No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Buberian dialogue as an intersubjective contemplative praxis
... Gunnlaugson (2011) refers to experience of presence as a quality of attention that manifests as "the practice, condition, or state of abiding in embodied present-moment-centered awareness" (p. 6). For Scott (2014), presence denotes the enactment of the whole being and adding that presence fosters engagement with the other. We therefore note that there are both subjective and intersubjective dimensions of presence. ...
We are interested in the transformative potentials of intersubjectivity as it is enacted through second-person contemplative approaches. Our work here focuses on con-templative practice as a pedagogy that reveals and enacts intersubjectivity within postsecondary education. How might contemplative higher education practice as a pedagogy enable students to access these underlying intersubjective dimensions, thus creating conditions for a shift in the forms of transformative learning that affect the nature of the learner's consciousness as well as their overall journey of transformation through the course of their studies? We review the theoretical and research literature on postsecondary contemplative education, particularly in its intersubjective dimensions , and then offer data from a qualitative study involving students enrolled in a graduate program in contemplative inquiry that offers evidence of the transformative potentials of these intersubjective, contemplative approaches to learning and inquiry.
... Philosophical perspectives from the stance of philosophical inquiry as a way of life also provide help if we want to go beyond the context of friendship and collegiality. For instance, Vokey's (2001) proposal for a "moral discourse in a pluralistic world" proposes a framework for discourse based on a more rational engagement with others, while Scott's (2011Scott's ( , 2014 approach using the Buberian concept of dialogue proposes such dialogue as "a state of being, an ontological turning toward the other made possible through the perception of the other as Thou" (Scott, 2014, p. 327, emphasis in original). ...
... Buber's philosophy was not only deeply relational, but it was also profoundly contemplative. Although this aspect of his thought has been extensively explored in philosophy and theology (e.g., Scott, 2014), it has received less attention from mental health clinicians. Buber's emphasis on contemplation as an integral aspect of relatedness has important implications for the theory and practice of mental health counseling. ...
The current paradigm in mental health practice does not completely protect practitioners from theory-induced blindness. Many clinicians continue to rely on stable theoretical frameworks, which, although helpful, can become a hindrance to integrated relational practice. Overreliance on a particular theory or set of techniques can prevent clinicians from adopting a genuinely relational orientation. This article describes the nature of the contemplative-relational orientation using concepts from Martin Buber’s I and Thou and proposes that clinicians wishing to build competency in integrated relational counseling may benefit from contemplative prayer, meditation, and other mindfulness practices. A clinical vignette is provided and illustrates general features of an integrated relational approach, and empirical evidence is advanced to support the benefits of contemplative practice for mental health practitioners.
... The intersection lies in the primary grounding of the Asian philosophical traditions in relationality, and we would suggest that in our work as educators and philosophers of education this orientation-one that is philosophical, ontological, and epistemological-offers a way forward in the world. We are undertaking and would encourage further explorations into relational contemplative orientations and practices (Bai et al. 2009Scott 2014;Eppert 2014). Even in the midst of deliberate solitary contemplation, Freire (2006b) still understood the "essentiality of to be with" (p. ...
In this paper, we propose an understanding of philosophy of education as cultural and intercultural work and philosophers of education as cultural and intercultural workers. In our view, the discipline of philosophy of education in North America is currently suffering from measures of insularity and singularity. It is vital that we justly and respectfully engage with and expand our knowledge and understanding of sets of conceptual and life-practice resources, and honor and learn from diverse histories, cultures, and traditions. Such honoring provides responsive conditions for our coming together in and across differences in order that we may productively and creatively address and overturn grammars of violence, destruction, and dis-ease in these complexly troubled times. Committing ourselves to deconstructing historical and contemporary beliefs, values, and practices that are compromising human and planetary flourishing, we undertake responsibilities to go cross-cultural and intercultural.
... The intersection lies in the primary grounding of the Asian philosophical traditions in relationality, and we would suggest that in our work as educators and philosophers of education this orientation-one that is philosophical, ontological, and epistemological-offers a way forward in the world. We are undertaking and would encourage further explorations into relational contemplative orientations and practices (Bai et al. 2009Scott 2014;Eppert 2014). Even in the midst of deliberate solitary contemplation, Freire (2006b) still understood the "essentiality of to be with" (p. ...
Radical personal and systemic social transformation is
urgently needed to address world-wide violence and
inequality, pervasive moral confusion and corruption, and the
rapid, unprecedented global destruction of our environment.
Recent years have seen an embrace of intersubjectivity within
discourse on educational transformation within academia and
the public sphere. As well, there has been a turn toward
contemplative education initiatives within North American
schools, colleges and universities. This article contends that
these turns might benefit from openness to the ontologies,
epistemologies, and ethics of the ‘wisdom traditions’ from
which many contemplative practices are drawn. To illustrate
this point, we discuss the value of intercultural philosophy of
education, and introduce Eastern philosophical ideas,
specifically, the Shambhala Buddhist notion of the nondual
ground and wisdom of basic goodness and related teachings.
We detail how awareness of basic goodness and its holistic
expression in the ground, path, and fruition of Shambhala
teachings can open vital questions regarding intersubjectivity,
challenge and reinvigorate aspects of current engagements
with contemplative practices, and provide significant insights
and educational paths for transformational endeavours in
neoliberal times. Informed by our learning from Shambhala,
we conclude with a deepened understanding of intercultural
philosophy of education.
