科学禅对大脑功能状态各项指标改善

禅定状态是一种不可思议的无生无灭,乃至无任何差异的绝对境界,只能直觉体悟而不可概念分 别.那么,从当代脑科学的角度来看,这种禅定状态真的能够达成吗? 本次研究利用易飞华通的脑功能状态测量技术从数十项脑功能状态指标解码禅定状态下的大脑状态，帮助研究者从全新角度认知禅修者的大脑功能状态并指导训练。为人类认知大脑提供一套全新的思路和方法

原文

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Title Page (with Author Details)

Effects of Short-term Huatou Chan Training on Health

Fei Luo1,2*, Victor Qiang3 , Yibing Wu4 , Yuzheng Wang1,2, Wenhong Tian3 , Zhiguo Ma3 , Yingying Mao4

1 CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R.

China.

2 Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China

3 Academy of Meditation Science – USCMS, P.o.Box 5515 , Goodyear , Arizona 85338

4 Beijing Easy Monitor Technology Development Co. Ltd, Beijing 100044, China;

Running title: Huatou Chan and health

Corresponding Author:

Fei Luo, Ph.D.

CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health,

Institute of Psychology,

Chinese Academy of Sciences,

16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District,

Beijing, 100101, P.R. China.

E-mail: luof@psych.ac.cn

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NNSF (National Natural Science Foundation of China) under Grant (31970926) to

Fei Luo, and the Scientific Foundation of Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y9CX441005) to

Yuzheng Wang.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of Interest On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the

ethical standards of the Institute of Psychology and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments

or comparable ethical standards. No adverse events were reported in this study.

Informed Consent Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants.1 / 12

Effects of Short-term Huatou Chan Training on Health

Abstract Previous studies have shown that perennial Chan training leads to improvements in

brain functioning. However, few studies have investigated the effects of short-term Huatou

Chan training. The current study explored the effects of a three-day Huatou Chan training on

physical and emotional health, as well as brain state. Seventy healthy subjects were recruited

and divided into two groups: the Huatou Chan group and the Control group. The Huatou Chan

group received a 3-day Huatou Chan training, while the Control group waited for three

days. Both groups completed a 6-min Brain State Index recording, the SCL-90, the Brief

Profile of Mood State, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Index of Well-being, prior

to and after the training or waiting period. Results showed that short-term Huatou Chan

training had significant benefits on some aspects such as physical and emotional health

(obsessive-compulsive, depression, hostility, and psychoticism), negative emotions (tension

anxiety, depression-dejection, anger-hostility, fatigue-inertia, and confusion-bewilderment),

well-being, and attitude towards life. In addition, short-term Chan training can significantly

improve brain state, as shown by the index of depression, anxiety, alerting and

intelligence. This is the first study to provide direct evidence for the benefits of short-term

intensive

Huatou

Chan

training on physical and mental

health.

Key words: Short-term; Huatou Chan; meditation; health; brain activity

Introduction

In recent decades, the study of meditation has attracted the attention of many scholars (Lutz,

Slagter, Dunne, & Davidson, 2008; Sedlmeier et al., 2012; Tomlinson, Yousaf, Vitterso, & Jones,

2018). Meditation refers to a family of self-regulation practices that focus on training attention and

awareness to bring mental processes under greater voluntary control. Meditation can thereby

foster general mental well-being and the development of specific capacities such as calmness,

clarity, and concentration (Walsh & Shapiro, 2006). Generally, meditation is grouped into two

broad categories: focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM). The first category, FA

meditation, entails voluntary concentration on an object in a sustained manner. OM meditation, on

the other hand, involves non-reactive monitoring of the content of experience from moment to

moment (Lutz et al., 2008).

At present, a large number of studies have shown that meditation training can significantly

improve individual health (Lynch, Gander, Nahar, Kohls, & Walach, 2018; Sedighimornani,

Rimes, & Verplanken, 2019; Tomlinson et al., 2018; Y. Wang & Luo, 2017) and cognitive ability

(Chiesa, Calati, & Serretti, 2011; Y. Wang et al., 2021; Lutz et al., 2008). For example, studies

showed that the quality of mindfulness (which can be improved by meditation) regulates mood by

improving emotional resilience (Y. Wang, Xu, & Luo, 2016). Mindfulness-based coping program

could help university students bring mindful awareness to their academic work, stress

management, approach to communication and relationships, and health (Lynch et al., 2018). In

other studies, it has been revealed that mindfulness was associated with compassion

(Sedighimornani et al., 2019), and meditation training significantly increases individual pain

tolerance (Y. Wang et al., 2019).

