Terms Of Engagement: Text, Technique And Experience In Scholarship On Theravada Meditation

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Ledi Sayadaw and Sao Amat Long, who promoted meditation among lay people, may have been inspired by Buddhaghosa's description of ideal society of practice-orientated lay people.

“Given the importance of the Mahāsatippat _ t _ hānasutta and its commentary in the nineteenth-century revival, against the devastation and social upheavals of the British period, those such as Ledi Sayadaw (Braun 2013) and Sao Amat Long (Khur-Yearn 2012), who promoted meditation practice among lay people, may have been inspired by the description of the ideal society of practice-orientated lay”

• cites Braun 2013 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Khur-Yearn 2012 sourceSupported

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

A 2014 review of publications on meditation for stress reduction and well-being identified 18,753 unique items from eight databases, of which only 47 studies met reasonable inclusion criteria such as being randomised, using controls, and using original data.

“For example, a 2014 review of publications about the rather narrower topic of meditation used for stress reduction and well-being identified 18,753 unique items drawn from eight databases (of which only 47 studies met reasonable inclusion criteria, such as being randomised, using controls, and original data.”

• cites Goyal et al. 2014 sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

Publications on aspects of boran kammathan meditation were put out by practitioners throughout the twentieth century, including books in English as early as 1960 by Terry Magness dealing with the strand taken up by Luang Por Sot.

“publications on aspects of this meditation had been put out by practitioners all through the twentieth century (with a flush of items in the 1930s in Thai; see Choompolpaisal in this volume), but also books in English as early as 1960, by Terry Magness, dealing with the strand of this earlier tradition taken up by Luang Por Sot (Candasāro).”

• cites ChoompolpaisalNot matched

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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Many practitioners give little critical attention to the widespread assumption that unbroken lineages of practice stretch back to the Buddha.

“Many practitioners give little critical attention to the widespread assumption that there are (or may be) unbroken lineages of practice that stretch back to, presumably, the time of the Buddha.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

These publications were and have since been largely ignored, possibly due to anti-practitioner bias in western scholarship or dismissal as theoretical invention.

“That they were and have since been largely ignored could be put down to at least the heritage if not the lingering presence of anti-practitioner bias in western scholarship, although we should also consider the dismissal of this tradition as a theoretical invention, for example by the influential anthropologist, Michael Carrithers”

• cites CarrithersNot matched

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Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Earlier academic discourse on meditation was dominated by text-historical methods and a limited set of preoccupations.

“Time waswhen two of the editors of this volume began their studiesthat the academic scholarly discourse on meditation was dominated by text-historical methods.This in turn had issued forth in relation to a limited number of preoccupations with the subject.”

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A recurring theme in scholarship has been the possible origins of Buddhist meditation, focusing on the Buddha's teachers and claims about what was or was not the Buddha's innovation.

“Reflecting this intellectual context, a theme that has had significant airing over the years is the possible origins of Buddhist meditation, focusing on the Buddha's personal teachers, and variations on claims to identify what is and is not the Buddha's personal innovation in this area. 11”

• cites [11]Not checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

These revivals produced their own literature but often obscured earlier literature, including that of previous revivals, especially in personal meditation practice.

“While these revivals produced their own literature, they often obscured previous literature, including that of previous revivals, particularly in the realm of personal practice, i.e. meditation.”

May combine two claims.

Caroline Rhys Davids's early understanding of Buddhist theory and practice as a form of psychology was largely ignored, possibly because psychology was then emerging as a scholarly discipline.

“Interestingly, and possibly because of the emergent status of psychology as a scholarly discipline in the early twentieth century, an early and far from inappropriate understanding of Buddhist theory and practice as a form of psychology made by pioneer scholar Caroline Rhys Davids was largely ignored. 3”

• cites [3] sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Meditation was largely excluded from genuine academic inquiry on its own terms, possibly because it challenged scholars' religious worldviews, because of insider/outsider tensions, and because subjective experiences were then beyond empirical measure.

