Bodymind (in meditation traditions)
Encyclopedia
Bodymind is a compound of body
and mind
and may be used differently in different meditation traditions. These different understandings often inform each other.
Buddhist philosopher, Herbert V. Günther
has stated:
Modern Western culture inherited a Cartesian Dualism not evident in many other cultures. As a result of multiculturalism
and globalization
, the Bodymind understood in Navajo and Tibetan cultures as documented by the Anthopologist Gold (1994), has dialogued with the Bodymind in what is construed as the New Age.
, Mahayana
, Theravada
, Zen Buddhism the concept of bodymind, or namarupa
, is key. In Vajrayana, namarupa is informed by the related doctrines of heartmind and Yogachara's mindstream
. Within these traditions, Bodymind is held as a continuüm
and field
phenomenon. Arpaia and Rapgay discuss the connection of mindbody in the eighth chapter of their book, Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life , entitled "Health: strengthening the mind-body connection".
David E. Shaner, PhD, coined the compound term "bodymind" in his thesis work at the University of Hawai'i, "The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism," which he defended in 1979 and published in 1985. Dr. Shaner translated the term 心身統一合氣道, Shinshintouitsu Aikidō. He has continued his propagation of the term "bodymind" formally, and its most recent manifestation is in his Furman University course, "Realizing Bodymind," which is the first course of its kind in the US where the bodymind experience is investigated. Dr. Shaner applies the principles of "bodymind studies," an emerging field of an integrated, multiple fields approach to human performance and behavior change, in his organization CONNECT Consulting, LLC.
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
and mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
and may be used differently in different meditation traditions. These different understandings often inform each other.
Buddhist philosopher, Herbert V. Günther
Herbert V. Günther
Herbert V. Güenther [Herbert Vighnāntaka Guenther, Ph.D., D.Litt.] was a German Buddhist philosopher and Professor and Head of the Department of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. He held this position from the time he left India in 1964.-Early life:He was...
has stated:
What we call 'body' and 'mind' are mere abstractions from an identity experience that cannot be reduced to the one or the other abstraction, nor can it be hypostatized into some sort of thing without falsifying its very being.
Modern Western culture inherited a Cartesian Dualism not evident in many other cultures. As a result of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
and globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, the Bodymind understood in Navajo and Tibetan cultures as documented by the Anthopologist Gold (1994), has dialogued with the Bodymind in what is construed as the New Age.
Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism
In VajrayanaVajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
, Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
, Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
, Zen Buddhism the concept of bodymind, or namarupa
Namarupa
Nāmarūpa is a dvandva compound in Sanskrit and Pali meaning "name and form ".-Nāmarūpa in Hinduism:The term nāmarūpa is used in Hindu thought, nāma describing the spiritual or essential properties of an object or being, and rūpa the physical presence that it manifests...
, is key. In Vajrayana, namarupa is informed by the related doctrines of heartmind and Yogachara's mindstream
Mindstream
Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment "continuum" of awareness. There are a number of terms in the Buddhist literature that may well be rendered "mindstream"...
. Within these traditions, Bodymind is held as a continuüm
Mindstream
Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment "continuum" of awareness. There are a number of terms in the Buddhist literature that may well be rendered "mindstream"...
and field
Field
-Places:* Field, British Columbia, Canada* Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States* Field, Ontario, Canada* Field Island, Nunavut, Canada* Mount Field - Expanses of open ground :* Field...
phenomenon. Arpaia and Rapgay discuss the connection of mindbody in the eighth chapter of their book, Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life , entitled "Health: strengthening the mind-body connection".
David E. Shaner, PhD, coined the compound term "bodymind" in his thesis work at the University of Hawai'i, "The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism," which he defended in 1979 and published in 1985. Dr. Shaner translated the term 心身統一合氣道, Shinshintouitsu Aikidō. He has continued his propagation of the term "bodymind" formally, and its most recent manifestation is in his Furman University course, "Realizing Bodymind," which is the first course of its kind in the US where the bodymind experience is investigated. Dr. Shaner applies the principles of "bodymind studies," an emerging field of an integrated, multiple fields approach to human performance and behavior change, in his organization CONNECT Consulting, LLC.