The Potential of the Bi-Directional Gaze: A Call for Neuroscientific Research on the Simultaneous Activation of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems through Tantric Practice
This paper is a call for the development of a neuroscientific research protocol for the study of the impact of Tantric practice on the autonomic nervous system. Tantric texts like Abhinavagupta's Tantrāloka map out a complex meditative ritual system in which inward-gazing, apophatic, sense-deny...
| Опубликовано в: : | Religions |
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| Главный автор: | |
| Формат: | Электронный ресурс Статья |
| Язык: | Английский |
| Проверить наличие: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Загрузка...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Опубликовано: |
MDPI
[2016]
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| В: |
Religions
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| Другие ключевые слова: | B
Abhinavagupta
B Synesthesia B apophatic-kataphatic B ku??alinī B Autonomic Nervous System B Srī Yantra B Trika-Kaula B sādhanā |
| Online-ссылка: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Итог: | This paper is a call for the development of a neuroscientific research protocol for the study of the impact of Tantric practice on the autonomic nervous system. Tantric texts like Abhinavagupta's Tantrāloka map out a complex meditative ritual system in which inward-gazing, apophatic, sense-denying contemplative practices are combined with outward-gazing, kataphatic sense-activating ritual practices. Abhinavagupta announces a culminating bi-directional state (pratimīlana-samādhi) as the highest natural state (sahaja-samādhi) in which the practitioner becomes a perfected yogi (siddhayogi). This state of maximized cognitive capacities, in which one's inward gaze and outward world-engagement are held in balance, appears to be one in which the anabolic metabolic processes of the parasympathetic nervous system and the catabolic metabolic processes of the sympathetic nervous systems are simultaneously activated and integrated. Akin to secularized mindfulness and compassion training protocols like Emory's CBCT, I propose the development of secularized Tantric protocols for the development of secular and tradition-specific methods for further exploring the potential of the human neurological system. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
| Второстепенные работы: | Enthalten in: Religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel7110132 |