“As a topic of genuine inquiry on its own terms, meditation seems to have been largely 'beyond the bounds', possibly because it encroached on or challenged the religious world views of scholars themselves, but also because of insider/outsider tensions in the discourse, and anxieties over the subjective nature of the experiences involved, which were at the time beyond any empirical measure.”

May combine two claims.

Although Buddhism influenced psychology's development, Rhys Davids's contemporaries and successors in Buddhist studies turned to philology, textual criticism, history, and philosophy to frame meditation.

“While Buddhism influenced the development of psychology, 8 Rhys Davids's contemporaries and their successors in Buddhist studies looked elsewhere for disciplines to frame discussion of the topic. 9”

• cites [8]Not matched

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• cites [9] sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The relevant variety is primarily in techniques of meditation-how people meditate, including advanced practice-not only in topics of meditation.

“By variety, we are referring primarily not to the different topics of meditation, i.e. what people meditate on, the narrowing of which in modern practice is observed by McMahan (2017, 21-23), but to the different techniques of meditation, i.e. how they meditate, including at advanced levels of practice.”

• cites McMahan 2017, 21-23Not matched

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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Not all experiences of meditation are or should be expected to be pleasant.

“We can thank Andrea Grabovac for pointing out that not all experiences of meditation are or should be expected to be pleasant (Grabovac 2015).”

• cites Grabovac 2015 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Western scholarship on Buddhist meditation has changed significantly over the last forty years.

“The study of Buddhist meditation in western scholarship has undergone a number of significant changes in the last 40 years.”

May combine two claims.

Unpleasant experiences in or resulting from meditation may be indicators of progress on the path but are classified as problematic due to mismatch of expectation and motive.

“It should be pointed out here that 'unpleasant' experiences in or resulting from meditation may be indicators of progress on the path (see Kyaw in this volume), but get to be classified as 'problematic' due to the mismatch of expectation and motive in undertaking the practice in the first place”

• cites KyawNot matched

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Treating early Pali texts as conclusively representative of Theravada seems to express an unconscious Protestant bias that overvalues origins and the Buddha's word while ignoring medieval and early modern meditation accounts.

“This treatment of early Pali texts as conclusively representative of Theravada seems to express an unconscious 'protestant' bias that eschews developed tradition by over-valuing the search for 'origins' or the personal 'word of the Buddha' and ignoring medieval and early modern accounts of meditation.”

May combine two claims.

Increased attention to global mindfulness has unintentionally made Theravada practice appear as a modernised or identical version of early source practices, and as monolithic and static.

“A greater attention to global mindfulness has had the unintended consequence of presenting Theravada practice as a modernised version of, or as identical to, the practices described in those early sources, as monolithic and static.”

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Meditation has been thoroughly normalised, largely by being secularised initially as relaxation and later as mindfulness, and has begun to receive wide attention from psychiatric and hard science research programmes.

“In this sense meditation has been thoroughly 'normalised', largely by being secularised initially as 'relaxation' and later as 'mindfulness', and has begun to receive wide attention from psychiatric and hard science research programmes, formerly the reserves of deepest scepticism.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

This focus was fuelled by and reinforced perceptions that Sri Lankan and Southeast Asian Theravada, which preserved the Pali canon, was coterminous with original Buddhism and that Theravada had been entirely static.

“This was fuelled by and in turn refuelled perceptions that the Theravada Buddhism of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia which preserved this version of the canon was somehow coterminous with 'original Buddhism', as if the intervening 2500 years had somehow not happened, and that Theravada has been an entirely static phenomenon.”

May combine two claims.

Some experiences understood superficially as bad meditation experiences might, from a practitioner perspective, be positive steps forward on the path, a crucial object of learning, or relate to broader expectations of Buddhist meditative experience.

“The processes of insight are extremely challenging and some of what is understood superficially as 'bad' meditation experiences might, from a practitioner perspective, be positive steps forward on the path, be a crucial object of learning (see Kyaw this volume), or relate to broader expectations of Buddhist meditative experience.”

