Contemplative Currents
An online magazine for public scholarship
Contemplative Currents
Contemplative Currents is an online magazine for public scholarship that advances contemplative knowing, practicing, and living.
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Highlights
Author Insights: Samuel Grimes, Portrait of a Poison
Samuel Grimes is the Shinjo Ito Postdoctoral Fellow in Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the article, “Portrait of a Poison: Datura in Buddhist Magic,” in the Journal of Contemplative Studies: Special Issue on Psychedelics, Contemplation, and Religion. Conducted by Adam Liddle, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Contemplative Sciences…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Erik Braun
Erik Braun is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia and author of The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the…
Call for Film Reviews
We invite reviews of films in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are an integral part of JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and…
What is Contemplation: An Interview with Muhammad Faruque
Muhammad Faruque is the Inayat Malik Assistant Professor and a Taft Center Fellow at the University of Cincinnati and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University….
Revisit the Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023
In April 2023, the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia hosted its first Generative Contemplation Symposium in Charlottesville, Virginia. This gathering convened experts…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Anne C. Klein
Anne C. Klein is a Professor in the Department of Religion at Rice University, co-founder of the Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism, and author…
Like Rocks and Mountains: A Contemplative Science Program Under Threat
Frances Garrett is an Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies and Tibetan Studies in the Department for the Study of Religion and Director of the Buddhism,…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Martijn van Beek
Martijn van Beek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Aarhus University in Denmark. He specializes in ethnographic and phenomenological perspectives on…
NEW SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE: Portrait of a Poison: Datura in Buddhist Magic
“Portrait of a Poison: Datura in Buddhist Magic,” by Samuel M. Grimes, University of California, Berkeley Abstract: The psychoactive plant Datura metel appears across a…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Loriliai Biernacki
Loriliai Biernacki is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is the author of Renowned Goddess of Desire (2007) and…
CALL FOR PAPERS: AAR Contemplative Studies Unit
This year, the Contemplative Studies Unit especially invites proposals addressing the role of different epistemologies relative to Contemplative Studies, comparative or otherwise. Particularly we are…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with David McMahan
David McMahan is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin and Marshall College and author of Rethinking Meditation: Buddhist Meditative Practices in Ancient and Modern Worlds (2023) and The Making of Buddhist Modernism (2008).
FILM ANNOUNCEMENT: Light Upon Light
Announcing a new film in Contemplative Studies: Light Upon Light (2022), Directed by Christian Suhr From the Director For several years, I studied the relationship…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Douglas Christie
Douglas Christie is a Professor Emeritus of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University and author of The Blue Saphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology and The Insurmountable Darkness of Love: Love, Contemplative Practice, and the Common Life.
Call for Film Reviews
We invite reviews of films in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are an integral part of JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and…
UVA Press Book Series: Varieties of Contemplative Experience
The Varieties of Contemplative Experience series from the University of Virginia Press is devoted to wide-ranging humanistic scholarship exploring the world’s rich legacy of contemplative…
BOOK REVIEW: The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
Read the new Review of The Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2019), edited by Miguel Farias, David Brazier, and Mansur Lalljee. Reviewed by Stephen Dawson (University…
Call for Book Reviews
We invite reviews of books in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are an integral part of JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and…
CONFERENCE RECAP: American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, 2023
The American Academy of Religion hosted its 2023 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, November 18-21. Among the hundreds of panels and roundtable discussions were…
Call for Individual Articles & Special Issues
