Meditative Preinclination And Religious Belief
Meditation , I learn more and more, is a practice which can be interpreted very broadly. Any activity, it seems, can be called “meditation” - it seems the state is defined, not by that activity, itself, but by the state of mind one maintains while performing that activity. So walking or sweeping, for instance, may look identical while being performed by a both a bus driver and a Zen monk, yet one instance represents meditation while the other is merely the act of sweeping. This elusive frame of mind or transcendental focus held by that Zen monk during the seemingly mundane act of sweeping has many implications. One implication being that meditation has no universally representative appearance of physical pose - the stereotypical Indian-style appearance many associate with meditative practice, while may lending to the effectiveness of meditative practice, is not necessary to achieve the state and, on the flip side, holding those often painful physical poses does not guarantee that an individual is meditating. (Indeed, as gamma brainwave studies of Buddhist monks showed, many individuals continue holding these elaborate body postures for years without achieving meaningful states of deep meditation.)
Another implication of the sweeping monk’s meditative internal state is the profound influence of an individual’s perception of the world and their activities in it. The state of mind with which a person interacts and with the external, or accesses the internal, is very personalized and, to one degree or another, genetically predetermined. While that word “genetic” has drifted to the verge of being as politically incorrect as the word “race” in modern socially-accepted dialogue, it is safe to assert that one’s temperament, frame of mind, and behavioral inclinations are, to some degree, genetically defined. With this in mind, one could imagine specific frames of mind, like meditation, could be subject to the influence of one’s natural affinity. Certain families as well as certain ethnic groups are traditionally known to be quieter, calmer, and more reserved than others. While identifying these ethnic groups specifically treads along dangerous ground, politically, I don’t feel that, as scientists of mind, that we should be afraid of addressing the topic of diversity from this cognitive perspective.
Non-Christian Group Therapies: Respecting Traditional Hindu Religious Practice
Psychiatrists should be the next doctors with the ability to give Medical Marijuana Cards. To dispense them to whole psychiatric therapy group's for meditative therapy sessions. That's essentially a prescription granted for aid in Spiritual Practice, not for the treatment of an illness. It is not much of a jump to say each Group Therapy session would begin with a prayer. Many of the AA Group Meetings already do this.
If that prayer ritual was made in the Hindu tradition instead of the Christian, for instance, we would invite spirits into the room from the four corners, to be with us during a ritual involving Soma (marijuana.) Mediumship or "divine inspiration" would be a central aspect in therapy tailored to practicing members of this differing but equally (if not more) valid religious tradition. In terms of therapy, it would seem the Hindu religious tradition would lend itself more easily to group work of this meditative type.
I hope to explore the nature of meditative success, accounting for varying factors like genetic affinity, preinclinations, meditation type, and the aid of mind manifesting sacraments on aspects of self-focus, attention, and sensitivity: inward characteristics which seem universally central to that frame of mind which defines the meditative state.
Another implication of the sweeping monk’s meditative internal state is the profound influence of an individual’s perception of the world and their activities in it. The state of mind with which a person interacts and with the external, or accesses the internal, is very personalized and, to one degree or another, genetically predetermined. While that word “genetic” has drifted to the verge of being as politically incorrect as the word “race” in modern socially-accepted dialogue, it is safe to assert that one’s temperament, frame of mind, and behavioral inclinations are, to some degree, genetically defined. With this in mind, one could imagine specific frames of mind, like meditation, could be subject to the influence of one’s natural affinity. Certain families as well as certain ethnic groups are traditionally known to be quieter, calmer, and more reserved than others. While identifying these ethnic groups specifically treads along dangerous ground, politically, I don’t feel that, as scientists of mind, that we should be afraid of addressing the topic of diversity from this cognitive perspective.
Non-Christian Group Therapies: Respecting Traditional Hindu Religious Practice
Psychiatrists should be the next doctors with the ability to give Medical Marijuana Cards. To dispense them to whole psychiatric therapy group's for meditative therapy sessions. That's essentially a prescription granted for aid in Spiritual Practice, not for the treatment of an illness. It is not much of a jump to say each Group Therapy session would begin with a prayer. Many of the AA Group Meetings already do this.
If that prayer ritual was made in the Hindu tradition instead of the Christian, for instance, we would invite spirits into the room from the four corners, to be with us during a ritual involving Soma (marijuana.) Mediumship or "divine inspiration" would be a central aspect in therapy tailored to practicing members of this differing but equally (if not more) valid religious tradition. In terms of therapy, it would seem the Hindu religious tradition would lend itself more easily to group work of this meditative type.
I hope to explore the nature of meditative success, accounting for varying factors like genetic affinity, preinclinations, meditation type, and the aid of mind manifesting sacraments on aspects of self-focus, attention, and sensitivity: inward characteristics which seem universally central to that frame of mind which defines the meditative state.