• cites KyawNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

The meditation and mindfulness literature has concentrated on a limited set of practices and has neglected much of Theravada's historical and contemporary diversity, especially in Asia.

“The burgeoning literature on meditation and mindfulness has focused on a limited range of practices, with much of Theravada's historical and current diversity of practice, particularly that within Asia, ignored. 1”

• cites [1] sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

In recovering past meditation practice, we depend primarily on texts, and entirely so where no unbroken living tradition exists; this applies to all Theravada and Theravada-derived meditation practised today because they are mainly text-based revivals originating no earlier than the nineteenth century.

“Inevitably, in seeking to uncover past meditation practice, we are primarily dependent on texts, entirely so in the absence of unbroken living traditions, a situation that pertains to all forms of Theravada and Theravada-derived meditation practised today, since they are predominantly text-based revivals, originating in the main no earlier than the nineteenth century.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

These scholarly preoccupations have obscured valid diversity and also avoided experience.

“These preoccupations have not only obscured valid diversity; they also skirt around experience.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

It is generally known that early authoritative sources list more meditation topics than modernist meditation culture uses, but it is not generally known that many techniques can be applied to any one topic.

“while there is general awareness that the list of meditation topics found in early, authoritative Buddhist sources such as the Mahāsatipat _ t _ hāna Sutta and Visuddhimagga (see below) is far wider than those practised within modernist meditation culture, it is generally unknown that there is also a rich diversity of techniques that may be applied to any given topic.”

May combine two claims.

The boran kammathan tradition was not consistent with the prescriptive view of meditation derived from the Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta and Visuddhimagga and was largely unrecognised in Anglo-German Buddhist studies at the time.

“a major tradition of Buddhist meditation that was not consistent with the prescriptive view of meditation derived from the Mahāsatipat _ t _ hāna Sutta and Vismand largely unrecognised in the Anglo-German tradition of Buddhist studies at the time”

• cites ChoompolpaisalNot matched

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• cites CrosbyNot matched

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• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta and Visuddhimagga provide a prescriptive view of meditation.

May combine two claims.

The boran kammatthan system incorporates three items from standard meditation discourse as new topics at the start of its programme and makes aspects of experience such as pīti into topics for its distinctive technique.

“the boran kammatthan system incorporates three items from standard meditation discourse as new topics at the start of its programme.In other words, it complicates our understanding of such categories by rendering aspects of experience such as pīti, the delight felt in the first jhāna, as topics to be subject to its distinctive technique (see Skilton in this volume).”

• cites SkiltonNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

The boran kammatthan practices of pre-modern Southeast Asia use familiar Vism topics such as mindfulness of breathing, brahmavihāra, asubha, and kasiṇa, but employ an unfamiliar technique of embedding each meditation's results into the practitioner's body.

“The family of boran kammatthan practices uses meditation topics familiar from such texts as Vism, such as mindfulness of breathing, brahmavihāra, asubha, kasiṇa, etc., but employs a completely unfamiliar technique involving embedding the results of each meditation into the body of the practitioner (see contributions to this volume by Skilton, Choompolpaisal and Crosby).”

• cites SkiltonNot matched

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• cites ChoompolpaisalNot matched

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• cites CrosbyNot matched

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May combine two claims.

Historical engagement with meditation has fallen into two major phases: textual up to the 1970s, and thereafter divided between textual and clinical studies.

“It is therefore not unreasonable to see our historical engagement with meditation as having fallen into two major phases: textual, up to the 1970s, and thereafter divided between textual and clinical studies.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

Other lay practice can be found and some may significantly predate the modern development of lay practice spread.

“While the spread of practice among lay people undoubtedly reflects the changes in colonial Burma and the subsequent spread of practices to the West during the counter-cultural revolution and beyond, other lay practice can be found and some of it may significantly predate that modern development.”

