ABSTRACT
Since the mid-1980s, a number of articles have appeared in the psychoanalytic literature regarding the relationship between the Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhist technique of vipassana or "mindfulness meditation" and psychoanalytic listening. Despite differences in theory and technique, the experience of personal analysis continues to serve as the sine qua non of effective psychoanalytic training. It is a well-known fact that there exists a great variation in any analyst's capacity for effective psychoanalytic listening. This chapter discusses contemporary psychoanalytic conceptualizations of the various fluctuating mind states that occur during the psychoanalytic encounter with an eye toward weaving in recent psychoanalytic contributions that influence different conceptualizations of psychoanalytic listening. It also discusses the significance and the influence of the notion of intention as a guiding principle in both psychoanalytic listening and intervention and in Zen study and practice.
