International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 58 Mindfulness in Measurement: Reconsidering the Measurable in Mindfulness Practice

Can an organic partnership of qualitative and quantitative data confirm the value of mind-fulness practice as an assignment in undergraduate education? Working from qualitative evidence suggesting the existence of potentially measurable mindfulness effects expressed in ruler measures, a previous study calibrated a mathematically invariant scale of mindfulness practice effects with substantively and statistically significant differences in the measures before and after the assignment. Current efforts replicated these results. The quantitative model is described in measurement terms defined at an introductory level. Detailed figures and appendices are provided, and a program of future research is proposed. The value of mindfulness practice as contributing to psychological strength has a long history of supporting anecdotal evidence. A rich legacy of such research exists in Buddhist literature as far back as the seventh century BCE. Buddhist practitioners today in both the East and West are actively engaged in broad-ening this legacy via a scientific research agenda. This agenda seeks to document the physiological effects of meditation and mindfulness practice using methods that meet the technical standards expected of precision measurement and experimental design. The activities of the Dalai Lama’s Mind and Life Institut