May combine two claims.

While past attempts to compare teachings and methods were necessarily of entry-level practice, the articles in this volume look in detail at advanced stages of practice.

“While there have been attempts to compare teachings and methods given by different meditation teachers in the past (Kornfield 1977;van Oosterwijk 2012;Schedneck 2015), those accounts have necessarily been of entry-level practice, whereas the articles here look in detail at advanced stages of the practice, with Kyaw and Choompolpaisal comparing the advanced practices of different teachers following”

• cites Kornfield 1977Not matched

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• cites van Oosterwijk 2012Not matched

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• cites Schedneck 2015 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

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The mutual interpenetration of western and Asian scholarship, and of practitioner and academic scholarship, makes categories such as 'western' somewhat anachronistic.

“The mutual interpenetration of, on the one hand, western and Asian scholarship and on the other of practitioner and academic scholarship, makes categories such as 'western' somewhat anachronistic.”

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Winston L. King was an important bridge between the worlds of practice/belief and western academia.

“King was himself an important bridge between the worlds of practice/belief on the one hand and western academia on the other.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The sidelining of early western pioneers curtailed early twentieth-century applications of Hindu- and Buddhist-derived meditation in the USA and set the parameters for the later expansion of modern mindfulness.

“This had the effect of stemming early twentieth-century applications of meditation from Hindu and Buddhist sources in the USA and set the parameters for the expansion of modern mindfulness (Hickey 2019).”

• cites Hickey 2019Not checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Buddhaghosa describes the country where the Buddha teaches the sutta as ideal because lay people too are focused on practice.

“There, Buddhaghosa describes the country where the Buddha teaches the sutta as the ideal place because lay people too are focused on practice:”

• cites Crosby 2014Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S1 (asserted), S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

These iconic texts can be taken as a prescriptive and exclusive account of what meditation is and can be within Theravada.

“The danger is that these can been taken as a prescriptive and exclusive account of what meditation is and can be within Theravada.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The Pali canon and Visuddhimagga are normative texts for Theravada.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Ignoring these traditions leads to failure to understand regional forms of Theravada Buddhism in their entirety.

“Ignoring them, we fail to understand regional forms of Theravada Buddhism in their entirety.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Narrowing meditation to a set of prescribed activities from one authoritative source leads to failure to understand broader functions and potentials of meditation and to appreciate Buddhism in its historical fullness and potential.

“On the other hand, by unwittingly colluding in the narrowing of meditation to a set of prescribed activities from one authoritative source or another, we fail to understand the broader functions and potentials of meditation, and it may not be overextending the claim to suggest that to the degree that we do this, we also fail to appreciate Buddhism in both its historical fullness and its potential.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Theravada developed a practice focusing on repulsiveness of stages of alms-round, acquisition, consumption, digestion, rather than seeing food as repulsive in itself.

“Theravada developed a practice that focuses on the reality of repulsiveness of stages of the alms-round, i.e. the acquisition of food, and its consumption and digestion, rather than seeing food as repulsive in and of itself.”

• cites KongNot matched

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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

These less familiar meditation traditions have a regional and cultural significance that can easily be lost under regional political centralisation and globalisation.

“On the one hand, these less familiar meditation traditions have a regional and cultural significance which can easily be lost under the impact of regional political centralisation and of globalisation.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

When western authors dismiss meditation, they privilege their own experience and values over those of the real or imagined Buddhist practitioner, without reflecting on their own experiential and intellectual biases.

“In all such discussions it strikes us that when dismissing meditation on one basis or another, western authors are always privileging their own experience and values over those of the real or imagined Buddhist practitioner, without reflecting on their own experiential and intellectual biases.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

This adds further evidence against oft-stated claim that manuscript illustrations do not relate to their contents in a Theravada context.

“As an aside, this adds further evidence against the oft-stated claim that manuscript illustrations do not relate to their contents in a Theravada context.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

In manuscript collections everywhere, texts on meditation abound, their variety often hidden beneath normative or descriptive titles.