Despite the rapid development of meditation research, there are relatively few studies on the

effects of Chan meditation. In Eastern culture, Chan is a common type of meditation. Indeed, the

Manuscript (without Author Details)

Click here to view linked ReferencesChinese term Chan (Zen in Japanese) is an abbreviation of the Sanskrit term dhyäna, which is

similar to the modern English word "meditation". Chan originated in Bodhidharma (around

440-520), flourished in the Sixth Patriarch Huineng (around 638-713), and became the mainstream

of Buddhism in the middle and late Tang Dynasty (618-907). After the Song Dynasty (960-1279),

Chinese Chan spread throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia, giving birth to the various Zen,

Sõn, and Thien lineages of Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, respectively (Sharf, 2014). Today these

traditions continue to promote the study of meditation and have attracted the attention of many

scholars.

There are differences between Chan and other forms or Western cultural meditation. First,

from a training perspective, the main characteristic of Chan is koan or huatou practice which

focuses on cryptic utterances of past masters (Sharf, 2014). Koan may be a story, a question, or a

word. It requires refraining from thoughts, memories, emotions, associations, and perceptions

while maintaining consciousness (Hinterberger, Schmidt, Kamei, & Walach, 2014). In contrast,

meditation training by Western scholars is mostly derived from mindfulness, in which

practitioners are instructed to focus on internal and external feelings with acceptance and

awareness (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Second, while the goal of Chan practitioners is to eventually

achieve enlightenment (Sharf, 2014), the goal of mindfulness practices is to calm the mind and to

reduce distractions. As focused attention advances, well-developed monitoring skills become the

main point of transition into mindfulness practice (Lutz et al., 2008). Third, electrophysiological

brain activity during Chan is different from that during other meditation training. For example,

Hinterberger et al. (2014) compared electrophysiological activity during “thoughtless emptiness”

(TE, a state evoked by Huatou Chan), FA and OM. The results of the study showed a significant

decrease in central and parietal gamma waves during a TE task compared to an FA task. In

addition, there were decreased alpha and beta amplitudes, mainly in parietal areas, during TE

compared to OM. Meanwhile, TE also presented significantly less delta and theta waves than a

wakeful, closed eyes, resting condition (Hinterberger et al., 2014).

At present, there are limited exploratory studies on Chan. One study found that experienced

meditators (with an average practice time of 18.4 ± 2.6 years) exhibit a continuously high degree

of cardiorespiratory phase synchronization (Chang & Lo, 2013). Lo and Chang (2013) found that

Chan experts (average practice time of 5.8 years) display enhanced interaction of local neural

networks during Chan state compared to resting state. In another study, Lin, Chang, Zemon, and

Midlarsky (2007) investigated the effects of 8-weeks of Chan meditation practice on musical

performance anxiety and musical performance quality but found no effect of the meditation

training on quality of musical performance.

There remain several questions to be answered in the study of Chan meditation. First,

existing research has mainly focused on cross-sectional studies comparing expert meditators to

control groups (Chang & Lo, 2013; Lo & Chang, 2013). Due to the study design, it is difficult to

exclude various confounding factors such as baseline differences and motivation. The only

short-term Chan training study to date found no significant improvement in behavioral

performance (Lin et al., 2007). Second, the content of Chan training varies from study to study.

For example, some studies emphasize the conversion of chest breathing to umbilical chakra

breathing and into deep meditation (Chang & Lo, 2013; Lo & Chang, 2013), while other studies

focus on the training of body and room awareness, as well as behavioral visualization training and

psychological rehearsal (Lin et al., 2007). To date, there are no reported studies on Huatou Chan.

2 / 12Third, previous studies have used small sample sizes, limiting the generalization of conclusions

(Chang & Lo, 2013; Lin et al., 2007; Lo & Chang, 2013). Last, the existing research is limited to

studies of specific abilities (such as the quality of musical performance), and therefore lacks a

comprehensive exploration of the effects of Chan on physical and mental health (Lin et al., 2007).

