By Richard Raghuviira Maxwell
This 2026 publication of research by Richard Raghuviira Maxwell (who was one of our speakers at the Diving Deep into the Vrrtis Symposium in February) – was just published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. It is concerned with this close and essential relationship.
Abstract
Meditation research has focused primarily on secular forms of mindfulness meditation rather than spiritual forms of meditation, and rarely on devotion in meditation. This study sought to gain broader understanding of the psychological characteristics (mindfulness, mysticism, self-actualization, positive affect and negative affect) and practice characteristics (minutes per day and years of practice) that are associated with devotion within a form of Tantric Yoga meditation. A cross-sectional correlational research design was used to examine questionnaire responses to standardized psychological tests, and information concerning meditation practice. Devotion was found to have the strongest partial correlations (age removed) with trait mindfulness, and trait mindfulness was the only variable to predict devotion in an exploratory multiple regression. This strong relationship between devotion and trait mindfulness may arise from the shared value of developing a one-pointed focus of attention within secular and traditional Buddhist practices, and within the bhakti (devotional) meditation practices of Tantric Yoga.
Read more: Frontiers in Psychology