Talk:Meditation

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Meditation is the act of calming and focusing the mind while avoiding rationalistic thought processes and random fantasies. <be>Is this a proper definition of what meditation is? Some people experience random fantasies as part of the meditation experience, and I was under the impression that meditation could be a state of calming in order to experience rationalistic thought processes.

"Meditation is the act of calming and focusing the mind..." This is correct.
Anyone that may experiences fantasies while meditating is having difficulty in their practice. The outcome of a meditative mind may result in calmness and a more clear mind but meditation practices vary. This is probably why the definition is so short.
I've yet to read or contribute to this topic but because of your inquiry, I'm sure things here will improve. Thanks for the question.

I agree the meditation description needs work. Right now it rather randomly selects two sets of meditation-practice to focuss on, where there are probably hundreds of such.

kh7 12:53 Mar 23, 2003 (UTC)


I respectfully disagree (to a point). Choosing Sammadhi and Vipassana is at the very least representative of Buddhist meditation - it is not "random". Still, there are so many different practices going by that name that I can't help but agree that more varieties should be covered. Luis Dantas 05:08, 20 Feb 2004 (EST)
Also, I don't think we should keep two unqualified Rajneesh books in the references. Even leaving his criminal career aside, Rajneesh himself is well-known for promoting some very exotic forms of meditation that certainly don't have much to do with the current article. One of them is "dynamic meditation", that turned out to be a form of aerobic exercise to create hyperventilation. Luis Dantas 05:08, 20 Feb 2004 (EST)

Many hundreds indeed. Buddha even mentioned that there are 84000 righteous practices to reach enlightenment, of which his Buddhism is only one. What about introducing the concept that is basic to them all, namely detachment. Or, as in Gurdjieffian terminology: inner considering should be lessened, outer considering should be enhanced. Or meditation as a means to eliminate negative emotions, such as anger, worry, depression, envy, etc., each negative emotion betraying a particular attachment. What about the symbolism of Plato's cave illustrating how meditation can be a tool to enable a human being, imprisoned in his cave of illusions, to turn around a 180� towards the light (= insight and realisation of what reality truely is? Satrakshita 29.11.2003 15:19 CET


I don't think we are likely to reach a consensus anytime soon. Maybe the best thing to do is detail a number of takes on the subject - maybe a half dozen or so. The current article may easily be adapted to have a section on Theravada (basic Buddhist) meditation. I will probably make that change in a few days. Luis Dantas 05:08, 20 Feb 2004 (EST)


References

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