“In manuscript collections everywhere, texts on meditation abound, their variety often hidden beneath normative or descriptive titles.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The recent secularisation of 'mindfulness' follows the same pattern of accommodation.

“The more recent secularisation of 'mindfulness' follows the same vein of accommodation.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Kong demonstrates two key developments from canonical to commentarial periods: progressive restriction of benefits attributed to food contemplation, and divergence between Theravada and Sarvāstivāda/Mahāyāna in how to practise.

“He demonstrates two key developments from the canonical to commentarial periods.One is the progressive restriction of the benefits attributed to the practice.The other is the divergence between Theravada and Sarvāstivāda/Mahāyāna in how to practise.”

• cites KongNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

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Choompolpaisal shows connections between specific lineages in pre-modern period and three important heirs to boran kammathan in modern period: Wat Ratchasittharam, Wat Pradusongtham, and Dhammakaya method.

“He is then able to show the connections between specific lineages in the pre-modern period and three important heirs to boran kammatthan in the modern period: the meditation lineages at Wat Ratchasittharam, those at Wat Pradusongtham, and among the network of temples that adopt Sodh Candasaro's (1884-1959) Dhammakaya method (vijjā dhammakāya).”

• cites ChoompolpaisalNot matched

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Sarvāstivāda/Mahāyāna teach practitioner to develop attitude of repulsiveness by cognitive association, allocating aspect of asubha to different types of food.

“In contrast, Sarvāstivāda/Mahāyāna teach the practitioner to develop an attitude of repulsiveness by cognitive association, allocating an aspect of asubha (impurity) to different types of food.”

• cites KongNot matched

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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Research on meditation techniques and their therapeutic applications has been clouded by confusion over what constitutes meditation and by a lack of methodological rigour.

“The authors concluded that 'The field of research on meditation techniques and their therapeutic applications has been clouded by confusion over what constitutes meditation and by a lack of methodological rigor . . .'”

• cites Ospina et al. 2007Not matched

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The Visuddhimagga has been translated into English in full twice.

“In contrast to this, Vism has been translated into English in full twice: Pe (1922-1931), and Nyanamoli (1956).”

• cites Pe (1922-1931)Not matched

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• cites Nyanamoli (1956)Not matched

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Crosby shows how boran kammathan practice offers a detailed working out of spiritual path as contained within commentarial Abhidhamma through progressive substitution of increasingly pure mental states within embodied individual.

“She shows how the practice offers a detailed working out of the spiritual path as contained within commentarial Abhidhamma through a progressive substitution of increasingly pure mental states within the embodied individual.”

• cites CrosbyNot matched

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Meditation attains its therapeutic status by being secularised, that is, by having its mystical context or accoutrements stripped away.

“Seemingly, meditation always achieves its therapeutic status by being secularised, by the shearing away of its 'mystical' context or accoutrements.”

• cites Lazarus 1976 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Investigation into variety in Theravada meditation has been long overdue and motivated three workshops.

“Despite all the advances in the study of Buddhist and Buddhist-derived meditation, investigation into variety in Theravada meditation has been long overdue and was the motivation behind three workshops related to our project of comparing Theravada meditation systems and to some of the material presented in this volume.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The Yogācārabhūmi, despite its influence in its homeland and in East and Central Asian Buddhist traditions, is still not translated in full into a western language because of its fragmented survival in various languages.

“the Yogācārabhūmi, an exposition of the stages of the path hugely influential in its homeland and in the Buddhist traditions of East and Central Asia, which, due to its unfortunately fragmented survival in various languages, is still not translated in full into a western language.”

• cites Kragh (2013)Not checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Hickey documents that vested interests and misogyny shaped practice and discourse and sidelined early western pioneers in meditation and related areas.

“Hickey documents the role of vested interests and misogyny in shaping practice and discourse, and sidelining early western pioneers in these and related areas.”

