Really, it's not religious. It is merely the momentary pause of thought. It is as religious as the holding of breath as you dive under water, or the halt of stepping as you pause from a rapid pace. It's as religious as the not eating that sometimes happens between meals. It's as religious as summer vacation, the space between words, or briefly being between jobs.
Meditation is innately human, and certainly in simpler times gone by, meditation came easily to us. Sitting under a tree near the river, listening to the sound of water moving, I suppose thought naturally paused for a few minutes in peaceful, spontaneous harmony. Or while watching the magnificence of the stars emerging in the sky as the world grew dark and quiet, rest undoubtedly came naturally to the mind. Science now tells us that this kind of rest for the mind is healing to the body, and it also helps to rebuild brain tissue and prevent several psychological disorders, including Alzheimer's and ADD.
Obviously, no one person, religion, or organization can own inner peace. It is a human experience, a state of being that every individual can access within themselves. So if we can access inner peace within ourselves, that makes inner peace ours, doesn't it? The word, "meditation", merely describes the act of accessing the inner peace which is already inside of you. You own it. Therefore, meditation belongs to whomever chooses to access their pre-owned inner peace. Your meditation and inner peace are exclusive possessions of yours. And however you access your inner peace is meditation, whether it is a quiet stroll, sitting in lotus position humming, or climbing a large rock.
And just as religion cannot claim exclusivity to food, sleep or play, neither can it claim meditation. On the other hand, you could make eating a sandwich religious with a great deal of effort and organization. But a sandwich is still just a sandwich, and meditation is still merely the momentary pause of thought, brought about consciously.
Of course, meditation has been a part of every religion as long as history can record. I attribute meditation's popularity in religion to it's effect: it makes us feel better. Powerful, nourishing, and healing, food and meditation have a lot in common, whether or not they're connected to a religious belief system. Food is just food, but when it's included in religion, it takes on holy significance. The same is true of meditation. "Meditate in your heart, and be still." Psalm 1:2.
It is worthwhile to mention that repetition has been studied extensively, especially by Herbert Benson at Harvard, where they've found that it can lead to deep meditations and peaceful states of being which they call, "The Relaxation Response." What's interesting about these studies is that they've found it doesn't matter what you repeat, whether it is Hail Mary's, Sankrit mantras, or your mother's maiden name. It is the repetition for at least 20 minutes that leads to pronounced responses of peace in the body and mind. So if you enjoy religion, you can try saying a prayer that you connect with, and use a rosary, subhah, tzitzit, mala or kitchen timer to keep track of 20 minutes for you. At the end of your repetition, you may have more success pausing your thoughts than otherwise.
If you are not religious, you needn't fear that you'll become religious if you choose to meditate. You will, however, prevent mental illness and rebuild brain tissue. Also, meditation has been linked to the prevention of stress related diseases, which make up a large portion of all diseases. Meditation empowers the meditator with health and clarity. You just have to stop thinking at will.
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Priscilla Warner: How to Meditate Your Way From Panic to Peace
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Meditation is just one more thing religions lifted from the philosophers of the past and try to make their own....
of previous course participants and are solely supported by the donation of students after they have taken the course and percieved the benefits of the teaching. except for a few stipended management positions the course are completely run by volunteers. The practice is attributed to a direct instruction the buddha gave when he was alive on how to do meditation. You could say a religion developed out of the documentation of his discourses as time went on. They seem distance themselves from the religious Buddhism and basically teach a meditation practice that includes a basic code of ethics. The 10 day experience is a fairly mentally rigorous training so check it out the schedule well before just blithely jumping in. The practice is the focus and it works for anyone of reasonably sound mind. Its a deep journey.
They do not advertise most hear of it by word of mouth or via their website. Their site is at dhamma.org. I enjoyed your article best to all on the path
Although it sounds innocuous enough, actually this form of meditation is extremely powerful ( if done correctly) and can achieve mind states not unlike hypnosis.
Experience based practical advice:
1. Try to practice at the same time and same place, if you can.
2. Do NOT lay down to practice RMM. Any form of sitting is OK--chair, cushon, sitting uprioght in a bed, car seat. Sit upright and relaxed. Don't cross your legs.
3. Try to find a spot that is not too bright. ( after you practice a few times you'll know why).
4. Do not practice on a full stomach ( at least one hour before or after a meal). If you practice on a full stomach limit meditation to 10 minutes.