The Journal of Contemplative Studies (JCS) is looking for new scholarship in Contemplative Studies. In particular, we invite submissions from individuals or panels from the…
ISCR 2nd Annual Conference
The International Society for Contemplative Research is holding their 2nd annual conference in Padova, Italy from June 19 – 23, 2024. The deadline to submit…
OP-ED: Critical Mindfulness in Contemplative Education
Dr. Nadine Levy, Nan Tien Institute In secular educational settings, mindfulness is taught primarily with reference to its observable and measurable scientific benefits. Educators often…
Contemplative Studies Panels at AAR Conference: November 18-21, 2023
The Contemplative Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion is sponsoring five panels at the annual conference in San Antonio, TX from November 18-21,…
BOOK REVIEW: Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies
Read the new Review of the Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies (2023). Edited by Suzanne Newcombe and Karen O’Brien-Kop. Reviewed by Alan Brill…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Self-Emergent Visions
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Dreams and Illusions
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Nonduality
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
CALL FOR PAPERS − SPECIAL ISSUE #5: Contemplation in Africana Traditions
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Contemplation in Africana Traditions with guest editors Oludamini…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Attention
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
NEW ARTICLE: A Study of Cheng Yi’s Quiet-Sitting Meditation
“A Study of Cheng Yi’s Quiet-Sitting Meditation and Other Contemplative Practices in the Confucian Context” Abstract: This study delves into Cheng Yi’s (程頤, 1033–1107) Ruist…
CALL FOR PAPERS − SPECIAL ISSUE #4: Philosophy and Contemplation in Tantric Buddhism
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Philosophy and Contemplation in Tantric Buddhism with guest editor Yaroslav…
Call for Book Reviews
We invite reviews of books in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are integral to JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and practitioners in…
CALL FOR PAPERS – SPECIAL ISSUE #3: Contemplative Ecology
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Contemplative Ecology with guest editors Douglas Christie (Loyola…
BOOK REVIEW: The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Meditation
Read the new Review of the Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Meditation (2022). Edited by Rick Repetti. Reviewed by Francisco Figueroa Medina (Kyoto University)….
CONFERENCE RECAP: Generative Contemplation Symposium at University of Virginia, April 2023
The Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) at the University of Virginia (UVA) hosted its first Generative Contemplation Symposium in Charlottesville, Virginia from April 20-21, 2023. This…
The Contemplative Forum: Academic Listserv
Announcing the launch of the Contemplative Forum, an academic email listserv that facilitates scholarly exchanges in Contemplative Studies. Sign-up on the Contemplative Forum webpage. The forum…
NEW ARTICLE: Religious and Scientific Worldviews in Meditation-Related Challenges
“Relationships between Religious and Scientific Worldviews in the Narratives of Western Buddhists Reporting Meditation-Related Challenges” Abstract: Contemporary Buddhist meditators in the West are likely to…
Vajrayana Buddhism and Science Workshop Video Proceedings
Over several days in March and early April 2021, Maria Kozhevnikov at the National University of Singapore convened a private online workshop, Bridging Esoteric Vajrayana…
Propose a JCS Special Issue
The JCS Editors invite proposals to guest edit a Special Issue by filling-in the Special Issue Proposal Form via the Submissions page. JCS Special Issues…
CONFERENCE RECAP: International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) 2023
The International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) held its inaugural conference in San Diego from February 2-5, 2023. The conference promoted interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration…
ContemplativeRxiv Pre- and Post-Print Service
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce the launch of our new pre- and post-print service, ContemplativeRxiv. The preprint archive of the Journal of Contemplative…
NEW BOOK: The Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation
The Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation: The Samten Migdron by Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, a 10th-century Tibetan Buddhist Text on Meditation. Oxford University Press 2022….
SPECIAL ISSUE #2: Mindful Practices and Embodied Critical Thinking
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a forthcoming Special Issue dedicated to exploring the tensions and transitions between mindful practices and embodied critical thinking….
Generative Contemplation Symposium: University of Virginia, April 20-21, 2023
On Thursday April 20th and Friday April 21st, 2023, the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia is hosting the Generative Contemplation Symposium, an…
SPECIAL ISSUE #1: Psychedelics, Contemplation, and Religion
The editors are delighted to announce a Special Issue dedicated to the intersections of psychedelics, contemplation, and religion by guest editors Daniel A. Hirshberg and…
OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS: Journal of Contemplative Studies
On behalf of the Executive Board, we are thrilled to announce that the Journal of Contemplative Studies (JCS) is open for submissions. The Journal of…
ISCR Inaugural Conference: February 2-5, 2023
The inaugural conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) will be held on the campus of the University of California, San Diego during…
Contemplative Studies Panels at AAR Conference: November 19-22, 2022
The Contemplative Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion is sponsoring three panels at the annual conference in Denver, CO from November 19-22, 2022:…
Call for Film Reviews
We invite reviews of films in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are an integral part of JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and…
CALL FOR PAPERS: AAR Contemplative Studies Unit
This year, the Contemplative Studies Unit especially invites proposals addressing the role of different epistemologies relative to Contemplative Studies, comparative or otherwise. Particularly we are…
FILM ANNOUNCEMENT: Light Upon Light
Announcing a new film in Contemplative Studies: Light Upon Light (2022), Directed by Christian Suhr From the Director For several years, I studied the relationship…
Call for Film Reviews
We invite reviews of films in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are an integral part of JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and…
UVA Press Book Series: Varieties of Contemplative Experience
The Varieties of Contemplative Experience series from the University of Virginia Press is devoted to wide-ranging humanistic scholarship exploring the world’s rich legacy of contemplative…
Call for Book Reviews
We invite reviews of books in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are an integral part of JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and…
Call for Individual Articles & Special Issues
The Journal of Contemplative Studies (JCS) is looking for new scholarship in Contemplative Studies. In particular, we invite submissions from individuals or panels from the…
ISCR 2nd Annual Conference
The International Society for Contemplative Research is holding their 2nd annual conference in Padova, Italy from June 19 – 23, 2024. The deadline to submit…
CALL FOR PAPERS − SPECIAL ISSUE #4: Philosophy and Contemplation in Tantric Buddhism
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Philosophy and Contemplation in Tantric Buddhism with guest editor Yaroslav…
Call for Book Reviews
We invite reviews of books in Contemplative Studies. Rigorous and insightful reviews are integral to JCS’s mission to inform and connect scholars and practitioners in…
CALL FOR PAPERS – SPECIAL ISSUE #3: Contemplative Ecology
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Contemplative Ecology with guest editors Douglas Christie (Loyola…
The Contemplative Forum: Academic Listserv
Announcing the launch of the Contemplative Forum, an academic email listserv that facilitates scholarly exchanges in Contemplative Studies. Sign-up on the Contemplative Forum webpage. The forum…
Propose a JCS Special Issue
The JCS Editors invite proposals to guest edit a Special Issue by filling-in the Special Issue Proposal Form via the Submissions page. JCS Special Issues…
ContemplativeRxiv Pre- and Post-Print Service
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce the launch of our new pre- and post-print service, ContemplativeRxiv. The preprint archive of the Journal of Contemplative…
NEW BOOK: The Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation
The Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation: The Samten Migdron by Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, a 10th-century Tibetan Buddhist Text on Meditation. Oxford University Press 2022….
Generative Contemplation Symposium: University of Virginia, April 20-21, 2023
On Thursday April 20th and Friday April 21st, 2023, the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia is hosting the Generative Contemplation Symposium, an…
OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS: Journal of Contemplative Studies
On behalf of the Executive Board, we are thrilled to announce that the Journal of Contemplative Studies (JCS) is open for submissions. The Journal of…
ISCR Inaugural Conference: February 2-5, 2023
The inaugural conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) will be held on the campus of the University of California, San Diego during…
NEW SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE: Portrait of a Poison: Datura in Buddhist Magic
“Portrait of a Poison: Datura in Buddhist Magic,” by Samuel M. Grimes, University of California, Berkeley Abstract: The psychoactive plant Datura metel appears across a…
NEW ARTICLE: A Study of Cheng Yi’s Quiet-Sitting Meditation
“A Study of Cheng Yi’s Quiet-Sitting Meditation and Other Contemplative Practices in the Confucian Context” Abstract: This study delves into Cheng Yi’s (程頤, 1033–1107) Ruist…
NEW ARTICLE: Religious and Scientific Worldviews in Meditation-Related Challenges
“Relationships between Religious and Scientific Worldviews in the Narratives of Western Buddhists Reporting Meditation-Related Challenges” Abstract: Contemporary Buddhist meditators in the West are likely to…
BOOK REVIEW: The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
Read the new Review of The Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2019), edited by Miguel Farias, David Brazier, and Mansur Lalljee. Reviewed by Stephen Dawson (University…
BOOK REVIEW: Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies
Read the new Review of the Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies (2023). Edited by Suzanne Newcombe and Karen O’Brien-Kop. Reviewed by Alan Brill…
BOOK REVIEW: The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Meditation
Read the new Review of the Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Meditation (2022). Edited by Rick Repetti. Reviewed by Francisco Figueroa Medina (Kyoto University)….
