Simple meditation

by Introspection 3 Replies latest watchtower medical

  • Introspection
    Introspection

    I'm sure everybody has heard of the potential benefits of meditation, but no doubt fewer has actually tried it, and fewer still practice it. As JWs we're taught that if you meditate you empty the mind and invite demons in, but this is simply not true. For one thing, even the Watchtower talks about meditating on bible principles. But even if you practice the basic, traditional type of meditation free from content, it's not quite that simple. First of all, if you pay attention you'll notice that it's not that easy to empty your mind, most of us tend to have "monkey minds" that seems to never shut off, and you KNOW those thoughts are yours. On the other hand, for all the chattering our minds do there is a pause between sentences, even if it is for a split second. Sometimes we just "space out" too and think of nothing just because we're tired or bored, so the mind isn't always busy and filled with thoughts, there are times when it is naturally quiet. Meditation is simply a way to prolong that normally brief pause for the mind to rest and relax, and it can also improve mental focus and concentration.

    The basic outline here is taken from The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, which by the way is a nice little book that is short enough to be read in a single afternoon. Benson, who is a medical doctor contrasts the relaxation response to the fight-or-flight response, and also notes that the former is consciously practiced whereas the latter is involuntary. This particular technique which Benson teaches is not religious in nature, but rather is the common theme that runs through the different contemplative traditions, including some Christian mystics. Here's a quote from the book: (if you're only interested in how to actually do the meditation, go ahead and skip to the instructions below)

    William James, one of the fathers of modern psychology, expresses this view in The Variety of Religious Experience:

    "The fact is that the mystical feeling of enlargement, union and emancipation has no specific intellectual content whatever of its own. It is capable of forming matrimonial alliances with material furnished by the most diverse philosophies and theology, provided only they can find a place in their framework for its peculiar emotional mood."

    Also, many of the contemplative techniques set forth in the writings of Christian mystics used their own experiences and techniques only as example. An anonymous monk writing in the fourteenth century states in The Cloud of Unknowing:

    "And if you think that the labor is great, then you may seek to develop special ways, tricks, private techniques, and spiritual devices by means of which you can put other thoughts away. And it is best to learn these methods from God by your own experience rather than from any man in this life. Although this is so, I will tell you what seems to me to be the best of these special ways. Test them and improve upon them if you can."

    Hence, by selecting elements from various techniques which appear to be necessary for eliciting experiences of transcendence, we are not espousing a certain tradition or taking away the special meaning of any practice for the individual. Because of the variety of experiences and methods, a person may find that any one of many practices best suits his or her purpose. As William James aptly states: "To find religion is only one out of many ways of reaching unity; and the process of remedying inner incompleteness and reducing inner discord os a general psychological process."

    Anyway, here are the 4 elements to Benson's technique:

    1. A quiet environment. The reason for this is no doubt obvious, the goal is quiet the mind, and as there's usually enough inner chatter external noise just doesn't help.

    2. An object to dwell upon. Benson suggests the use of a simple sound, one syllable or syllable like love or one, but as far as I'm concerned it's just anything that helps you focus your mind. You might try a phrase if it's too boring to just repeat one word. I also think just focusing on the breath can be very beneficial, you might listen to the sound of the breath if nothing else. Simply inhale through the nose into the abdomen and out through the mouth. It's helpful to keep the tongue at the roof of the mouth to open the nasal cavity.

    3. A passive attitude. This is the most important element in meditation. Because most people do have worries and concerns that occupy the mind, you want to remember to just notice the thought but not get caught up in it. A part of this is not to judge yourself on how well you're doing. Whatever comes up, just acknowledge it and return to your object of focus when you notice your mind straying.

    4. A comfortable position. This is probably another obvious one, because if you're not physically comfortable obviously your mind is going to be occupied with that. It is recommended that you sit, but you don't have to cross your legs, in fact for most people it will cut off your circulation. Many find that sitting upright with just your buttocks in contact with the chair, being slightly higher than the knees is the optimal position. The general rule of thumb is to be relaxed, but not so relaxed that you fall asleep or something, so most likely recliners and lying down is out.

    You may also have feelings of tension, itching or some aches in the body. Before you start meditating, try to relieve any tension and get yourself into a comfortable position. If you feel an itch don't scratch right away, but just hold that feeling for a while or else you'll never be still. Of course, you don't want to torture yourself either, but chances are after a while the feeling will go away, unless it's something really intense. If you feel you really just can't hold it and you have to scratch, do it mindfully by consciously bringing your attention to the hand and bringing it to the spot where you feel the itch. The same goes for other things like adjusting your posture, cracking the neck etc.

    The ideal length of time would be about 20 minutes to start, but even if you can just use your coffee break to meditate for 10 minutes twice a day that would be great too. Of course, as you get used to meditating you can extend that period of time, but the key is regularity. This is a practice, and it's certainly not a quick fix. It is interesting to see how restless we are, Even if it's only for 5 minutes, I think most people would be amazed at the amount of restlessness both physically or mentally. After all, it shouldn't be hard to stay still for 5 minutes should it?

    "It is not so much that you use your mind wrongly--you usually don't use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease."--Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

  • patio34
    patio34

    Thanks for that Introspection. I've been wondering about meditation and didn't know where to start. I certainly could use some peace!

    Pat

  • Francois
    Francois

    Hey Intro:

    Right on. I would never attempt to describe how to meditate, but you did an excellent job. I think folks will be surprised at how hard it really is to do nothing. How hard to "be still and know." How hard to achieve non-doing, effortless work, teaching by no talking. But it's all in the Tao! Great job.

    francois

    My $0.02

  • Celtic
    Celtic

    Thankyou for sharing. Meditation helped me enormously shortly after I first left. Despite my internal opposition at first I quikly found different breathing exercises and movement through Tai-Chi very relaxing.

    If you can find a good teacher that you feel comfortable with, I would reccomend meditation for most people here.

    peace

    Celtic

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