Meditation Journeys
This two year project aims to provide a survey of current meditation practice in the UK across all sectors and traditions.
Introduction
Meditation or mindfulness, arose as a spiritual practice within the Buddhist and Hindu traditions, but was subsequently adopted within Christian, Moslem and Judaic settings. More recently, the practice has been promoted as a secular means of improving wellbeing, and as an evidence-based adjunct to therapy within health services. In consequence, meditation practice has become mainstream in the West, finding applications from schools to prisons. It is hoped that this project will capture and share this diversity of practice.
Method
The project has four main components:
- Research into the origins, varieties, and effects of meditation, to be summarised in an introductory essay or book. This will include a review of relevant literature, participation in various forms of meditation and conversations with people who champion the practice.
- Contributions from people who meditate regularly, briefly stating why the practice is important to them (these can be in written or spoken form, the latter audio or video recorded).
- Video and photographic records (face only) of people from a variety of backgrounds and traditions meditating.
- Portrait drawing based on the photographic and video records.
People will be invited to participate who meditate regularly and every effort will be made include participants from a wide variety of religious and secular settings. Whilst some will be happy to be videoed, speaking or meditating, it is acknowledged that others may be more comfortable providing a written comment.
If you would like to participate or hear more email me: ken@kenbarrettstudio.co.uk
A related bibliography/resource list is in the education section of the website.