Contemplative Studies Panels at AAR Conference: November 18-21, 2023
The Contemplative Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion is sponsoring five panels at the annual conference in San Antonio, TX from November 18-21,…
CONFERENCE RECAP: Generative Contemplation Symposium at University of Virginia, April 2023
The Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) at the University of Virginia (UVA) hosted its first Generative Contemplation Symposium in Charlottesville, Virginia from April 20-21, 2023. This…
CONFERENCE RECAP: International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) 2023
The International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) held its inaugural conference in San Diego from February 2-5, 2023. The conference promoted interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration…
Author Insights: Samuel Grimes, Portrait of a Poison
Samuel Grimes is the Shinjo Ito Postdoctoral Fellow in Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the article, “Portrait of a…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Erik Braun
Erik Braun is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia and author of The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the…
What is Contemplation: An Interview with Muhammad Faruque
Muhammad Faruque is the Inayat Malik Assistant Professor and a Taft Center Fellow at the University of Cincinnati and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University….
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Anne C. Klein
Anne C. Klein is a Professor in the Department of Religion at Rice University, co-founder of the Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism, and author…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Martijn van Beek
Martijn van Beek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Aarhus University in Denmark. He specializes in ethnographic and phenomenological perspectives on…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Loriliai Biernacki
Loriliai Biernacki is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is the author of Renowned Goddess of Desire (2007) and…
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with David McMahan
David McMahan is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin and Marshall College and author of Rethinking Meditation: Buddhist Meditative Practices in Ancient and Modern Worlds (2023) and The Making of Buddhist Modernism (2008).
What is Contemplation?: An Interview with Douglas Christie
Douglas Christie is a Professor Emeritus of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University and author of The Blue Saphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology and The Insurmountable Darkness of Love: Love, Contemplative Practice, and the Common Life.
Like Rocks and Mountains: A Contemplative Science Program Under Threat
Frances Garrett is an Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies and Tibetan Studies in the Department for the Study of Religion and Director of the Buddhism,…
OP-ED: Critical Mindfulness in Contemplative Education
Dr. Nadine Levy, Nan Tien Institute In secular educational settings, mindfulness is taught primarily with reference to its observable and measurable scientific benefits. Educators often…
Revisit the Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023
In April 2023, the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia hosted its first Generative Contemplation Symposium in Charlottesville, Virginia. This gathering convened experts…
CONFERENCE RECAP: American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, 2023
The American Academy of Religion hosted its 2023 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, November 18-21. Among the hundreds of panels and roundtable discussions were…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Self-Emergent Visions
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Dreams and Illusions
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Nonduality
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
Generative Contemplation Symposium 2023 Video Proceedings: Attention
The Generative Contemplation Symposium was hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in April 2023. The following is the video proceedings…
Vajrayana Buddhism and Science Workshop Video Proceedings
Over several days in March and early April 2021, Maria Kozhevnikov at the National University of Singapore convened a private online workshop, Bridging Esoteric Vajrayana…
SPECIAL ISSUE #2: Mindful Practices and Embodied Critical Thinking
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a forthcoming Special Issue dedicated to exploring the tensions and transitions between mindful practices and embodied critical thinking….
SPECIAL ISSUE #1: Psychedelics, Contemplation, and Religion
The editors are delighted to announce a Special Issue dedicated to the intersections of psychedelics, contemplation, and religion by guest editors Daniel A. Hirshberg and…