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EL29 Mindfulness Meditation

Lecture 1.1: What mediation is –

what its not

Your “learning coach” Don Macdonald

!  B.Sc. M.Sc. Geology, U. of A, 1976, 1985

!  Sr. Research Officer, Alberta Geological Survey, 1975-1989

!  Sr. Manager, Alberta Department of Energy, 1989-2000

!  Sr. Policy Advisor - Climate Change, Alberta Department of the Environment, 2000-2007

!  Sr. Policy Advisor - Alberta Carbon Capture & Storage Development Council, 2008

•  Term Instructor, MacEwan & U. of A., 2007 – 2015

•  ELLA instructor, 2015-2016

•  B.Sc. earth sciences & religious studies

•  Practicing Buddhist for about 40 years.

•  Ordained as a lay minister in the Jodo Shin-shu Buddhist tradition

•  Currently living in Sidney, B.C.

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Please introduce yourselves…. ! Your name?

! Something else about yourself – career, interests, whatever you feel comfortable in sharing.

General format of classes !  Part 1: Lecture on a given topic (30

min) !  Part 2: Hand’s-on practice of a

meditation style (15 min) • Brief instruction • Class practice

!  Part 3: Time to write some reflections on what you experienced (5 min)

!  Part 4: Sharing & group discussion (20 min)

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EL29 Review of Course Outline

https://sites.google.com/site/ellaclimatechange/

Lectures posted at:

1st Lecture Overview

! Topics: • Definitions of meditation • Meditation and altered states of consciousness

• The role of meditation in religious traditions

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Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1: The term “meditation” has many

definitions especially among various religious traditions and in more modern secular usage.

!  Key Learning #2: Meditation is one of many documented altered states of consciousness and reflects real neurological changes going on in the brain. . However, it is not going into a trance, losing consciousness, speaking to the spirit world, being on drugs or alcohol, zoning out, or being hypnotized.

!  Key Learning #3: Meditation has played a relatively minor role in western (Christian, Islam, Judaism) religious hierarchies or epistemology, but is central to Buddhist knowledge.

Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1: The term “meditation” has many

definitions especially among various religious traditions and in more modern secular usage.

!  Key Learning #2: Meditation is one of many documented altered states of consciousness and reflects real neurological changes going on in the brain. . However, it is not going into a trance, losing consciousness, speaking to the spirit world, being on drugs or alcohol, zoning out, or being hypnotized.

!  Key Learning #3: Meditation has played a relatively minor role in western (Christian, Islam, Judaism) religious hierarchies or epistemology, but is central to Buddhist knowledge.

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Meditate/Meditation - Definitions !  Dictionary: think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of

time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

!  Wikipedia: Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content without becoming identified with that content, or as an end in itself. •  The term meditation refers to a broad variety of practices that includes

techniques designed to promote relaxation, build internal energy or life force (qi, ki, prana, etc.) and develop compassion, love, patience, generosity and forgiveness.

•  A particularly ambitious form of meditation aims at effortlessly sustained single-pointed concentration meant to enable its practitioner to enjoy an indestructible sense of well-being while engaging in any life activity.

Deep origins of meditation

!  Gazing into fires by early hunter-gatherers.

!  Shaman's altered states of consciousness from ingesting hallucinogenic plants?

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Christianity !  Meditation is a

structured attempt to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God.

!  Discursive meditation, mind and imagination and other faculties are actively employed in an effort to understand our relationship with God

!  Prayer: communicating with God.

!  Contemplation or contemplative prayer: as "a gaze of faith", "a silent love”, passive & spontaneous – totally centered on God

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer,_meditation_and_contemplation_in_Christianity

God

Hindu !  Meditation: Our mind

is calm and quiet in the vastness of Infinity, but there is a movement; a train is going endlessly toward the goal. We are envisioning a goal, and meditation is taking us there.

!  In contemplation we feel the entire universe and farthest Goal deep inside ourselves.

!  When we are contemplating we feel that we are holding within ourselves the entire universe with all its infinite light, peace, bliss and truth. There is no thought, no form, no idea - everything is merged into one stream of consciousness

http://www.srichinmoy.org/spirituality/concentration_meditation_contemplation/contemplation/meditation_vs_contemplation

Atman/Brahman

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Buddhism !  Meditation: a variety of

techniques all having the goal of bringing the consciousness of the practitioner to a state in which they can experience the end of suffering called; “Nirvana” “enlightenment”, “liberation”, or “awakening”

!  Concentration: a companion and perquisite to meditation. Concentration and meditation are two key components of the 8-fold path.

Nirvana

God

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Right now…….

What is the lens in which Christianity views meditation?

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Atman/Brahman

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Right now…….

What is the lens in which Hinduism views meditation?

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Nirvana Overcome suffering

Right now…….

What is the lens in which Buddhism views meditation?

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Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1: The term “meditation” has many

definitions especially among various religious traditions and in more modern secular usage.

