"Embodied Spirituality: Meditation practices in the contemporary world"
September 23rd, 2022, 10:00 - 12:00 CET / 17:00 - 19:00 JST
Tokai University Online Symposium
General Information:
Date:
September 23rd (Fri), 2022
Time:
10:00-12.00 (Denmark)
17:00-19:00 (Japan)
Venue:
Online (Zoom)
Hosts:
Tokai University European Center
Institute of Civilization Research, Tokai University
Meditation used to be regarded as a religious practice rooted in East Asian cultures (especially in Buddhism). In the contemporary world, however, it has become one of the popular ways of pursuing one’s health and wellbeing. According to a survey published by Pew Research Center in 2014, it is reported that as many as 40% of American people practice meditation regularly, at least once a week. One of the reasons that meditation has gained large popularity would be found in the fact that the common meditative methods such as Mindfulness and Yoga have been taught as psychological and/or bodily practices separating from their original religious contexts. For example, in mindfulness meditation, participants are required just to be aware of the ongoing processes in their mind, body, and the surrounding environment. For most of the beginners, it is rather natural to practice meditation as a stress reduction method without knowing their religious backgrounds.
Based on the above, this symposium will address the following questions:
What motivates so many people to practice meditation? Is it mainly physical, psychological, or spiritual?
Do people seek for some sorts of spiritual experiences instead of traditional religions? Do meditations satisfy their potential spiritual needs?
What is really experienced in meditations? Are meditations limited to psychological and/or bodily experiences, or are they inherently continuous to spiritual experiences?
Program
10:00-10:05 (17:00-17:05)
Welcome & Opening Remarks by Mr. Jakob Skyt Jensen
Deputy Director, Tokai University European Center
10:05-10:35 (17:05-17:35)
Presentation by Dr. Shogo Tanaka
Director, Institute of Civilization Research, Tokai University, Japan
On the Spiritual Dimension of Embodied Experience
10:35-11:05 (17:35-18:05)
Presentation by Dr. Denis Francesconi
Guest Professor at the University of Vienna, Austria
The Scientification of Meditation
11:05-11:35(18:05-18:35)
Presentation by Ms. Jihe Hsieh
Ph.D. student at Graduate School of Letters, Tokai University, Japan
Breathing Techniques and Holistic Health
11:35-11:55 (18:35-18:55)
Q&A and Discussion
11:55-12:00 (18:55-19:00)
Closing remarks by Dr. Shogo Tanaka
Director, Institute of Civilization Research, Tokai University, Japan
12:00 (19:00)
End of program
Please click on the images below for information on the speaker.