Consciousness and Education: A Neurophenomenological Take on Contemplative Pedagogy

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran.

2 Department of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

3 Department of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Objective: To investigate how contemplative pedagogy—rooted in contemplative consciousness—can reframe educational paradigms by leveraging a neurophenomenological understanding of consciousness as an irreducible, embodied, and emergent phenomenon.

Method: This study adopts a neurophenomenological methodology, integrating first-person experiential insights with third-person perspectives on neural, bodily, and environmental dynamics. The framework is applied to pedagogical strategies that foster contemplative modes of consciousness across four interrelated dimensions: internal awareness, embodied action, intersubjective empathy, and contextual systems.

Result: Contemplative pedagogy manifests across four interconnected domains:

1. Internal dimension: Self-exploration and identification through “innernet” consciousness techniques.

2. External dimension: Enacted embodiment via processes of autopoiesis, emergence, and enaction.

3. Intersubjective dimension: Cultivation of empathy, compassion, and contemplative states such as emptiness and groundlessness.

4. Interobjective dimension: Engagement with social structures, extended systems, institutional contexts, and their influence on consciousness.

These domains reveal how contemplative pedagogy intentionally cultivates consciousness in holistic and transformative ways.

Conclusion: Framed through a neurophenomenological lens, contemplative pedagogy offers a rich, multidimensional educational paradigm that bridges consciousness theory and pedagogical practice. It underscores the potential for education to cultivate deeply embodied and relational forms of understanding, thus reframing learning as a transformative process rooted in contemplative consciousness.

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 06 October 2025

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