Mindfulness, creativity, embodiment and the cultivation of self: An East Asian perspective

Drawing from East Asian Buddhist practices, our research project explores the role of embodiment and mindfulness practices in the cultivation of self while engaging in a creative activity in a collaborative project between a psychologist, a filmmaker, and a musician. The aim of this project is to examine ways to help people cultivate an awareness of the changing nature of self and its impact on virtues, such as compassion and generosity. The structure of the project is threefold: (a) to interview ten Shakuhachi teachers in Japan to explore their phenomenological understanding of the relationship between the cultivation of self and music; (b) to enable students to engage in cultivation of self by learning mindfulness practices such as breath meditation, body awareness, learning to play the Shakuhachi, and completing film and photovoice projects, while documenting student learning in a longitudinal qualitative study; and (c) to produce a documentary triangulating the interview data of the Shakuhachi teachers and students, various modes of student learning, and clips of the student films and projects to be used as a pedagogical tool.