This week in meditation some creative developments and innovative resources.
1. BuddhaAI:
The German Buddha Stiftung (Buddha Foundation) has launched BuddhaAI, an AI-powered companion designed to answer questions on secular Buddhism, meditation, and ethical living, catering to both beginners and seasoned practitioners. BuddhAI has been designed as an inspiring companion, a tool to help individuals explore Buddhist concepts from a secular lens. *I tried this tool and had a very interesting and quite detailed ‘conversation’ on what the Buddha might say about finding life balance! I appreciated the timely and succinct response and suggestions – and the focus on ‘finding true wisdom in my own experience’. (Disclaimer: BuddhAI can sometimes be wrong – so use BuddhAI as an inspirational aid.)
You can read more here: Secular Buddhist Network and BuddhaAI
2. The New Wave of Research in Advanced Meditation:
There have been a couple of recent articles pointing to a shift of interest to exploring the lesser-known realms of transpersonal experiences and mystic states in the contemplative science. This article from Mass General Brigham shared the latest wave of research on advanced meditation practices, particularly examining how intensive meditation affects the brain. Using advanced neuroimaging, researchers observed that experienced meditators display unique neural patterns associated with emotional regulation, attention, and self-awareness. This “third wave” of meditation research goes beyond the standard stress reduction benefits of meditation, looking into transformative experiences and potential therapeutic applications for mental health conditions. The findings suggest that advanced meditation may significantly enhance cognitive flexibility and emotional resilience.
You can read more here: Mass General Brigham
‘Meditation in the News’ is my attempt to build a regular habit of reading, digesting and sharing some of the (many) articles and press releases that I receive daily about meditation and meditation research. I hope you enjoy!