The Oxford Handbook of Meditation

Oxford Library of Psychology

by Miguel Farias, David Brazier, Mansur Lalljee

Meditation techniques, including mindfulness, have become popular wellbeing practices and the scientific study of their effects has recently turned 50 years old. But how much do we know about what were they developed for and by whom? How similar or different are they, how effective can they be in changing our minds and biology, what are their social and ethical implications?

The Oxford Handbook of Meditation is the most comprehensive volume published on meditation, written in accessible language by world-leading experts on the science and history of these techniques. It covers the development of meditation across the world and the varieties of its practices and experiences. It includes approaches from various disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, history, anthropology, and sociology and it explores its potential for therapeutic and social change, as well as unusual or negative effects.

Edited by practitioner-researchers, this book is the ultimate guide for all interested in meditation, including teachers, clinicians, therapists, researchers, or anyone who would like to learn more about this topic.

Genres: Meditation, Psychology

1038 pages, Hardcover

Published January 21, 2022

Reviews

[Ihor Kolesnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не дуже віриться, але я вже завершив цю книгу. Читав останній розділ і здивовано побачив, що вже кінець.

Це чудове видання. Деякі розділи виглядають доволі хаотично, переважно йдеться про буддизм і навколо-буддійські теми, але для вступу у тему із глибоким зануренням цілком пасує. Було би чудово побачити це видання у перекладі українською, доки не почався нездоровий гайп щодо mindfulness або медитативних рухів.

Тепер залишилося опрацювати усі джерела, цитати, зробити схему найбільш вживаних у потрібних мені фрагментах книг і статей, а далі рухатися до власної монографії.

[Bumbierītis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive book of all sorts of meditation.

[book_explorer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucid. This book places meditation in its proper historical and socioreligious contexts, and sheds light on how it came to be a "consumable" for the modern worker under capitalism. It also highlights the harm that taking meditation out of its proper context does to our spiritual formation, and treats both Eastern and Western forms of meditation. From the text:

"Meditation in our times has become almost synonymous with the idea of non-analytical or non-rational contemplation. However, religious traditions emphasize the study of sacred texts as a necessary requirement, generally above that of meditation practices, in order to achieve spiritual transformation...

...It is important to note that meditation techniques were part of a wider structure of ideas and, in this sense, one cannot read descriptions of meditation practices as if they were modern self-help manuals; they are always embedded in a rich fabric of ideas that were used to examine and validate the meditation experiences and guide the spiritual development of the practitioner.''