When one thinks of meditation, what comes to mind? Does one think of group of 1970’s hippies sitting in a circle singing about peace? How about relaxing music being played? How about trying to form one’s body into a pretzel-like shape? What if meditation has nothing to do with the background music being played or what position one’s body is in? Meditation is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the act or process of spending time in quiet thought” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditation). Meditation is just simply sitting in a quiet room and thinking about one’s life. The act of meditating is much simpler than many people think. Through deep concentration and relaxation, meditation becomes an altered state of consciousness. Benefits of Meditation Meditation comes in two forms, focused-attention and open-monitoring meditation. Focused-attention meditation is where one focus on one specific thing, such breathing or a particular object outside of you. The point of this type of meditation is to focus strongly on one point and continually bring your attention back to that focal point when one is distracted. Open-monitoring meditation is slightly different in nature. In this type of meditation, one simply pays attention to all that is happening around them. This is done without reacting to any outside forces. Our brains react differently during meditation or in an altered state of consciousness. Using fMRI scans; scientists have developed a more thorough understanding of what’s happening in the brain when one is meditating. The overall difference is that our brains stop processing information as actively as they normally would. A decrease in beta waves is seen, which could indicate that our brains are processi... ... middle of paper ... ...surprised that a 10-minute video flew by so quickly. As a newcomer to transcendental meditation, this former skeptic can definitely understand why followers enjoy this type of meditation so much. It’s an effortless sense of calm and relaxation that is much needed in today’s day and age. Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs) As one can see, meditation is a sacred act that can have endless benefits. As well as being a physical act, activities such as transcendental meditation can also be fulfilling spiritually and mentally. Through deep concentration and relaxation, meditation becomes an altered state of consciousness. This essay has shown many ways as to why this is so. Through the simple acts of letting one’s mind go, there are endless possibilities that can happen. Without meditation and altered states of consciousness, the world as we know it would be completely different.
However, meditation is not as common within Buddhism as most believe. There is a large assumption “that Buddhism and meditation go hand in hand”, but the majority of Buddhists have focused on “cultivating moral behavior, preserving the Buddha’s teachings (dharma), and acquiring good karma”(Braun 2014, p.1). Meditation and Buddhism are often assumed to be one and same, but this is also not true. As Buddhism has gained popularity among lay people it’s practices have changed Buddha’s teaching of the middle path has adapted to meditation being “possible in the city” rather than with monks in jungles and caves (p.4). As seen in Burma, in less than 75 years Buddhism and meditation were able to grow “from a pursuit of the barest sliver of the population to a duty of the ideal citizen” (p.5). While meditation is not the core of Buddhism it has encouraged the growth of Buddhism as it’s practice of mindfulness has been inspiring an approachable model (p.6). Meditation and mindfulness are easily manipulated to secularization, but still have significance in Buddhism and following the patterns of your
As psychological field of study advances with its technologies to investigate changes in the mind, using such technology to look at effects of mindfulness meditation would strengthen its argument and understanding of the mechanisms in the brain, to change meditators into the new awaken state. This essay will reveal the evidence of mindfulness meditation making an impact on the mind. First, this essay will present the studies which found physiological functional differences in the body for those who did mindfulness meditation. Second, this essay will present the studies which found functional differences in the brain for those who perform mindfulness meditation. Third, this essay will present the studies which found structural differences in the brain for those who performed mindfulness meditation.
A life of simplicitic values and self-awareness is crucial in reaching an internal meditative state. Transcendentalism was a spreading movement based upon values of self-enlightenment through reaching a state of living on basic necessities. These beliefs integrated that humankind, nature, and God were somehow all interconnected, but the link was out of reach to the participant of normal society. Likewise, they believes that one should extend the limitations that a normal way of life builds, to experience something greater. This pursuit of passion integrated a way of living independent from an outer society. These set of beliefs were based upon the internal need to find one’s identity through free will. The challenge of withdrawing from a life
Proponents of the Transcendental Meditation program initiated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have expressed their ideas in various web sites on the World Wide Web, through pages such as The Transcendental Meditation Program at http://www.tm.org and the Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program of the Maharishi University of Management at http://www.miu.edu/TM_Research. In these sites positive messages are conveyed about the benefits of meditation to its practitioner within the physiological, psychological, sociological, intellectual, and interpersonal realms. Within these sites, the web-browser is presented with an abundance of information relating the vast array of health benefits offered to an individual through the regular practice of what is described as the simplest, most natural form of awareness--what practitioners of the technique term "transcendental consciousness." Through this technique, its advocates assert, one can:
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Meditation is a private devotion or mental exercise consisting of a number of techniques of concentration, contemplation, and abstraction to heighten spiritual awareness. It has also been defined as, “Consciously directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness.” Meditation has been practiced around the world since the ancient times. It was used back then and still used today for spiritual growth (becoming more conscious). Meditation is mostly concerned about your attention, where it is directed to, and how it alters or changes a person’s consciousness.
These three areas are divided into eight steps to attain enlightenment, which ends suffering and escapes from the cycle of rebirth. Concentration is important in meditation as it is observed to clear the mind. The main three steps for concentration are; right effort, concentration and mindfulness, which concentrates on mental development, develops good thoughts and enables them to gain calmness. Thus, these steps develop insight into the true nature of phenomena or reality, eliminates greed, hatred and disbelief. The pathways are different, but help them to change from superfluous to good decent
Meditation is logical in not only the minds of Buddhist practitioners, but also in those of scientific standpoints. Meditation, however, is not exclusive to Buddhism alone. These brain scan studies showed that Franciscan nuns that spend tim...
Within the Christian tradition, meditation falls under the broader category of contemplative prayer. A Christian approach to contemplative prayer is based on the understanding that each person is created in the image and likeness of God. In other words, we should live our life the way God would want us to. Within each person is found something of the Divine essence. Contemplative prayer is also a process of going inward to be present to the essence of Divinity that is at the heart of each person. Another way of putting could mean how an individual goes inward for example a prayer that comes from the heart. Through contemplative prayer, one moves toward a deeper union or communion with God while laying aside those things that limit such a deep
Deleanu, Florin. "Agnostic Meditations On Buddhist Meditation." Zygon: Journal Of Religion & Science 45.3 (2010): 605-626. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Restful alertness is more present during the meditative state. This means that a person is peaceful yet aware of his surroundings.
My meditation experience this week improved prominently, compared to the past two weeks. For the first time in this course, body movements, stretches, stood incorporated into the meditation experience. We refocused from concentrating on a relaxed mindset, to relaxing the whole self – body, mind, and soul. By incorporating more of myself into the experience, I found the experience to embrace a greater impact. I did not stand distracted by the external environment, but rather focused on the
Story, Francis. "Buddhist Meditation." Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Newberg, A., Alavi, A., Baime, M., Pourdehnad, M., Santanna, J., & D'Aquili, E. (2001). The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during the complex cognitive task of meditation: A preliminary SPECT study. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 106(2), 113-122.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2010). Health info. Meditation: An introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm