Justin Kelley, Graduate Student, Rice University
Much of the contemporary dialogue between Buddhism and science focuses on specific techniques of meditation and often fails to sufficiently explicate how they are situated within interconnected presentations of the body, ethics, philosophy, ritual, and more. Due to this approach, much of the literature omits vital aspects of the Buddhist traditions being investigated. This poster proposes an alternative concept around which to conduct this dialogue—purification—which acts as a fulcrum for physiological, epistemological, ontological, and hermeneutical transformation to occur. Specifically, I examine how fourteenth-century Tibetan Buddhist master Longchen Rabjam (klong chen rab ‘byams) employs the concept of purification throughout his Precious Treasury of Philosophical Systems (grub mtha’ mdzod), uniting various aspects of his presentation. Based upon these findings, I propose prospective avenues for further interdisciplinary research into topics such as the mind-body connection, the effects of embodied practice, and the cultivation of well-being.
