Meditation seems incongruous with our anxious and frightened society. And yet, it seems like the only way to cope with the mass hysteria foisted on us by medical “experts” like Tony Fauci, the Biden administration, the CDC, and, of course, the pharmaceutical giants who are making unbelievable profits from COVID.
But, enough of that: we will learn all about the so-called vaccines and their components (aborted fetus parts?) in 75 years.
This essay is intended to help you forget what I just wrote.
As a young man, I was an anxious and frightened person. The fight-or-flight syndrome, first described by American physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon in the book Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear and rage (1915), had me in its grip. Adrenaline surged through my body constantly. I didn’t know what to do about it.
America (and the Western world) was exposed to transcendental meditation by a shyster and showman called the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi when the popular Beatles went to India and briefly became his champions.
Even today, more than fifty years later, TM is heralded as a magical cure for anxiety and the only path to enlightenment by those taken in by the cult and who are willing to pony up the money required to learn a phony secret mantra.
To each his own.
If you want an incantation to put you in a trance, try thinking the word “tranquil” over and over in your mind (as recommended by the late-great philosopher and professor Huston Smith).
But let me return to my story.
Children are often told to count to ten before reacting to frustration. This is meditation. Counting your breaths as you count to ten is the basis of Zazen – Zen meditation.
In all forms of meditation, you are well advised to sit quietly with good posture and to slow down your breathing. That’s the start of it.
There are countless styles of meditation. “Mindfulness” meditation has been trending as a popular exercise for several decades. It involves focusing on your body, concentrating on your toes, your feet, your calves, your thighs, etc., etc., or else contemplating your surroundings after relaxing sufficiently to train you mind to produce alpha waves.
Your 5 Brainwaves: Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma …
https://lucid.me/blog/5-brainw
Personally, I find Mindfulness Meditation to be time-consuming and boring.
In future essays, I expect to write about the Dan Tien centers, Mantras, Tantras, Chakras, the Small Circulation of Chi, and possibly the Rosicrucian Celestial Sanctum.
Here are two thoughts to keep in your mind at the same time: Prayer, cogitation, supplication, and meditation are not the same thing. Many, in our goal-oriented and materialistic society, believe that prayer and meditation are the same thing. Possibly, in their minds, they are. I don’t. My goal in meditation is to create Theta brainwaves without falling into the Delta state.
It’s a long, strange trip.
If you decide to learn to meditate and you hope or expect to receive altered states of consciousness or super powers, fuggetabout. You won’t be successful. Those states of mind might come, but don’t get distracted by them. The goal is peace of mind, clarity of mind, a healthier heart and, if you’re lucky, enlightenment.
Some brag about the length of time they spend in meditation. These characters used to be called Ego Freaks. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, recommends short meditations, ten or fifteen minutes long, two or three times per day.
So, let’s cut to the chase: I’d like to share a brief meditation by Jack Kornfield. He was one of the first (and remains one of the best) Americans to teach meditation.