03.30.09

Trivialization of meditation

Posted in Science & Religion at 2:14 pm by nemo

Comment on Neuroscience destroying meditation

Stephen P. Smith said,
March 30, 2009 at 7:49 am
I don’t see the problem in this book that looks at the health benefits from meditation, among other things. The whole field of alternative medicine is expanding right now. You need only look to the scientific journals dedicated to these new treatments: e.g., see Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. As long as these new treatements are not seen as replacements for religion and spirituality, I don’t see the issue.

You’re right. What’s wrong with it?
However, why is meditation needed for alternative health practice?
In any case, the attempt by mainstream society to trivialize meditation is significant in itself.
Note that scientists NEVER refer to ‘enlightenment’, the context of all references to ‘meditation’, to do so would constitute a threat to their dominant world view, something they can’t explain. To discuss meditation without this term is disingenuous at best, dishonest at worst.

In any case using meditation for ‘cooling out’ will backfire. If you actually do it, tremendous tension will arise at some point as latent emotions come to the surface. Meditation can induce severe disorientation and personality disorder. I fail to see how its often beneficial relaxation effect which soon wears off can be hyped here. What are we talking about?
Real meditation over many hours, days, years, alone, can induce nervous breakdown, insanity. Or…

We must be talking about two different things.
Actually, you are right in a way, though: explicit relaxation exercises, such as the yogic type, can be very good things to do, if done honestly. And they can help real meditation begin. Perhaps.
And who is to prevent someone from redefining meditation?
Some sufis I have met have only contempt for ordinary meditation of this type, and use extreme stress instead, instead of ‘meditation’ practice.
Highly questionable, but meditation can have divergent meanings.

In the end, however, the culture of meditation will die out. And everyone will lose.

Meditation, let us recall, has a long history, but its source lies in the search for liberation, asking world renunciation, social disengagement, an overall committment to a spiritual ethic and way of life, etc,…
Exceedingly onerous tasks.

All that is thrown away as the practice is streamlined to make sure it results in nothing.
So we can at least request that ‘meditation’ be accompanied by references to its original context, the path of enlightenment.
Scientists don’t want to do that because neuroscience has no handle on it, threatening its dominance.

Permalink