Huatou Chan is a typical representative. The process of Huatou Chan is usually as follows.

Prior to training, the Huatou Chan master conducted one-on-one interviews with participants to

establish the focus of training. The Huatous were derived from three main categories, abbreviated

as "what", "why" and "how". These condensed words can stem from various questions such as

What on earth is the meaning of life? Why am I always so angry? And How should I solve the

problem? During the 3-day training, participants were asked to focus on her/his Huatou. During

each session, participants closed their eyes and were instructed to adjust the body, breath, and

mind. Participants were then asked to scrutinize their "Huatou". That is, under the guidance of the

Huatou Chan master, participants meditated on their own Huatou, searched for answers, denied

the answers, and searched again. Huatou is a process of self-denial. During this period, the Huatou

Chan master adjusted the participant’s state accordingly. When the Huatou Chan master found

that a participant was holding on to the Huatou tightly, and reaching the critical state, the Huatou

Chan master immediately performed the blow and shout, that is, the Huatou Chan master and his

assistants would shout loudly at the participant about the Huatou, accompanied by a sharp bah!

The purpose of the blow and shout technique is to help participants to further engage in the

Huatou. When a participant is fully focused on the Huatou and the application of the blow and

shout technique is resonant, a breakthrough state is achieved.

In orthodox Chan-Buddhist practice, very few disciples were able to catch the quintessence

since it cannot be taught in any form of lectures. Written material and spoken words cannot

promulgate the true wisdom of Chan, which can only be conveyed by the Buddhist Heart-seal

Imprint from a true master. In Chan meditation, practitioners aim to attain the true self (Buddha

nature) with eternal wisdom (Bodhi) through body-mind-soul purification. Substantially speaking,

such purification procedure involves the journal of transcending the physiological state (five

sensory organs), the mental activities and normal consciousness, the subliminal (the manas)

consciousness, and the Alaya state at which practitioners are able to perceive the sacred light

emitted from Buddha nature. Buddhist Heart-seal Imprint from the Chan Patriarch is a must to

assist in the purification and accomplishment (Lo & Chang, 2013).

In the current study, we recruited a large sample of participants and conducted a 3-day

short-term Huatou Chan meditation training using a controlled experimental design. The effects of

Huatou Chan meditation training on physical and mental health were explored from the aspects of

relieving physical symptoms, regulating emotions, improving well-being, changing life attitudes

and monitoring brain status.

Method

Participants

A power analysis using G*Power 3.1 (the University of Trier, Germany) revealed that 54

participants are required to detect a time × group interaction with 95% power (ANOVA: repeated

measures, within – between interaction; at the 0.05 significance level; Faul, Erdfelder, Lang, &

Buchner, 2007). The analysis assumed of a small-medium effect size (f = 0.25), established by a

recent meta-analysis of mindfulness intervention (Eberth & Sedlmeier, 2012). Taking dropout rate

3 / 12into consideration, we oversampled and recruited 70 participants. The subjects were recruited

through introductory lectures open to the general public. The theme of the lecture was “Chan: The

way to reduce stress and improve well-being”. Thirty subjects participated in the Huatou Chan

training group, and another forty subjects were recruited as controls. Finally, 61 subjects

completed the pre-test and post-test (Huatou Chan group: 21 subjects, mean age = 44.47 ± 8.02

years; Control group: 40 subjects, Mean age = 46.33 ± 8.28 years). All participants signed a

written informed consent prior to participation.

Materials and measures

Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) is a self-reported

questionnaire on symptoms and psychopathologic features. There are 10 subscales derived from

the SCL-90: somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, depression,

hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and additional symptoms. The items are

rated on a scale from 1 to 5. The SCL-90 has been used extensively in studies of various mental

disorders, with medical and psychiatric inpatients and outpatients, in clinical drug trials, and in

community surveys (Derogatis & Cleary, 1977). In the current study, the Cronbach's alphas of the

subscales were 0.662 - 0.874.

Brief Profile of Mood State (BPOMS) The Brief Profile of Mood State is a 30-item inventory

(Chi & Lin, 2003) consisting of five subscales: tension-anxiety (e.g., Tense); depression-dejection

(e.g., Sorry for things done); anger-hostility (e.g., Furious); vigor-activity (e.g., Active);

fatigue-inertia (e.g., Fatigued); and confusion-bewilderment (e.g., Forgetful). A total mood

disturbance score (TMD) was calculated by adding the five subscales. In the current study, the

Cronbach’s alphas of the subscales were 0.727 - 0.915.

Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) The Meaning in Life Questionnaire is a 10-item

questionnaire (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006; M. Wang & Dai, 2008). Items are rated on a

7-point scale ranging from 1 (absolutely untrue) to 7 (absolutely true). The MLQ consists of two

subscales: The presence of meaning in life (e.g., I understand my life’s meaning), and the search

for meaning of life (I am looking for something that makes my life feel meaningful). In the current

study, the Cronbach’s alphas of the subscales were 0.793 and 0.844.

Index of Well-being (IWB) The Index of Well-being is a 9-item scale (Campbell, Converse, &

Rodgers, 1976). Each item is rated on a 7-point scale. In the current study, the Cronbach’s alpha of

the scale was 0.759.

Index of Brain State Recording (Luo et al., 2009; Ren et al., 2011) The index of brain state was

recorded by the portable HXD-I multi-functional combined monitor (Yi Fei Hua Tong Technology

Development co., LTD., Beijing). Electrode impedance was reduced to less than 5 kΩ. The signal

was referenced on A1, A2 and FPZ. The electrodes used were FP1 and FP2.

The resolution of EEG signal acquisition was 1 ms and the acquisition and processing

window was 1.25 seconds. The data acquisition accuracy was 12 bits. Each measurement was six

minutes long. Indices of brain state recording included the index of depression, anxiety, alerting,

intelligence, and sleep disorder. Previous studies have confirmed that brain state indicators can be

used to monitor a normal subject’s state of concentration, wakefulness and relaxation (Ren et al.,

2011). Brain state measurements can also be used as real-time biofeedback indicators for clinical

samples, such as was the case for psychological rehabilitation after the Wenchuan earthquake (Luo

et al., 2009).

4 / 125 / 12

Training protocol

The training was initiated and guided by a Huatou Chan master (the 2nd author) and his

assistants (the 5th and 6th authors), who are certified by the Academy of Meditation Science –

USCMS. A 3-day Scientific Chan Meditation training was held in Tai’an, Shandong Province,

China. The Huatou Chan training is conducted in a quiet and spacious room in a resort. There

were six 45-minute sessions each day.

Study procedures

The participants in the Huatou Chan group were recruited through advertisements, and then

the participants who matched the gender and age of the Huatou Chan group were recruited as the

control group. Participants in both the Huatou and Control groups completed the Index of Brain

State Recording, and the SCL-90, the BPOMS, the MLQ, and the Index of Well-being. The

Huatou Chan group then participated in a 3-day Huatou Chan training, while the Control group

waited for three days carrying out their lives as usual. The participants in the Huatou Chan group

finished their retreat in the afternoon of the third day and took part in the test in the evening. All

participants in both groups completed the test in a quiet room.

Data analysis

Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 16.0 (SPSS Software, Armonk, NY, USA),

and GraphPad Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). Statistical significance was set

at p < 0.05.

Group differences in gender were analyzed by Chi-square analysis. Group differences in age

and baseline scores were analyzed by an independent t-test. The differences in questionnaire

scores between pre-test and post-test were compared between groups using independent t-tests.

Comparison between pre- and post-test scores were analyzed by paired t-test. Shapiro-Wilk test

was used for normality test. Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed data.

Adjustment was made for multiple analyses according to Benjamini and Hochberg (1995)’s theory

of false discovery rate (FDR)(Benjamini & Hochberg, 1995; Storey, 2003). Specifically, suppose

that the p-values resulting from the m tests are ordered such that p(1) ≤ p(2) ≤ …≤ p(m). If we

calculate

̂ = arg max {: p(k) ≤ α ∙ k / }, 1≤ k ≤ m,

then rejecting the null hypotheses corresponding to p(1), …,p(

) provides FDR = m0 / m ∙ α ≤ α. If

no p-value satisfies this inequality, then no hypothesis test is called significant.

The collected EEG signals from the prefrontal lobe were amplified, filtered and converted

from A/D to digital signals to obtain the time domain EEG data. Next, the metadata of regular

feature changes in EEG were obtained by applying the methods of wavelet analysis, spectral

analysis and pattern recognition analysis. Finally, the metadata were used as predictive variables

and brain status was the dependent variable in a multivariate regression analysis to find the

relationship between metadata and brain state. The final index of brain state was obtained after

weighted normalization (Wu, 2017).

