hin zur mentalen Selbstverwirklichung. Die beschriebene Methode dient als praktischer Leitfaden zur Überwindung von Krankheiten. Sie hilft beim Abbau von chronischer Müdigkeit und bei der Entfaltung kreativer sowie geistiger Potenziale im alltäglichen Leben. (shrink)

This meditation investigates the relationship between metacognition and third-person thinking, pursued as a first-person inquiry into the structure of my own cognitive experience. Drawing from Flavell's (1979) foundational account of metacognition, James's (1890) distinction between the "I" and the "Me," and the Observer-Self Model developed in prior work (Boether, 2024), I examine whether third-person thinking constitutes a distinct cognitive process or whether it amplifies pre-existing metacognitive capacities into a hypercognitive mode. I describe my earliest remembered encounter with observer-consciousness in (...) the third grade, the disciplinary formation that followed through graduate-level academic writing, and the persistent question—not yet silenced since the mid-2000s—of whether these experiences are causally related or parallel developments. The analysis proposes that third-person thinking and metacognition are neither identical nor independent: they are mutually amplifying processes whose interaction produces what I term here a condition of "metacognitive resonance," in which each process reflects and intensifies the other. The practical and philosophical implications of this dynamic are explored, including the possibility that third-person thinking functions as a methodological scaffold that externalizes metacognitive processes, rendering them observable in ways that pure introspection cannot achieve. The question of whether this dynamic is idiosyncratic or generalizable is raised, and tentative directions for future inquiry are proposed. (shrink)

This meditation is dedicated to those souls who, at the very limit of reason, still thirst. I have conceived something exquisite—an answer to why the world is as it is. The answer itself is remarkably simple; its exposition, however, is so intricate that it cannot fit within the narrow confines of an abstract. This structure of thought is precisely the Innate Science found in the I Ching—its core teaching being that the innate self is the Supreme Polarity (心即太极), in (...) which Principle, Image, and Number (理、象、数) are one and undivided. It encompasses the binary, decimal, duodecimal, and base-sixty systems, along with the 360 degrees, the Pythagorean theorem, square and circle, π, *i*, force, light, and many other essential principles of mathematics, physics, and time-space. To dwell in it is to be set adrift in rapture, bordering on ecstasy. Whoever grasps its content may witness mountains and rivers shattering, the great earth sinking level—and enter that inconceivable state where an instant is eternity, and all things are harmoniously one, without obstruction. The work may appear arrogant and absurd, mystical and irrational. Yet I am utterly sincere, driven by a sense of necessity that I cannot resist. I believe that the starry sky I gazed upon as a child from the fields of my homeland is the very same sky that arches over Oxford. And I hold firmly that all human beings, across ages and civilizations, share the same capacity for questioning heaven (天问), and the same ground for calling back the soul (招魂). (shrink)

In this paper I shall explain how I came to realize that for as long as I believed that there exists an epistemic gap, or veil of perception, separating the world into that which is subjective and internal to the mind from that which is objective and external to the mind, I was unable to provide a compelling argument for the existence of this same epistemic gap.

Closed-loop meditation systems monitor neurophysiological signals during practice and deliver adaptive feedback intended to accelerate the development of contemplative skills. We argue that these systems face a structural problem isomorphic to a well-recognised failure mode in AI alignment research: proxy reward misspecification. When a meditator optimises for a measurable biomarker, such as calm EEG, HRV coherence, or default mode network suppression, they may learn strategies that produce the proxy signal without the intended underlying capacity. We formalise this as the (...) contemplative alignment problem, distinguishing three sub-problems: outer alignment (whether the proxy captures the contemplative target), inner alignment (whether the learned strategy corresponds to the intended mechanism), and distributional robustness (whether trained capacities transfer to unassisted practice and ordinary life). We show that Buddhist phenomenological literature independently identified these failure modes in substantial detail, providing a rich descriptive vocabulary that the contemplative neurotechnology field has not yet engaged. We propose a four-tier taxonomy of contemplative measurability, distinguishing states that are reliably measurable with current technology from states that may be structurally unmeasurable in third-person terms. Finally, we outline a minimal closed-loop architecture restricted to Tier-1 attentional targets, with a falsifiable hypothesis and an explicit transfer test as the primary outcome measure. We argue that this restraint is not a limitation but a prerequisite for scientific and ethical credibility in the field. (shrink)

I set out and explore an argument for God's existence based on the idea that the possibility of God requires the existence of God as a ground. After setting this argument out, I compare it to other arguments for God, concentrating on an argument from Descartes's Third Meditation. I then address various objections and conclude by setting out a non-theistic version of the argument.

The current study is a pilot trial to examine the effects of a nonelective, classroom-based, teacher-implemented, mindfulness meditation intervention on standard clinical measures of mental health and affect in middle school children. A total of 101 healthy sixth-grade students (55 boys, 46 girls) were randomized to either an Asian history course with daily mindfulness meditation practice (intervention group) or an African history course with a matched experiential activity (active control group). Self-reported measures included the Youth Self Report (YSR), (...) a modified Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Measure –Revised. Both groups decreased significantly on clinical syndrome subscales and affect but did not differ in the extent of their improvements. Meditators were significantly less likely to develop suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm than controls. These results suggest that mindfulness training may yield both unique and non-specific benefits that are shared by other novel activities. (shrink)

This paper argues that the recent renewal of interest in the philosophy of Oswald Spengler, particularly concerning its warnings of the imminent demise of Western Civilisation, is misplaced. Arguments concerning the accuracy of his predictions or cultural analysis have overlooked the necessity of evaluating the coherence of the philosophical system that Spengler used to generate and justify his speculative declarations. Such an evaluation indicates a number of apparent contradictions at the heart of Spengler’s historical model. The attempt to resolve these (...) contradictions has resulted in a sharp division of interpretation amongst Spengler commentators, into positivist and relativist camps. Neither interpretation, I suggest, is capable of rendering Spengler’s historical system coherent. It is therefore argued that Spengler’s philosophy is fundamentally flawed. (shrink)

In his Christian and Metaphysical Meditations (1683) Malebranche develops a reflection in which the self discovers in its interiority that the interlocutor able to answer some of its questions is the divine Word. Through references to the Holy Scriptures and to Augustine, Malebranche constructs a meditative itinerary that differs from the one proposed by Descartes, as it moves from the lumière naturelle in the Cartesian sense to the lumière of the Word. In the light of these historical-theoretical data, we propose (...) a reconstruction of the role played by interiority and meditation in certain texts by Malebranche, highlighting the moments in which he appropriated the Cartesian heritage and those in which he distanced himself from Descartes’ philosophical paradigm. (shrink)