CS Contemplative studies

The programme offers multidisciplinary competencies and cross-cultural perspectives on meditation, with emphasis on Buddhist contemplative practices. In particular, it covers modern meditative programmes for stress reduction, emotional balance and the development of various life-and soft-skills, as well as providing tools for introducing contemplative practices into various contexts in our society.
The programme is comprised of various kinds of classes and activities, both in person and online, taught by leading international experts in the field. In particular, there will be:

• Weekend programmes taking place at the University of Padua once per month (about one per month, Saturday and Sunday, in person).
• Meditation retreats at some of the most important Buddhist monasteries and meditation centres in Italy.
• Guided meditation sessions offered remotely on weekday evenings. These are aimed at promoting continuity of the practice and assisting participants in the assimilation of their contemplative experience. Students will be asked to dedicate 30-40 minutes to daily meditative practice, relating to the topics covered in each stage of the programme.
• Sharing and debate sessions scheduled on a regular basis to promote content integration and to encourage students to share their thoughts.
• Project work that will allow students to delve deeper into a contemplative training of their choice and to develop a project related to the introduction and application of contemplative perspectives and practices in a specific sector of society.

The programme helps students acquire sound theoretical knowledge and practical skills specific to the field of meditation, mindfulness and contemplative practices. It is also aimed at those who intend to implement these approaches in their profession, such as in the fields of care and education. Specifically, the programme:

• Develops multidisciplinary expertise useful in teaching meditation, mindfulness and other related practices;
• Explores programmes related to stress reduction, emotional balance and the development of soft- and life-skills, as well as various abilities that are also applicable to therapeutic settings, thus addressing physicians, psychologists, psychotherapists, nurses and other care professionals;
• Provides tools for introducing contemplative practices into pedagogical contexts and thus addresses educators and teachers at all levels; and
• Also addresses scholars, researchers, practitioners and teachers of meditation, as well as other figures dedicated to the study, application and diffusion of traditional and modern contemplative approaches.

AREA 1. TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES

Intercultural Paths Between Philosophy and Mysticism
• Intercultural approaches to contemplative experience
• Similarities between philosophy and mystical experience in different cultural contexts; focus on: contemplative experiences in China, Christian mysticism, Kashmir Tantrism, and intersections between contemporary East and West spiritual experiences

Mysticism in Hellenism, Christianity and the Middle East
• Contemplative experience in ancient times and the Middle Ages; focus on contemplative practices between Ancient Greece and India and between Greek philosophy and late-antiquity Christianity, as well as in Neoplatonism, in ancient Eastern churches and in Medieval Christianity

Contemplative Practice and Mystical Experience in Sufism
• Sufism in the context of the Arabic-Islamic tradition
• The Sufi practice, past and present

Mystical-Ascetic Traditions in Hinduism
• Issues around contemplative practice in India, from its beginnings to Advaita Vedanta

Theravada Buddhism and Vipassana Meditation
• The philosophy of the Pali Canon
• A theoretical and practical approach to mindfulness meditation in the Pali Canon – TRAINING
• Vipassana – RETREAT

Mahayana Buddhism in India
• Historical and philosophical developments
• Theoretical, ethical and contemplative issues

Forms of Meditation in Tibetan Buddhism
• The purpose and methods of meditation
• Analytical meditation – TRAINING
• Stabilising meditation – TRAINING

Zen and Its Practices
• Central issues in Zen theory and practice
• Dogen’s philosophy
• Meditation on koans – TRAINING & RETREAT
• Zazen meditation – TRAINING & RETREAT

AREA 2. CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES

Contemplative Studies
• The epistemological framework of Contemplative Studies
• Debate sessions to promote content integration

Contributions of Psychology to Contemplative Studies
• Psychology’s contributions to the topic of contemplative practices
• Psychological theories, research and challenges in the study of spiritual experience and self-perception in a relational and intercultural perspective

Neuroscientific Perspectives on the Contemplative Experience
• Implications and neural/somatic correlations in the contemplative experience
• Neuroscientific approaches to the religious experience

Sociological Contributions
• The new religious movements: between religion and spirituality

AREA 3. APPLICATIONS OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES

Mindfulness, Stress Reduction and Emotional Regulation
• A social-cognitive approach to mindfulness and its benefits
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – TRAINING
• Cultivating Emotional Balance – TRAINING

Meditation Approaches to Develop Compassion
• Compassion, empathy and altruism: a comparison between Western psychology and Buddhism
• Meditative training in compassion – TRAINING

Applications in Education
• A theoretical and experiential approach to contemplative educational methods

Resources for Leading Group Meditation Practices
• Trauma-sensitive approaches
• Resources for leading group meditation practices

Our partnership with the Italian Buddhist Union provides qualified meditation trainers: masters and experts with vast experience in the contemplative traditions. It also allows the programme’s retreats to take place at monasteries and meditation centres. Finally, the Italian Buddhist Union provides eight scholarships (see FAQ section for award criteria).

As part of the extracurricular activities of the programme, conferences, seminars, and workshops are sometimes organized to allow students to stay updated on the latest frontiers of contemplative research and feel part of the growth of this research field. Among the events organized in 2024:

• The Elephant in the Room: Investigating Consciousness Beyond Reductionism, an international conference that brought together some of the world’s leading experts in consciousness research – from neuroscience, philosophy, quantum physics, and contemplative studies – to engage in three days of discussion on one of the greatest unresolved mysteries of our time.
• Embodied Cognition and Intersubjectivity in Uncertain Times: Interdisciplinary Frameworks for Contemplative Research and Education, one of the most significant global events of the year for research and education in the field of meditation and contemplative practices; a five-day event featuring over two hundred scholars and researchers from around the world. Organized within the programme activities, the conference is the result of collaboration between the University of Padua, the Italian Buddhist Union’s Research Center, and two of the main European and international organizations for contemplative research: Mind and Life Europe and the International Society for Contemplative Research.
• Religions and Meditation, a study day focused on forms of meditation promoted by various religious traditions, organized in collaboration with the Istituto Superiore di Scienze Religiose (Issr) in Padua, affiliated with the Triveneto Theological Faculty, and the Italian Buddhist Union Research Center.

• The Master in Contemplative Studies explained in a minute

• In this video you will have an overview of the programme’s educational contents directly from the faculty members who made this interweaving of professionalism, experience and disciplines possible.

• This playlist collects interviews with some of the programme’s faculty members and lecturers, in which they elaborate on the various aspects of the training.

The general ranking of merit will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.