The EEG analysis is based on a wavelet algorithm. The specific EEG data vector is

controlled by the continuous wavelet transforms, binary discrete wavelet transforms and the

frequency domain reconstruction algorithm in wavelet analysis. The vector set of each waveform 6 / 12

signal is produced by discrete processing: fi (x) = [x1 x2 x3 … xm‑ 2 xm‑ 1xm], i: the number of

EEG leads, and m: the number of vector elements. Furthermore, the direct circuit components (Av)

of a vector are removed by f (x) = f (x) – Av. The preprocessed EEG wave data are further

analyzed by the waveform recognition algorithm, the spectral analysis algorithm, and the wavelet

analysis algorithm. If f (x) function is the signal of space domain {−∞, +∞}, then, the continuous

wavelet transform algorithm formula is as follows:

. The algorithm

formula of the binary discrete wavelet transforms is as follows:

. The formula of the wavelet frequency domain

calculation is as follows:

. The spectral analysis algorithm follows

the discrete Fourier formula:

. The inverse transformation is completed by the

following formula:

. For the brain wave data, the specific brain wave vector

data are first processed by the binary conversion algorithm and the waveform reconstruction

algorithm in wavelet analysis. It then selects the specific wavelet generating function and

constructs an n scale. The following formula is used to conduct the binary conversion algorithm,

from 20 to 2n :

. Subsequently, a set of wavelets transforms the basis functions for the

bandpass filter banks and is obtained by the following formula:

.

Reconstruction consists of the wavelet function reconstruction and each wavelet base

reconstruction follows:

. The reconstructed wavelet is X2j(x); j is the order

of the time domain function. A set of reconstruction functions is obtained by reconstruction of the

various wavelet base reconstruction functions through the following formula:

；n=order. The power WLE(I) of the waveform potential of each wavelet

base reconstruction function is calculated by

. The Fast Fourier

transform is used to calculate the power spectrum function synchronously through the formula:

. The calculation window is n, where the alpha wave component of 8–13

Hz, the delta wave component of 0.5–4 Hz, the theta wave component of 4–8 Hz, the beta wave

component of 13–30 Hz, the dominant frequency, edge frequency, central frequency, and the

initial phase PH(Hz) of each frequency component can be obtained.

The generating function is referred to as the first derivative of the smoothing function (spline

function), and 64 points are constructed by the dyadic wavelet transform, scaling from 20 to 26 .

The weighted items of each sub‑ index extracted from the EEG (i‑ series metadata) are obtained

by decomposing the various EEG data vectors on transformation characteristic weighting

sequences by using a multilayer calculation and a multiple regression iteration method. PTI is

calculated by combining the weighted items of each sub‑ index (a1, a2 … … an as the multiple

regression weighting coefficients). The Index of anxiety = ∑（i_35, i_48）. The Index of

depression = ∑（i_22, i_52）. The Index of alerting = ∑（i_22）- ∑（i_35）. The index of

intelligence = ∑（i_48, i_60）.Results

Preliminary analyses

A Chi-square test and an independent t-test, respectively, showed no significant differences

between groups in gender distribution (2 (1) =0.115, p = 0.735) or age (t(57) = -0.810, p = 0.421).

There are no significant baseline differences between groups except for the score of the search for

meaning in life (Huatou Chan group vs. Control group: 29.10 ± 6.81 vs. 22.20 ± 7.15, p = 0.001).

Differences in pre- to post-test changes in questionnaire scores between groups are shown in Table

1.

Alterations in physical and mental symptoms

Independent sample t - tests revealed significant differences between the Huatou Chan group

and the Control group on SCL-90 symptoms, indicating that those receiving Huatou Chan training

showed a significantly greater decrease in symptoms from pre-test to post-test (M change = -

12.43), than those in the Control group (M change = - 2.23), t (59) = - 2.941, p = 0.005. Significant

differences were also found on SCL-90 total score, with the Huatou Chan group showing a greater

decrease (M change = - 25.52) than the control group (M change = - 6.45), t(59) = -2.301, p = 0.025

between pre-test and post-test. In addition, those receiving Huatou Chan training showed a

significantly greater decrease from pre-test to post-test than those in the Control group in symptom

subscales of obsessive-compulsive (M change: -3.33 vs. -0.20, t(59)= -2.515, p = 0.015), depression

