"I just feel like there are so many problems out there in the world, me sitting in silence doesn't really do anything for them." Juan is a close friend and meditation student. His question rattled me. He continued, "It just feels too self-indulgent."
Many new meditators have the experience of questioning not just the utility of meditation but also the morality of it. But, is he right? Is meditation indulgent? Absolutely.
Meditation is complete indulgence in the experience of the present moment. We often think of indulgent behavior as being morally wrong, which it can be when it comes at the expense of a deeper connectedness.
We are sometimes taught to put the needs of others before the needs of ourselves -- even to our own detriment. Roshi Joan Halifax brilliantly refers to this as "pathological compassion." Health care workers are often described as having "compassion fatigue," a form of burnout that is widely discussed in more than 200 published papers. Interestingly, studies of compassion fatigue in health care workers show that it is associated with worse outcomes for their patients. Simply put, ignoring our own well-being in the face of stress can actually result in harm to others.
These findings are not just relevant to health care workers. Stress levels are extremely high throughout our country, especially in the midst of an economic crisis. Higher levels of stress have consistently demonstrated higher levels of chronic health problems, psychological illness, and violence.
As a means of dealing with stress, there are acceptable and unacceptable outlets. Escapism -- through alcohol, overeating, watching television, overworking, and legal or illegal medicating -- is seen as an acceptable, and paradoxically non-indulgent, outlet. Many patients appear for counseling after these methods have failed, or worse, done harm. Escapism does not address the root causes of stress; it gives temporary reprieve -- a quick stir of a boiling pot -- at the expense of deeper connectedness with self and others. And often, the very methods that we use to escape stress may cause further harm down the line.
Rather, acknowledging and being present with our stress through meditative practice is the best way of reducing it. By fully acknowledging our pain, we learn to be more authentic with ourselves and with others. Sitting quietly every day and focusing on the breath and the experience of oneself alone can be, as Jon Kabat-Zinn says, "a radical act of love."
Meditation is spiritual housekeeping. To meditate is to sweep the rooms of the stress of daily life. Would it be seen as overly self-indulgent to vacuum the living room before the arrival of a guest? The intimate silence afforded by meditation allows us to communicate with fewer interruptions from the mental static of stress.
What about the vast problems of the world, as Juan had asked? How does meditation help global starvation? Meditation doesn't purport to solve all the problems of the world, it simply focuses on developing a place of inner calm. But if 7 billion people found a place of inner calm, the world would know a greater peace.
Is meditation self-indulgent? Maybe selfless-indulgence might be a more accurate description.
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brilliant!
Meditation can be as simple as just being still and quiet in your mind....simply staring a flower on a warm summer day or enjoying a quiet moment as the sun sets etc....
I find long runs quite meditative....my mind may have 1001 things running through it...but i really don't get too "stuck" on any of them...eventually my mind comes back to my breathing...the sound of my feet pounding against the ground, the feeling of sweat pouring off my head...etc...
Meditation really isn't about anything mystical...its simply practicing a state of being...allowing the "drama" of your ego and mind to take a back seat...
You can simply sit or lay quietly and just focus on your breath...let the thoughts come and go and try to sit outside of them while you stay in the moment.
Mind you, my meditation experience is in the Zen tradition, and I know there are many different types of meditation, but from my study of other forms, this seems to be the point to all of them, separation from the self.
http://lessonsfromtheendofamarriage.com
Can meditation help global starvation and other global problems? The answer is an unequivocal yes.
When one takes a few moments to meditate, answers to problems often find their answers. Even questions as overwhelming as global starvation. Here are some free meditations to try out. http://1ness4u.wordpress.com/meditation/. There is one called the Peace Meditation I found somewhere that helps you meditate for global peace.
Meditation can be experienced as something very practical for solving problems.
The answers are available for all our problems.
Sometimes it helps to start on a small, more local project. See a problem in your neighborhood, state or country. Meditate and surrender into the Infinite with no agenda. Then, from that perspective, examine the problem or situation. The solution will usually become apparent. The steps to that solution will usually become apparent as well. After the meditation is over, take the first step and then continue on.
Accomplishing solutions with small projects can cause us to have confidence and trust that we can accomplish anything no matter how large.
My personal perspective and experience teach me that we are all responsible for one another. We are all part of an infinite Whole. If we see unjustness in the world then we are responsible to do something to correct that. If we see lies and actions that harm others then we are responsible to do something about it.
Meditating on peace and expecting to see peace and justice in Syria is not going to be as effective as acting in the world to help the Syrian people win in their struggle to have a free, peaceful and open society.
Meditation is an essential part of my day. So is getting off my a$$ to take steps necessary to effect change and help my world.
Compassion without action is dust.
If practiced regularly, Meditation will open up your mind in the sense that you will find your mind unpeeling like an onion, your paradigms will shift and your perspectives on what is normal will change. Soon you will disconnect from normality and lose interest in the chase, opting for solitude. You may find yourself becoming more compassionate or change jobs. In other words, you will see things completely differently than you did before.
"The hidden valley has no partiality; any call will be echoed."