!  Key Learning #2: Meditation is one of many documented altered states of consciousness and reflects real neurological changes going on in the brain. However, it is not going into a trance, losing consciousness, speaking to the spirit world, being on drugs or alcohol, zoning out, or being hypnotized.

!  Key Learning #3: Meditation has played a relatively minor role in western (Christian, Islam, Judaism) religious hierarchies or epistemology, but is central to Buddhist knowledge.

States of Consciousness According to Freud, there are three main Levels of Consciousness:

!  Conscious Mind: what we are aware of in everyday life

!  Preconscious Mind: where we store information we have learned

!  Unconscious Mind: where we keep information that is not yet readily available to us (unpleasant memories)

Psychologists divide the Study of Consciousness into two distinct categories:

!  Waking Consciousness - The awareness of sensations and thoughts while we are awake (aka consciousness awareness)

!  Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)

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Alerted States of Consciousness

Altered State of Consciousness: a state of consciousness in which there is a redirection of attention, a different type of mental state.

!  Examples of ASC are:

•  Daydreaming •  Sleep •  Dreaming •  Hypnosis •  Meditation •  Drug induced states

of mind http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00625/full

Consciousness States: Spiritual

Hindu Yogic

Mahayana Buddhism

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Meditation is not just psychological: neuronal changes happen

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/ 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01551/abstract

http://sitsshow.blogspot.ca/2014/12/boost-brain-power-meditation-will.html

Quick check: How much can you recall so far? !  Which of the following is the most correct

regarding meditation? a)  Like a trance b)  An altered state of consciousness c)  Similar to mediums speaking to the dead d)  Like being drunk or stoned

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Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1: The term “meditation” has many

definitions especially among various religious traditions and in more modern secular usage.

!  Key Learning #2: Meditation is one of many documented altered states of consciousness and reflects real neurological changes going on in the brain. . However, it is not going into a trance, losing consciousness, speaking to the spirit world, being on drugs or alcohol, zoning out, or being hypnotized.

!  Key Learning #3: Meditation has played a relatively minor role in western (Christian, Islam, Judaism) religious hierarchies or epistemology, but is central to Buddhist knowledge.

Meditation and religious hierarchies

Christianity - Catholicism Buddhism - Asia

Islam - Shite

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Epistemology and religious hierarchies - Christianity

Christianity - Catholicism Christian Mystics

(meditators) Very little influence.

Religious scholars &

philosophers

Epistemology: from God via holy books,

interpreted by Church

hierarchy

Meditation and religious hierarchies - Islam

Islamic Mystics

(meditators) Tolerated at times and/or persecuted at other times – threat to the

Koran?

Religious scholars &

philosophers

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Epistemology and religious hierarchies: Buddhist Asian

(traditional)

Buddhism - Asia

Meditators (central to theology & philosophic

interpretation)

Religious scholars & philosophers

(frequently meditators themselves)

Devotional (praying for

luck, chanting Buddha’s name, generally not committed to meditation)

Epistemology: from

meditational practice, Buddha,

Dharma & Sangha

Meditation and religious hierarchies: Buddhist North American

Buddhism - Asia

Meditators (central to theology & philosophic

interpretation)

Religious scholars &

philosophers (almost always

meditators themselves)

Retreat Centers or Small

Sanghas lead by Eastern or

Western teacher

Small group of dedicated

monks

Retreat or Small Sangha

participants (part-time)

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Epistemology and religious hierarchies: Buddhist North American

Buddhism - Asia

Meditators (central to theology & philosophic

interpretation)

Religious scholars & philosophers (almost always

senior meditators trained by the leader

and serious meditators themselves) Retreat Centers

or Small Sanghas lead by

Eastern or Western teacher

Small group of dedicated

monks

Retreat or Small Sangha

participants (part-time)

Epistemology: from the Leader (plus, individual

meditational practice, Buddha

Dharma & Sangha)

Secular Meditation hierarchies: North America

Meditators

Psychology, neuroscience

researchers (not usually

meditators themselves)

Institutes lead by

Professors or health care professionals

Approved satellite

institutes following the same therapy

Clients or patients

suffering from trauma and

other disorders)

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Secular Meditation Epistemology North America

Meditators

Scientific research

efficacy results by psychologist, neuroscientists

(not usually meditators themselves)

Institutes lead by

Professors or health care professionals

Approved satellite

institutes following the same therapy

Clients or patients

suffering from trauma and

other disorders)

Epistemology: from the Leader

(Professional credentials, Ph.D., and/or institutional

university credentials)

Anecdotal evidence of

improved health, wellness by

clients

Quick check: How much can you recall so far? !  Which of the following is the most correct

regarding traditional Asian Buddhist meditation and its epistemology? a)  Senior monks & meditation, 50/50 influence b)  Tolerated, but not widely accepted c)  Absolutely central d)  Undertaken by laypeople and monks alike

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Part 2: Hand’s on practice - candle meditation