(M change: -4.57 vs. -1.43, t(59) = -2.331, p = 0.023), hostility (M change: -2.14 vs. -0.30, t(59) =

-2.623, p = 0.011), and psychoticism (M change: -3.05 vs. -0.63, t(59) = -2.504, p = 0.015). These

results indicate that some physical and psychological symptoms among individuals are alleviated

after Chan training than in the Control condition with no training. No other SCL-90 symptom

scores showed significant differences between groups. See Table 1 for a summary of independent

sample t-test results.

There were significant differences between the Huatou Chan group and the control group on

the BPOMS scale. As expected, there was a greater reduction in negative emotion ratings in the

Huatou Chan group compared to the Control group. The Huatou Chan group showed greater

decreases between pre- and post-test than the Control group in total mood disturbance (M change:

-13.57 vs. -0.83, t(59) = -3.378, p = 0.001), tension-anxiety (M change: -2.62 vs. -0.20, t(59) = -3.560,

p = 0.001), depression-dejection (M change: -3.19 vs. -0.48, t(59) = -2.494, p = 0.015),

anger-hostility (M change: -3.19 vs. -0.63, t(59) = -3.151, p = 0.003), fatigue-inertia (M change:

-2.71 vs. -0.13, t(59) = -2.530, p = 0.014), and confusion-bewilderment (M change: -1.86 vs. -0.20,

t(59) = -2.604, p = 0.012). These results indicate that participants in the Huatou Chan group were

able to effectively decrease negative emotions. However, there were no significant changes in

vigor-activity. Table 1 summarizes the independent sample t-test results.

Insert Table 1 here

The pre- and post-test scores were also compared. Results showed that, after the FDR

adjustment, those receiving Huatou Chan training showed a significantly decrease from pre-test to

post-test in Number of positive symptoms, SCL-90 total score, symptom subscales of

obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, hostility, psychoticism, total mood

disturbance, Tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, and anger-hostility. The control group showed

significant decrease from pre-test to post-test in interpersonal sensitivity. Table 2 summarizes the

paired t-test results.

Insert Table 2 here

7 / 12Changes in meaning of life and well-being

The score on the search for meaning in life subscale of the MLQ, was reduced from pre- to

post-test to a greater extent in the Chan group compared to the Control group (M change: -5.24 vs.

0.08, t(59) = -3.333, p = 0.001). However, between-group analysis found no significant difference

between the Chan group and Control groups in presence of meaning in life subscale (t(59) = 1.323,

p = 0.191). These results indicate that individuals that received Chan training were more aware

and less confused about of the meaning of life after training.

There was a significant difference between groups in the change in IWB score from pre-test

to post-test. The Chan training group showed an increase in IWB score (M change: 4.47), while

the Control group showed a decrease is IWB score (M change: -0.87), t(59) = 2.264, p = 0.027. This

result indicates improved well-being in the Chan training condition, while those in the control

condition demonstrated diminished well-being over time.

Paired t-test analysis showed that, after the FDR adjustment, no significant results were

found in the scores of meaning of life and well-being from pre-test to post-test in Chan group and

control group. See Table 2 for a summary of paired t-test results.

Alterations in brain state

Shapiro-Wilk tests showed non-normal distributions for index of depression, intelligence and

sleep quality (p < 0.05). Independent t test was used for normally distributed data and Mann

Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed data. There were significant group

differences in brain state changes between the pre-test and the post-test. The Huatou Chan

training group demonstrated decreased brain activity associated with depression (Z = -4.332, p <

0.001), anxiety (t(59) = 5.139, p < 0.001) and alertness (t(59) = 2.571, p = 0.006), while showing

greater brain activity associated with the index of intelligence (Z = -3.756, p < 0.001). There was

no significant difference between groups in the change in index of sleep disorder from pre-test to

post-test (Z = -1.884, p = 0.063). See Figure. 1. These results indicate that Huatou Chan training

tends to reduce anxiety, depression, and alertness, while developing intelligence.

