Mindfulness and meditation

Creativity and the arts Spirituality and transcendence

Altered states Drugs and psychedelics Mindfulness and meditation Prayer and contemplation Rituals and celebrations Sacred places Spirituality and religion Symbols and myth The irrational and uncanny Transcendent experience Visions and mysticism Wonder and the sublime

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Two people sit meditating on the street in front of a police van, with a crowd and traffic barriers behind them.

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Here’s what to know about using meditation to be a better person

Meditating has long been thought to enhance morality. But the type of meditation – and the aspects of morality – matter

by Jakob Hohwy & Kevin Berryman

A person walks a dog past a shop window displaying motorcycles with a “Zen Motorcycle” sign and glowing blue lights inside.

Mindfulness and meditation

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When mindfulness meets capitalism, it loses its way

The modern business of mindfulness strips the practice of both its spiritual meaning and much of its practical value

by Chris Wheatley

A solitary tree emerging from a lake with mountains and overcast skies in the background, reflecting on the calm water.

Mindfulness and meditation

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How to think like a phenomenologist

Doing Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological reduction will transform your view of the world and your own consciousness

by D J Hobbs

A knitted grey toy mouse holds a needle and repairs its own dress. Three balls of yarn lie nearby, alongside a small blue open book.

Pleasures and pastimes

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A whimsical ode to the reparative power of knitting, rendered in wool

Directed by Samantha Moore

Hands clapping flour over a ball of dough on a floured surface with a wooden rolling pin nearby, in a dark background setting.

Food and drink

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If you don’t fancy mindfulness, then try cooking instead

When overwhelmed I schedule in a cooking day: playful, daring and full of memories. Beats any other stress-reliever for me

by Chloe Faure

Consciousness

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What happens to the brain during consciousness-ending meditation?

Psychologists are studying a form of meditation known as ‘nirodha-samāpatti’ that reportedly ceases all mental function

by Shayla Love

Illustration of a man relaxed on the grass, resting against a large tree with vibrant green leaves. A book and wooden compass are beside him.

Meaning and the good life

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How to be useless

Follow the Daoist way – reclaim your life and happiness by letting go of the need to produce, strive or serve a purpose

by Helen De Cruz & Pauline Lee

A Chinese woman with long hair wearing a white top and pink skirt with arms outstretched against a backdrop of mountains and sky.

Spirituality and religion

film

China’s young people who trade parties for peace at a mountainside hermitage

Directed by Ellen Xu

Aerial view of a swimmer in a blue swimming pool with marked lanes, water ripples, and reflection. Only one swimmer is visible in the middle lane.

Sacred places

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I swim to think and to stay afloat in an ever-wetter world

‘The Beames my Bones, my flesh the plankes’: in pools, I glimpse the future of our terrestrial bodies in an ocean world

by Steve Mentz

Traditional Chinese painting of two figures crossing a bridge in a serene landscape with trees and mountains, signed with two red seals.

Transcendent experience

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To experience Zen-like awakening, try going the headless way

Try to point to your true self as you’d point to a brick wall, and other experiments in Zen-like awakening

by Brentyn J Ramm

Mindfulness and meditation

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How to find your mindfulness

With so many approaches to mindfulness, it can be difficult to know where to start. Explore these methods to find what suits you

by Gill Johnson & Willem Kuyken

Mindfulness and meditation

film

A leaf, a bird and a fisherman animate Heraclitus’ aphorism on flux

A film by Michelle Brand