The Dialectical Mandala Model of Self-cultivation

Area of Science:

• Cross-cultural psychology
• Philosophy of religion
• Social sciences

Background:

• Self-cultivation practices are prevalent across diverse cultures, notably within Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
• Integrating these traditions into social science research faces challenges due to the subject-object dichotomy.
• The Avataṃsaka worldview's concept of mutual subject-object implication offers a potential resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cross-cultural primary ontological model for self-cultivation.
• To aid practitioners in understanding their path and researchers in analyzing diverse traditions.
• To establish a universal framework for multifaceted and systemic analysis of self-cultivation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the Buddhist tetralemmic dialectic (catuṣkoṭi) to overcome dualistic and reductionist logic.
• Constructing the Dialectical Mandala Model of Self-cultivation as a foundational epistemological strategy.
• Employing the Avataṃsaka worldview to address the subject-object dichotomy in research.

Main Results:

• The Dialectical Mandala Model serves as a universal framework for analyzing self-cultivation.
• The model facilitates a comprehensive understanding of self-cultivation's implications, context, and progression.
• It acts as a research map, guiding ontological commitments and identifying potential research gaps.

Conclusions:

• The Dialectical Mandala Model provides a novel approach to studying cross-cultural self-cultivation.
• This model supports the development of culturally specific ontologies and psychological models in future research.
• It enhances the systematic and comprehensive analysis of self-cultivation traditions globally.