Insert Fig 1 here

Discussion

Previous studies have shown that perennial Chan training improves brain activity. However,

it is difficult to exclude confounding factors such as baseline differences and motivation between

Chan experts and controls in cross-sectional studies. Therefore, the current study explored the

effects of short-term Chan meditation training. In addition, the current study is the first to examine

Huatou Chan training specifically. Moreover, previous studies used small sample sizes, and

focused on one particular ability, limiting the generalization of conclusions. The current study is

the first to compare the effects of a three-day Huatou Chan meditation on physical and mental

health, and brain state. The results show that short-term Huatou Chan meditation training can

significantly reduce physical and mental symptoms, reduce negative emotions, enhance well-being

and reduce the pursuit of meaning in life. In addition, short-term Huatou Chan meditation training

can significantly improve brain states in indices of depression, anxiety, alertness, and intelligence.

We can deepen our understanding of meditation by distinguishing Huatou Chan from other

meditation types and verifying the effects of Huatou Chan. The current study demonstrated that

8 / 12systematic short-term Huatou Chan training can significantly improve physical and mental health,

similar to the effects of mindfulness training (Chiesa et al., 2011; Y. Wang et al., 2019; Y. Wang et

al., 2016). Prior studies have found that mindfulness training can regulate negative emotions by

reducing mind wandering (Y. Wang, Xu, Zhuang, & Liu, 2017). Through the process of Huatou

Chan meditation, practitioners are taught to refrain from thoughts, memories, emotions,

associations, and perceptions while maintaining consciousness. As a result, mental processing is

reduced (Hinterberger et al., 2014). Therefore, Chan practitioners may be less troubled by

negative emotions or thoughts (e.g. obsessive-compulsive thoughts, hostility thoughts).

A prior meta-analysis found limited evidence for improved mental health-related quality of

life from meditation programs (Goyal et al., 2014). However, it should be noted that this is the

first study to examine Huatou Chan meditation. Training content and objectives, along with brain

activity, differ between mindfulness training and Huatou Chan training (Kabat-Zinn, 1990; Lutz et

al., 2008; Sharf, 2014). Huatou Chan also differs from previous Chan training studies that

emphasize the conversion of chest breathing into umbilical chakra breathing and into deep

meditation, or that focus on the training of body and room awareness, behavioral visualization

training, or psychological rehearsal (Chang & Lo, 2013; Lin et al., 2007; Lo & Chang, 2013). The

current study found alterations in one’s attitude towards life with Huatou Chan training. These

results demonstrate that the Huatou Chan practitioner reduces the impulse to pursue the meaning

of life (for example, "I am looking for something that makes my life feel meaningful").

Importantly, their experience of life has not been affected (for example, "I know the meaning of

my life"), indicating that Huatou Chan reduces the individual’s confusion about life. This may be

one of the important differences between Huatou Chan and other meditation types. The content of

Huatou is closely related to problems and dilemmas in life. The process of Huatou Chan training

is the silent recitation of a Huatou until the final “satori” is attained. With a blow and shout at the

right time, practitioners no longer focus on the complexities of life, and ultimately achieve

enlightenment.

In a previous study, Lin et al. (2007) tested the effect of an 8-week Chan training on musical

performance anxiety and musical performance quality. In the study, participants practiced body

and room awareness, as well as behavior visualization and psychological rehearsal. The results

showed that 8 weeks of meditation training did not significantly improve the level of music

performance. In addition, nearly 40% of the participants in the Chan meditation group dropped out

of the study for various reasons. The effectiveness of short-term Huatou Chan meditation training

found in the present study (as opposed to the study described above) may be due to the following.

First, the Huatou Chan Master played an important role in training. Prior to training, the Huatou

Chan Master conducted detailed one-on-one interviews with practitioners, establishing the content

of the Huatou. Second, during training, the Huatou Chan Master performed a blow and a shout at

appropriate times. Third, intensive short-term training may be more suitable for Chan training,

because practitioners can continuously concentrate on the Huatou.

The current study has some limitations that should be considered. First, the current study is

not a randomized trial and the experimental results may be affected by demand characteristics. In

future studies, randomized controlled trials including a positive control group should be used to

compare other training methods with Huatou Chan. Second, the participants in the current study

were mostly middle-aged, and as such caution must be used when generalizing to other age groups.

