Walking the Razor’s Edge Toward Enlightenment

Meditation Here I simply copy/paste text elements from the Wikipedia website which I found particularly interesting. Copy / paste from A particularly ambitious form of meditation aims at effortlessly sustained single-pointed concentration[4] meant to enable its practitioner to enjoy an indestructible sense of well-being while engaging in any life activity. Meditation often involves an internal effort to self-regulate the mind in some way. Meditation is often used to clear the mind and ease many health issues, such as high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. It may be done sitting, or in an active way—for instance, ... Scholars have noted that "the term 'meditation' as it has entered contemporary usage" is parallel to the term "contemplation" in Christianity, but in many cases, practices similar to modern forms of meditation were simply called 'prayer'. History Some authors have even suggested the hypothesis that the emergence of the capacity for focused attention, an element ofmany methods of meditation, may have contributed to the final phases of human biological evolution. Rather than focusing on spiritual growth, secular meditation emphasizes stress reduction, relaxation and self-improvement. Research on meditation began in 1931, with scientific research increasing dramatically during the 1970s and 1980. Since the beginning of the '70s more than a thousand studies of meditation in English-language have been reported. However, after 60 years of scientific study, the exact mechanism at work in meditation remains unclear. To accurately define "what is meditation" has caused difficulties for modern scientists. Scientific reviews have proposed that researchers attempt to more clearly define the type of meditation being practiced in order that the results of their studies be made clearer. "Meditation" also refers to the second of the three steps of Yoga … a step called dhyāna in Sanskrit. Meditation refers to a mental or spiritual state that may be attained bysuch practices. These meditative practices sometimes have similarities (often noticed by Westerners), for instance concentration on the breath is practiced in Zen, Tibetan and Theravadan contexts ... In modern psychological research, meditation has been defined and characterized in a variety of ways; many of these emphasize the role of attention. Buddhism Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward enlightenment and nirvana. Western typologies …, while monks engage in meditation as a part of their everyday lives, ... In modern psychological research, meditation has been defined and characterized in a variety of ways; many of these emphasize the role of attention. In the West, meditation is sometimes thought of in two broad categories: concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation. Religious and spiritual meditation Bahá'í Faith While prayer and meditation are linked where meditation happens generally in a prayerful attitude, prayer is seen specifically as turningtoward God, and meditation is seen as a communion with one's self where one focuses on the divine. The Bahá'í teachings note that the purpose of meditation is to strengthen one's understanding of the words of God, and to make one's soul more susceptible to their potentially transformative power, … He also encouraged people to reflect on one's actions and worth at the end of each day. Buddhism Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward enlightenment and nirvana. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are bhāvanā,[77] jhāna/dhyāna,[78] and vipassana. Christianity A strong believer in Christian meditation, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina stated: "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him.” The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditari, which means to concentrate. Daoism When you enlarge your mind and let go of it, when you relax your vital breath and expand it, when your body is calm and unmoving. Daoist meditationpractices are central to Chinese martial arts (and some Japanese martial arts), Neijia "internal martial arts". Some well-known examples are Daoyin "guiding and pulling", Qigong "life-energy exercises", Neigong "internal exercises", Neidan "internal alchemy", and Taijiquan "great ultimate boxing", which is thought of as moving meditation. Hinduism .. hinduism is the origin of meditation. Miraculous powers were said to have been acquired through diligent practice of yoga and meditation. Yoga is generally done to prepare one for meditation, and meditation is done to realize union of one's self, … "having become calm and concentrated, one perceives the self (ātman) within oneself". Islam Numerous Sufi traditions place emphasis upon a meditative procedure which comes from the cognitive aspect to one of the two principal approaches to be found in the Buddhist traditions: that of the concentration technique, involving high-intensity and sharply focused introspection. Meditative quiescence issaid to have a quality of healing, and—in contemporary terminology—enhancing creativity. Jainism Mahavira practiced deep meditation for twelve years and attained enlightenment. It has three important parts called the Ratnatraya "Three Jewels": right perception and faith, right knowledge and right conduct. Meditation in Jainism aims at realizing the self, attaining salvation, take the soul to complete freedom. It aims to reach and to remain in the pure state of soul which is