Hypnotism.

[SpiritWarrior]

Well, real or true meditation is transcendental. Anything else is just visualization. That isn't a stilling of the mind, but in fact a stirring of the mind to conjure up images.

Since the New Age movement alot of psuedo meditation has been floating around but these are little more than visualization excercises that were somehow dubbed "meditations".

Early support groups have alot to do with that because they would lead people through this process, but call it something it isn't ("let's do this meditation") which might involve for example the conjuring up of an imaginary garden accompanied by some symbolic visuals such as "letting go of your baggage" etc. while the group leader all the while plays the role of narrator. Sometimes positive affirmations are invoked or affirmative symbols/words used. All this is good and well but isn't in fact the pursuit of transcendance or higher state of mind.

[Yorick]

Originally Posted by Firestormalpha That's where a conflict can arise. People mean different things when they say meditate. -Some people mean to simply clear their mind and relax to the point where there's no tangible stress. -Some believe in what is called transcendental meditation where they can somehow access a spiritual level through focus and clearing the mind (this being most common in the east, but spreading in various forms through the west.) -Still others regard it as simply focusing on a particular thought or ideal in an effort to incorporate it into their daily lives. i.e. Joshua 1:8 "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it..." So for the purpose of clarification under what context do we mean meditate within this thread?

I'm with you on this Firestormalpha. Meditation depends on your point of view. Whatever we'd call "meditation" is for us "real or true" meditation.

I subscribe to the 3000 year old book of Joshua's definition of meditation in my own life.

Additionally, trancendental meditation is not "meditation", it's "trancendental meditation". Key word = "trancendental".

Is "job hopping" the same thing as "hopping"?
Is "House sitting" the same as "sitting"?

Definitive key words are all-important!

Anyway, since we're speaking English, here are some dictionary definitions -


med·i·tate
1 : to engage in contemplation or reflection 2 : to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

transitive verb 1 : to focus one's thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over 2 : to plan or project in the mind : intend, purpose

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tran·scen·den·tal

1 a: transcendent b: supernatural c: abstruse, abstract d: of or relating to transcendentalism

2 a: incapable of being the root of an algebraic equation with rational coefficients <π is a transcendental number> b: being, involving, or representing a function (as sin x, log x, ex) that cannot be expressed by a finite number of algebraic operations

3 in Kantian philosophy a: of or relating to experience as determined by the mind's makeup b: transcending experience but not human knowledge

4: transcendent


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transcendental meditation

Technique of focusing the mind, based in part on Hindu meditation. Meditators are given a mantra (a special word or phrase) to repeat over and over in the mind; such meditation is believed to benefit the practitioner by relieving stress and inducing a feeling of well-being and relaxation. It was introduced to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and popularized by the Beatles in the late 1960s.

[Aelia Jusa]

There's growing evidence for the benefits of mindfulness meditation (a traditional Buddhist practice) in mental health, for example, maintenance treatment for depression, and as a core component of treatment of borderline PD and complex PTSD. Mindfulness isn't a trancendental meditation, it's about being present, and being rather than doing. The idea is that if you are present in the moment and aware of but not judgemental of stuff happening in the present, then you can't become fixated in crises that lead to dysfunctional coping like self-harm that is so common in BPD, or ruminate about past events or worry about future events that typifies depression and anxiety. There are exercises that help you learn to be mindful that involve meditating for periods of time, but the ultimate goal is to be able to be mindful all the time in daily life. I've used mindfulness with a client with PTSD, and also ran a mindfulness group and found it to be effective and useful. I don't actively practice it myself, but then I am already a pretty relaxed person so I don't need it to enhance my own mental health

Agree with Yorick and FSA that trancendental meditation is not the only or 'true' meditation - mindfulness has a very long tradition in Buddhism and does not involve inducing a trance-like state.