In the future study, we will share the EEG data with more computational neuroscientists to further

9 / 12strengthen the research results and explain the oriental traditional Huatou Chan training (Weng et

al., 2013). Despite these limitations, the current study is the first to provide evidence for

short-term Huatou Chan meditation training on improved health. The results show that short-term

Huatou Chan meditation training has significant benefits on physical and mental health, as well as

brain activity.

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12 / 12Figure 1. Improvement in brain state after Chan training. * p < 0.01; ** p < 0.001.

Figure

Click here to access/download;Figure;Figures.docxTable 1. Differences in pre- to post-test changes in questionnaire scores between groups（M ± SD）

Variables

Chan group (n = 21)

Control group (n = 40)

t

p

SCL-90

Number of Positive

symptoms

-12.43±17.47

-2.23±9.71

-2.941

0.005

SCL-90 total score

-25.52±45.99

-6.54±17.46

-2.301

0.025

Somatization

-3.33±9.01

0.13±3.58

-2.119

0.038#

Obsessive-compulsive

-3.33±5.91

-0.20±3.80

-2.515

0.015

Interpersonal sensitivity

-2.95±4.78

-1.48±2.54

-1.582

0.119

Depression

-4.57±7.43

-1.43±3.11

-2.331

0.023

Anxiety

-2.71±7.56

-0.78±3.40

-1.384

0.172

Hostility

-2.14±3.47

-0.30±2.03

-2.623

0.011

Photic anxiety

-0.38±2.96

-0.30±2.58

-0.111

0.912

Paranoid ideation

-1.57±3.56

-0.80±1.92

-1.103

0.275

Psychoticism

-3.05±4.88

-0.63±2.70

-2.504

0.015

Additional items

-1.48±3.40

-0.85±2.36

-0.843

0.403

BPOMS

Total mood disturbance

-13.57±20.46

-0.83±9.04

-3.378

0.001

Tension-anxiety

-2.62±3.84

-0.20±2.34

-3.560

0.001

Depression-dejection

-3.19±5.60

-0.48±2.94

-2.494

0.015

Anger-hostility

-3.19±4.25

-0.63±2.13

-3.151

0.003

Vigor-activity

-0.76±4.72

0.20±3.33

-0.925

0.359

Fatigue-inertia

-2.71±5.34

-0.13±2.68

-2.530

0.014

Confusion-bewilderment

-1.86±3.57

0.20±2.54

-2.604

0.012

MLQ

Presence of meaning in life

2.43±7.37

0.13±5.94

1.323

0.191

Search for meaning of life

-5.24±5.97

0.08±5.89

-3.333

0.001

IWB

Index of well-being

4.47±9.33

-0.87±8.43

2.264

0.027

#, the p-value is non-significant after the FDR adjustment.

Table

Click here to access/download;Table;Tables.docxTable 2. Comparisons of pre- and post-test scores in Chan group and control group.

Variables

Chan group (n = 21)

Control group (n = 40)

t

p

t

p

SCL-90

Number of Positive symptoms

3.260

0.004

1.450

0.155

SCL-90 total score

2.543

0.019

2.339

0.025#

Somatization

1.695

0.106

-0.223

0.824

Obsessive-compulsive

2.584

0.018

0.333

0.741

Interpersonal sensitivity

2.830

0.010

3.670

0.001

Depression

2.821

0.011

2.896

0.006#

Anxiety

1.644

0.116

1.441

0.157

Hostility

2.831

0.010

0.936

0.355

Photic anxiety

0.590

0.562

0.734

0.467

Paranoid ideation

2.024

0.057

2.629

0.012#

Psychoticism

2.860

0.010

1.466

0.151

Additional items

1.989

0.061

2.279

0.028#

BPOMS

Total mood disturbance

3.039

0.006

0.577

0.567

Tension-anxiety

3.125

0.005

-0.539

0.593

Depression-dejection

2.611

0.017

1.024

0.312

Anger-hostility

3.440

0.003

1.854

0.071

Vigor-activity

-0.740

0.468

0.380

0.706

Fatigue-inertia

2.329

0.030#

0.295

0.770

Confusion-bewilderment

2.385

0.027#

-0.497

0.622

MLQ

Presence of meaning in life

-1.444

0.164

-0.083

0.934

Search for meaning of life

1.741

0.097

-0.045

0.964

IWB

Index of well-being

-2.193

0.040#

0.653

0.518

#, the p-value is non-significant after the FDR adjustment.