believed to be pure consciousness, beyond any attachment or aversion. Yogasana and Pranayama balances the functioning of neuro-endocrine system of body and helps in achieving good physical, mental and emotional health. The practitioner meditates deeply on subtle facts. In agnya vichāya, one contemplates on seven facts – life and non-life, the inflow, bondage, stoppage and removal of karmas, and the final accomplishment of liberation. In apaya vichāya, one contemplates on the incorrect insights one indulges, whicheventually develops right insight. Judaism There is evidence that Judaism has had meditative practices that go back thousands of years. New Age New Age meditation as practised by the early hippies is regarded for its techniques of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself from conscious thinking. Pagan and Occult Religions Meditation practice in these religions usually revolves around visualization, absorbing energy from the universe or higher self, directing one's internal energy, and inducing various trance states.. Sikhism Sikhs believe that there are ten 'gates' to the body, the nine visible holes (e.g. nose holes, ears holes, mouth, belly button, etc.) and the tenth invisible hole. When one reaches this stage through continuous practice meditation becomes a habit that continues whilst walking, talking, eating, awake and even sleeping. There is a distinct taste or flavour when a meditator reaches this lofty stage of meditation, and experiences absolute peace and tranquilityinside and outside the body. Followers of the Sikh religion also believe that love comes through meditation on the lord's name since meditation only conjures up positive emotions in oneself which are portrayed through our actions. The first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached the equality of all humankind and stressed the importance of living a householder's life instead of wandering around jungles meditating, the latter of which being a popular practice at the time. The Guru preached that we can obtain liberation from life and death by living a totally normal family life and by spreading love amongst every human being regardless of religion. Secular meditation in the West "Meditation may be practiced for many reasons, such as to increase calmness and physical relaxation, to improve psychological balance, to cope with illness, or to enhance overall health and well-being." Sound-based meditation In 1975, Benson published a book titled The Relaxation Response where he outlinedhis own version of meditation for relaxation. Biofeedback has been used by many researchers since the 1950s in an effort to enter deeper states of mind. Mindfulness Over the past 20 years, mindfulness-based programs have become increasingly important to Westerners and in the Western medical and psychological community as a means of helping people, whether they be clinically sick or healthy. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program in 1979, has defined mindfulness as 'moment to moment non-judgmental awareness.Several methods are used during time set aside specifically for mindfulness meditation, such as body scan techniques or letting thought arise and pass, and also during our daily lives, such as being aware of the taste and texture of the food that we eat. Scientifically demonstrated benefits of mindfulness practice include an increase in the body's ability to heal and a shift from a tendency to use the right prefrontal cortex instead of the leftprefrontal cortex, associated with a trend away from depression and anxiety, and towards happiness, relaxation, and emotional balance. Modern cross-cultural dissemination The World Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893, was the landmark event that increased Western awareness of meditation. There is a deep spiritual hunger that is not being satisfied in the West. Daniel Goleman, a scholar of meditation, suggested that the shift in interest from "established religions" to meditative practices "is caused by the scarcity of the personal experience of these [meditation-derived] transcendental states – the living spirit at the common core of all religions." Western context Relaxation training works toward achieving mental and muscle relaxation to reduce daily stresses. From the point of view of psychology and physiology, meditation can induce an altered state of consciousness. Such altered states of consciousness may correspond to altered neuro-physiologic states. With training inmeditation, depressive rumination can be decreased and overall peace of mind can flourish. Different techniques have shown to work better for different people. Physical postures Various postures are taken up in some meditation techniques. Sitting, supine, and standing postures are used. Popular in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism are the full-lotus, half-lotus, Burmese, and kneeling positions. Meditation is sometimes done while walking, known as kinhin, or while doing a simple task mindfully, known as samu. Some mantra techniques (as with Transcendental Meditation, a.k.a. "TM Technique") do not require learning special positions, only sitting comfortably with eyes closed. Health research Research on the processes and effects of meditation is a growing subfield of neurological research. Modern scientific techniques and instruments, such as fMRI and EEG, have been used to see what happens in the body of people when they meditate, and how their bodies and brain change after meditatingregularly.