A visualization as the most fundamental concentration practice in the Tantric tradition

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of various forms of visualization within meditation practices (or, more broadly, concentration practices) of Asian traditions, a review of the literature on the subject reveals a lack of research in this area. The practice of visualization is widely described, including scholarly studies, but usually without in-depth reflection on the place, role, and meaning of the whole concentration practices within the systems of various traditions, as well as in a broader, religious context, experimental character, as well as in the popular perception of this type of practice. Taking into account the reported lack of research on the mentioned issue, and at the same time recognizing the potential of religious studies on the practice of visualization, the aim of the article is a general view of the issue of meditation using the imaginative and visual potential of the human mind, mainly on the basis of medieval tantric sources. In the context of understanding visualiza­tion practices, we will address them primarily from: 1. the definition and interpretation of visualization in the broader context of concentration practices; 2. the subject and course of the practice. The article is based on current studies of the topic and source literature.