In a time of climate upheaval and rapid biodiversity loss, theoretical collaborations between religion and science may already be too late. The time of ecological transition is upon us. Scientists recognize that to make measurable impacts, approaches to the practice of science require new vision. Today, conservation ecologists are beginning to integrate contemplative principles into scientific practices and policies, such as mindfulness, empathy, and deep listening. Research suggests that contemplative approaches can improve scientific processes, enrich cross-cultural dialogue, and facilitate measuring environmental outcomes. Contemplative encounters can also obscure normative boundaries between scientific discovery and theological inquiry, evoking questions about Divine Nature beyond name and form. Drawing on conservation research and theological scholarship, this paper presents contemplation as a constructive bridge between religion and science, one that holds great promise for meaningful collaboration.
In our colleges and universities, spaces are designated and set aside for specific uses. Students eat in dining halls, not in libraries; they sleep in dorm rooms, not in classrooms. The order and cleanliness of these space, along with the hospitality of the people within these spaces impact the overall experience of those within them. As a contemplative practitioner and educator, I am aware of the importance of creating and cultivating a hospitable, ordered, clean, uncluttered space — both externally and internally to support student learning and development. However, during the spring semester of 2017, an unexpected move from a traditional classroom to a contemplative space within the Interfaith Center for my “Writing about Yoga” course highlighted just how impactful a contemplative space is on student learning. As students learned about the yoga tradition, practiced yogic postures, reflected on and integrated what they had learned and practiced, they not only became more present in writing about their subjective experiences, they engaged with each other in intersubjective experiences. In the process, they became more present and began cultivating a community of care.
In this chapter, I describe some principle ideas informing and shaping of a therapeutic practice I refer to as aesthetics of engagement with struggling others. An aesthetics of engagement within the therapeutic context consists of multiple influences that continue to provide grounding and a framework for practice, yet a practice remaining open to additional inspirations. Accordingly, in this chapter, I describe philosophical, theological, and theoretical perspectives that have contributed toward this practice. The perspectives described in this chapter represent a synthesis of influences and inspirations that have evolved over many decades. As such, the tapestry informing an aesthetics of engagement is not intended to be at all prescriptive nor closed, as I believe it to remain a practice that continues to remain open to potential influences and encounters with the other, and to continue to evolve alongside news of difference (Bateson 1972).
In this chapter, we the three authors take a hard look at higher education, and propose an analytic framework of the three-fold relationality by which we both account for the failure of higher education and point
towards its redress. Our framework posits three-fold human relationality: self-to-self; self-to-human other; self-to-Nature.
The prevailing conception and practice of education perpetuates a civilization saturated with a deep sense of ontological disconnect and axiological crisis in all dimensions of human life. We examine the disconnect from body, senses, and world in the practice of education. We explore the possibilities in the burgeoning contemplative education movement for reconnection offered by holistic, experiential approaches to learning, in particular, contemplative practices that manifest the arts of somatic, sensuous, relational, and contextual awareness.
Consistent with the aims of this special issue, we present a systems perspective on self/identity, predicated on William James's classic distinction between I and Me, and use this perspective to explore conceptual relations between self/identity, motivation to learn, and self-regulated learning. We define the I self functionally in terms of the capacity for the conscious shifting and sustaining of awareness. The I is conceived of as that aspect of the self-system that affords the potential for the conscious and willful, rather than the non-conscious and automatic, motivation and regulation of behavior. We introduce contemplative education as a set of pedagogical practices designed to cultivate conscious awareness in an ethical-relational context in which the values of personal growth, learning, moral living, and caring for others are nurtured. We discuss the implications of contemplative education for the cultivation of conscious and willful forms of learning and living among students and educators alike.
The role of contemplative practice in adult education has a long history if one includes traditional monastic education in Asia and the West. Its use in American higher education is, however, more recent and more limited. Nonetheless, on the basis of evidence from surveys and conferences, a significant community of teachers exists at all levels of higher education, from community colleges to research universities, who are using a wide range of contemplative practices as part of their classroom pedagogy. In addition to existing well-developed pedagogical and curricular methods that school critical reasoning, critical reading and writing, and quantitative analysis, this article argues that we also require a pedagogy that attends to the development of reflective, contemplative, affective, and ethical capacities in our students. The significance of these is at least as great as the development of critical capacities in students. The rationale for the inclusion of contemplative modalities is articulated within this context. On the basis of considerable experience in teaching at Amherst College, I present an "epistemology of love," which emphasizes a form of inquiry that supports close engagement and leads to student transformation and insight. This approach to knowing is implemented in the Amherst College first-year course, Eros and Insight. It includes a specific sequence of contemplative exercises that are practiced by students and integrated with more conventional course content drawn from the arts and sciences. Our experience shows that students deeply appreciate the shift from conventional coursework to a more experiential, transformative, and reflective pedagogy.
This paper proposes that contained within Martin Buber's works one can find useful support for, and insights into, an educational philosophy that stretches across, and incorporates, both the human and non-human worlds. Through a re-examination of his seminal essay Education, and with reference to specific incidents in his autobiography (e.g. the horse, his family, the theatre and the tree) and to central tenets of his theology (e.g. the shekina, the Eternal Thou and teshuvah) we shall present a more coherent understanding of Buber's notion of relationship which is developmental in nature and posits intrinsic, necessary and unavoidable relational ties to both the human and non-human worlds. This understanding of Buber's view of relationship as a developmental process will add new meaning to his central ideas of ‘bursting asunder’ the educational relationship and the educator who is cast ‘in imitatio Dei absconditi sed non ignoti’. Ultimately this paper wants to suggest that, for Buber, the infant is unable to become fully adult without being immersed in relationship and then coming to full awareness of it, and it is the educator who can play a pivotal role in supporting the development of this adult relationality through encounters with both individual humans and the larger non-human world.