• cites Hickey 2019Not checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The number of publications on meditation has expanded dramatically in the twelve years since the 2007 review.

“Without doubt the number of publications has expanded dramatically in the 12 years since that review.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

A thin thread of Caroline Rhys Davids' influence ran through other authors' publications until the late 1960s, when the association of Buddhism and psychology became ubiquitous.

“We can see a thin thread of her influence in this respect running through publications by other authors until the late 1960s, when the association of Buddhism and psychology became ubiquitous.”

May combine two claims.

Clinical and social scientific studies have contributed to a simplified representation of what meditation entails, often repeating the samatha-vipassanā trope and assuming basic mindfulness of breathing exercises are a valid representation of Theravāda meditation.

“Moreover, while these later fields of engagement, the clinical and the social scientific, have added much, they have perhapswith some exceptions noted abovecontributed to a simplified representation of what meditation entails, often repeating for Theravāda the samatha-vipassanā trope, and assuming that basic mindfulness of breathing exercises to be found in closely related forms in the normative”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Some of this other lay practice may be inspired by Buddhaghosa's commentary on Mahāsatipatthānasutta.

“They may even be inspired by the same authoritative text, Buddhaghosa's commentary on the Mahāsatippat _ t _ hānasutta.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

A 2018 meta-survey located 1601 publications on the effect of mindfulness on brain activity.

“A 2018 meta-survey of studies of the effect of mindfulness on brain activity located 1601 publications on the topic (Young et al. 2018).”

• cites Young et al. 2018 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The popularisation of Buddhist-derived practices in therapeutic settings has narrowed what the term 'mindfulness' refers to.

“Another type of simplification in the popularisation of Buddhist-derived practices in the therapeutic context has been the narrowing of the reference of mindfulness itself”

• cites Kuan (2008)Not matched

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Some Buddhists and scholars of Buddhism have questioned the decontextualisation of mindfulness meditation from larger Buddhist ethical, philosophical and cosmological contexts and from traditional social support.

“Some Buddhists and scholars of Buddhism have called into question the decontextualisation of mindfulness meditation from larger Buddhist ethical, philosophical and cosmological contexts (McMahan and Braun 2017, 14), and from traditional social support.”

• cites McMahan and Braun 2017Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

For Theravada, the exposition of meditation has for too long been dominated by iconic texts of the Pali canon and Visuddhimagga and their representation in Vipassanā and modern mindfulness.

“However, for Theravada, the exposition of meditation has for too long been dominated by iconic texts of the Pali canon and Vism, and their representation in the uptake of Vipassanā and within the modern mindfulness movement.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The Pali canon and Visuddhimagga are normative texts for Theravada.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S1 (asserted). May combine two claims.

It has been a desideratum to establish the historicity, historical lineages, authenticity, and internal coherence of boran kammathan as an expression of recognisable Theravada principles, values and goals, given Carrithers' unwarranted assessment.

“Finally, given the unwarranted assessment by Michael Carrithers of the Sri Lankan and Siamese lineages of boran kammathan as 'an example of an imaginative but not very insightful attempt to revive meditation from the texts' (Carrithers 1983, 233), i.e. a kind of early modern fiction, it has been a desideratum to establish not only its historicity, the historical lineages of transmission of this”

• cites Carrithers 1983Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Carrithers' assessment of boran kammathan as an imaginative but not very insightful attempt to revive meditation from texts is unwarranted.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Terwiel identifies for first time detailed symbolism of depictions of City of Nibbāna and eight supramundane stages culminating in arhatship in manuscripts from eighteenth century containing Samutphāptraiphūm.

“whose 'The City of Nibbāna in Thai Picture Books of the Three Worlds' identifies for the first time the detailed symbolism of depictions of the City of Nibbāna and the eight supramundane stages that culminate in arhatship in manuscripts from the eighteenth century containing the cosmological text the 'Depiction of the Three Worlds', Samutphāptraiphūm.”

• cites TerwielNot matched

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