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Cited by 177Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsReligion, Spirituality, and PsychologyIndian and Buddhist Studies

Toward a unifying taxonomy and definition for meditation

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Nash, Jonathan D., Newberg, Andrew·2013·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00806PMC PMC3834522
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Abstract

One of the well-documented concerns confronting scholarly discourse about meditation is the plethora of semantic constructs and the lack of a unified definition and taxonomy. In recent years there have been several notable attempts to formulate new lexicons in order to define and categorize meditation methods. While these constructs have been useful and have encountered varying degrees of acceptance, they have also been subject to misinterpretation and debate, leaving the field devoid of a consensual paradigm. This paper attempts to influence this ongoing discussion by proposing two new models which hold the potential for enhanced scientific reliability and acceptance. Regarding the quest for a universally acceptable taxonomy, we suggest a paradigm shift away from the norm of fabricatIng new terminology from a first-person perspective. As an alternative, we propose a new taxonomic system based on the historically well-established and commonly accepted third-person paradigm of Affect and Cognition, borrowed, in part, from the psychological and cognitive sciences. With regard to the elusive definitional problem, we propose a model of meditation which clearly distinguishes "method" from "state" and is conceptualized as a dynamic process which is inclusive of six related but distinct stages. The overall goal is to provide researchers with a reliable nomenclature with which to categorize and classify diverse meditation methods, and a conceptual framework which can provide direction for their research and a theoretical basis for their findings.

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  • Buddhist texts state that Theravada styles of meditation, such as Shamatha, Vipassana, or Mindfulness, emphasize internally steadying or stabilizing the unstable mind and cultivate quiescence and tranquility.

    “Specifically, Buddhist texts state that Theravada styles of meditation, such as Shamatha, Vipassana, or Mindfulness, are techniques that emphasize “internally steadying” or stabilize the “unstable mind” and cultivate the state of quiescence and tranquility, through which the nature of the mind could be seen without obstruction [67, pages 1287-1288 (IV.410)] [83, pages 152-153 (I.165), 335 (II.290)”

    From The Influence of Buddhist Meditation Traditions on the Autonomic System and Attention (2015) · cites this paper as [83]

    The Taxonomy section says samatha is intended to calm and focus the mind and describes Vipassana in terms of mindfulness and insight. It does not say that all the listed techniques stabilize an “unstable mind” or cultivate tranquility so that the mind’s nature can be seen without obstruction; nor does it present those assertions as statements from Buddhist texts. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Nash, J. D., & Newberg, A.
Affiliations
Thomas Jefferson University (US)
Corresponding author
Nash, Jonathan D.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2013
Volume
4
Pages
806-806
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00806
PMC
PMC3834522
OpenAlex
W2169419838
Cited by
177
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 6
FWCI
10.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
corrigendum (2019-10-09)
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • The Medicine Forum (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
Keywords
meditation, affect and cognition, conceptual framework, terminology

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