One form of meditation. mindfulness, has recently become an extremely popular approach to improving health and well-being in Western societies. Its applications span mental health, medicine, education, workplaces, and many other settings. Although those practices derive from Buddhist traditions, research about mindfulness is mostly removed from its original philosophical, ethical and practical contexts, and there is little communication between Buddhist scholars, psychologists, other meditation researchers, and meditation practitioners. In addition, a large proportion of Buddhist techniques, instructions and philosophical reflections remain unexplored to date. We believe that interdisciplinary communication and research cooperation is vital to increase our understanding of the nature and effects of meditative practices. Our network will contribute to a more nuanced and complete understanding of what “meditation” is and how it can be researched. We aim to offer a supportive environment for developing quality research capability in Australia, for collaborating with leading researchers and contemplatives internationally, and for establishing dialogues with the general public.