5. At the end of your 20 minute practice, stop repeating your word, and take at least 5 minutes before you attempt to get up from your position. Spend that time either enjoying your state or gently scanning your body for points of tension.
6. This meditation should not be practiced under influence of alcohol or narcotics.
7. 20 minute mantra meditation may be too long time for some Try a shorter period to build positive experience.
Good luck.
That not really meditation, but passive relaxation. The reason I say that that such extremely pleasant activities cited above rarely produce effects that real, tradition-based meditation produces.
I agree with your endorsement Herbert Benson's study on the effects of mantra meditation. Although it must be mentioned that .Dr. Benson research was fully founded by Mararishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation organization.
Nonetheless I beleive the conclusions reaches by Dr. Benson are largely correct.
Addendum: Mantra meditation( repetition meditation) shouldn't be restricted to a single word.
The reason Dr. Benson; study was confined to a single -wrod matra ( seed mantra) becuase project sponsors required it, as TM uses single word mantras.
In many traditions entire sentences are used.
Example:" Om Mani Padme Hum: mantra, used by Tibetan Buddhists and hundreds more.
But seriously, anyway we can get to stretch those atrophied muscles (present company included!), Good for humanity
The "something outside of myself" that you mention could also be described as something within yourself: peace. You could use a different word, but i imagine we're not talking about such dramatically different experiences.
What happens at your very last breath is quite a beautiful mystery to me, although you may have beliefs about that experience connected to your belief system. What has your experience been of stopping thinking so far? Which words do you use to describe your experience? And do you have the experience of oneness with existence in those moments, or does the feeling of separation persist?
I appreciate your pointed praise very much.
Thanks for not being too crtcl of my post. Appreciative.
psychologists who are stealing the word meditation [ and churches also i might add ] should know better; God is omnipresent; we cannot escape the omnipresent super-natural superintelligence
which modern scientist call the unified field
choose authenticity
www.doctorsontm.org
i hope Huffpost resists the temptation to fragment life into 3 sections health/ living /religion. Nature
is indivisible wholeness [ the divine level ] and all diversity [ the physical individual level] simultaneously
all based on the 3-in1 structure of satchitananda
the brain belongs to everyone each in their dispensation. meditation is a technique of practice sitting with eyes closed;
what Rosewood describes in being in nature etc is contemplation or daydreaming "intimations of immortality" etc, a natural human faculty ;
anyway one actually meditates sitting comfortably {Dhyana], sooner or later what does one know? God is omnipresent ,the one indivisible in every name; Brahman in sanskrit
what little i know of Dr Benson [[[is none of my business i dont make money from the modern arrogance of media and any newold thing will do for meditation businesses
it is waste of life to comment to people who are making money from hufffpost also but making money is part of life [money unlike meditation doesnt seem to belong to everyone]]]]
as far as i know dr benson was aware of the research by Dr keith wallace in 1969 or so [published in science 1970 and scientific american in 1972] Dr Wallace did the first research on transcendental meditation(TM) first of any on meditation; so maharishi calle dhim first scientist of the age of enlightenment
Keith found in TM "hypometabolic state of restfull alertness" "4th major state of consciousness TURIYA" [differntfrom waking state]
this DrBenson called relaxation response. why did he not simply replicate dr wallace with a TM study? was he motivated as a scientist by atheiism or prejudice towards a Hindu monk Maharishi? or eastern in general
authenticity is the goal www.tm.org
Thank you for your thoughtful posts here.
You might enjoy this article about Dr. Benson. He began by studying TM, and when he found the effects of mantra repetition were so helpful for overall health, his scientific curiosity led him to extend his research to all forms of repetition . He hoped that the health benefits of repetition might also help those who were not drawn to Eastern meditative practices. He was pleased to find that anyone with the willingness to try repetition could benefit from it, whether they practiced TM, Catholic prayer, Jewish prayer, or non-denominated repetition .
http://www.healthinsightstoday.com/articles/v1i3/benson_p1.html
Get over yourself!
I found the post by Ms. Rosewood informative and enjoyable. I think you missed one of the main points. Meditation does not belong to any group, including your excessive TM.
The TM people seem to have an almost cult-like view of their practice and an assumption that TM is the best way to meditate.
It is worrisome.
I'm glad you found my article informative and enjoyable. Thanks so much.