medit8-@ September 11, 1989 MEDITATION MEDITATION A comparison is the basic element in any evaluation or judgment, as was discussed in Chapter 00. And comparing is a process of developing and using abstract concepts to deal with the sensations that your mind receives from inside and outside your body. In contrast, the various forms of meditation, and of Eastern religious practices generally, are devices to orient you away from abstraction, judgment, comparison, and evaluation, and toward the "primitive" sensations themselves. The other side of the coin is that meditation points you toward the judgment-free perceptions of the sensory world, and perhaps toward cosmic imaginations that often arise from the elementary experience in meditation. As the greatest interpreter of Buddhism to Westerners put it, not just meditation but Buddhism in its entirety "is a method...for the correction of our perceptions and for the transformation of consciousness" rather than a theology.13 The purpose and effects of Buddhism and Hinduism, in which meditation is the key spiritual element, are more like Western psychotherapy than like Western religion. And indeed, meditation can remove sadness and depression, at least temporarily.14 By "meditation" I mean to include all the sorts of meditation described by Buddhist and Hindu writers as well as by such popularizers as the Maharishi of Transcendental Meditation. More specifically, I include both the sort of meditation in which one shuts out all outside stimuli, and the sort of meditation in which one lets all stimuli in. For more details about the nature of meditation, see such writers as Humphreys (1970), Wood (1949), Suzuki (1907-1963), or a delightful narrative account by Gibson (1974-1975). In the 1970's there also was a rash of discussion of meditation by psychologists, e.g., Naranjo and Ornstein, 1971 and Benson (1975). Getting rid of suffering by one's own mental efforts in meditation is an idea found in the Western tradition, also. The psychologist James quotes with approval this statement by the artist Carlyle: Once more, then, our self-feeling is in our power. As Carlyle says: "Make thy claim of wages a zero, then hast thou the world under thy feet. Well did the wisest of our time write, it is only with renunciation that life, properly speaking, can be said to begin."15 Western religious mystics in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions also have practiced meditation; among the most famous are Meister Eckhart, the Cabbalists, and Sufis, respectively. It is of fundamental importance to understand that the nature of meditation is not mysterious scientifically, though one's thoughts in meditation may (or may not) be mystical and full of awe at the mysteries of life and the universe. Rather it is a process of concentration and controlled imagination. Some scientific writings on meditation have performed a considerable service in removing the mumbojumbo and metaphysical clap-trap from it.16 Benson and Klipper have invented the felicitous and non-mysterious label, "Relaxation response" for the processes that occur in meditation, and they have boiled down the necessary conditions and instructions for meditation as follows: HOW TO BRING FORTH THE RELAXATION RESPONSE (1) A QUIET ENVIRONMENT Ideally, you should choose a quiet, calm environment with as few distractions as possible. A quiet room is suitable, as is a place of worship. The quiet environ- ment contributes to the effectiveness of the repeated word or phrase by making it easier to eliminate dis- tracting thoughts. (2) A MENTAL DEVICE To shift the mind from logical, externally oriented thoughts, there should be a constant stimulus: a sound, word, or phrase repeated silently or aloud; or fixed gazing at an object. Since one of the major difficulties in the elicitation of the Relaxation Response is "mind wandering," the repetition of the word or phrase is a way to help break the train of distracting thoughts. Your eyes are usually closed if you are using a repeated sound or word; of course, your eyes are open if you are gazing. Attention to the normal rhythm of breathing is also useful and enhances the repetition of the sound or the word. (3) A PASSIVE ATTITUDE When distracting thoughts occur, they are to be dis- regarded and attention redirected to the repetition or gazing; you should not worry about how well you are performing the technique, because this may well prevent the Relaxation Response from occurring. Adopt a "let it happen" attitude. The passive attitude is perhaps the most important element in eliciting the Relaxation Res- ponse. Distracting thoughts will occur. Do not worry about them. When these thoughts do present themselves and you become aware of them, simply return to the repe- tition of the mental device. These other thoughts do not mean you are performing the technique incorrectly. They are to be expected. (4) A COMFORTABLE POSITION A comfortable posture is important so that there is no undue muscular tension. Some methods call for a sit- ting position. A few practitioners use the cross-legged "lotus" position of the Yogi. If you are lying down, there is a tendency to fall asleep. As we have noted previously, the various postures of kneeling, swaying, or sitting in a cross-legged position are believed to have evolved to prevent falling asleep. You should be confortable and relaxed.... (1) Sit quietly in a comfortable position. (2) Close your eyes. (3) Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face. Keep them relaxed. (4) Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word, "ONE," silently to yourself. For example, breathe IN...OUT. "ONE"; IN...OUT, "ONE"; etc. Breathe easily and naturally. (5) Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened. Do not stand up for a few minutes. (6) Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation. Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace. When distracting thoughts occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to repeating "ONE." With practice, the response should come with little effort. Practice the tech- nique once or twice daily, but not within two hours after any meal, since the digestive processes seem to interfere with the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.17 Practicing the technique of meditation need not be limited to sitting positions during fixed periods of the day. One may breathe deeply, focus the mind, and relax oneself whenever one feels stress - say, just before an athletic contest, as many athletes do - or when one recognizes the onset of a negative self-comparison. When, while walking the dog or driving to work or trying to sleep, a negative self-comparison comes into your mind - "what an immoral louse I am," or "I just can't do anything right" - then you may turn off the comparing mode and turn on the experiencing mode as follows: Breathe in with your diaphragm so that your midsection inflates deeply and slowly, and then deflate slowly; then continue to repeat the cycle. At the same time focus your attention on your breathing, or on a leaf, or on some other unemotional stimulus, perhaps saying to yourself, "Don't criticize" or "I don't need to compare." Soon you may find yourself smiling - just as I now am smiling as I am breathing in accord with the instructions I've just written. (It is difficult to believe how powerful and exciting such breathing is until you have taught yourself to do it. I hope someday to write a humorous piece entitled "Confessions of a sensual breather"). It is helpful to know what not to expect of meditation. One will not quickly (if ever) learn to produce a state of mind in which thought seems to stop, and in which perception focuses down to a single unchanging point for prolonged lengths of time. If you try for that and fail to accomplish it, meditation may thereby be discredited with you. This is what I call the shattered- window fallacy, that as soon as a stray thought crosses the mind the meditation is "broken." Not at all true! Even the most experienced meditators find errant and unwanted thoughts breaking in from time to time. One must learn how to deal with these thoughts in such manner that they do not disturb the meditation; gently inspecting them, and then putting them aside and perhaps saying to oneself "I'll deal with that later," is one effective way. Another misconception about meditation is that the meditator should fall into a trance. Not so. As a famous Chinese Buddhist put it: There is...a class of foolish people who sit quietly and try to keep their minds blank; they refrain from thinking of anything and then call themselves 'great.' Concerning this heretical view, I have no patience to speak.... When we use the mind we can consider every- thing;"18 Exactly what happens to a person while meditating is beyond general description, and varies from person to person. We can say, however, that in meditation of all sorts one does not think in normal Western everyday ways. Perhaps the basic difference is that one ceases to make comparisons between one's actual and benchmark-hypothetical situations. In this manner, the source of sadness is removed during meditation. Another difference is that one ceases to strive but relaxes instead, which leads to pleasant physical sensations incompatible with sadness. Furthermore, meditation often leads to a radically altered perspective, for example a cosmic rather than an individual perspective. Within such a cosmic perspective the contemporary events which are the grist for the mill of self-comparisons appear insignificant and unworthy of attention; this works against making negative self-comparisons. The mechanism that leads to the state of meditation is a shift from the active flight-or-fight survival mode of thought in which one classifies and evaluates and makes comparisons, to the passive experiential state in which one simply takes in sensory experiences without classifying or evaluating or comparing them (see page 000 above). In the striving mode one abstracts a limited set of elements from the sensory input, using various already-established intellectual patterns; these abstracted inputs are the materials which one compares, and which may lead to negative self-comparisons. In contrast, in meditation one makes oneself aware either of all stimuli or of just a single element. The latter is the "one-pointed mind" of Zen in which, even outside of meditation proper, the person is aware - but fully aware - of the sensory experience, and is not "intellectualizing." When I eat I eat, and when I sit I just sit, Zen Buddhists say. That is, when one meditates, one's mind and body are mostly off duty; they no longer are serving as watchers and laborers in keeping one alive in a biological and social sense; rather, one's body and mind relax as they surrender these tasks. The same kind of effects, though much milder in intensity, occur when a worker relaxes on a coffee break, or when a student leaves off reading a hard text and dreamily looks out the window, or when in the woods one's attention is absorbed by nature. Religious services often produce the same sorts of feelings with prayers, music, and beauty of setting; they take one out of the world of striving and surviving, into the world of sensing and absorbing. Sabbath observers put themselves "off duty" for an entire day (at least those religious groups for whom the Sabbath is not a stern ascetic day). Sometimes people worry that ceasing to make comparisons implies quietism and leaving ordinary life. Indeed, some depressives avoid the pain of neg-comps by giving up their fundamental goals, which leads them into apathy. But this is an unlikely occurrence in the present context of discussion. During periods of relaxation from striving -- whether very deeply with meditation, or less deeply in religious services or absorption in nature - the force that makes for sadness and depression is absent: One does not make comparisons - and especially negative self-comparisons - when one is in an experiential mode rather than in a survival mode. Even non-theistic people sometimes arrive at the thought of God when meditating, because their experience transcends everyday concepts. For example, for me the knowledge that in meditation I can relax into the cessation of mental pain and the existence of physical pleasure is so wonderful, and the state itself is so awesome, that sometimes I refer to this inner refuge as "God," though I am quite without belief in the usual Judaic-Christian concept of an active God. (More about the word "God" below.) Meditation also has links to the making of art. In creative moments the painter or composer or poet tends to suspend willful direction of the mind, letting thoughts drift as if they have lives of their own. But the artist continues to maintain a general supervisory control over the thoughts - like the director of a play who is out of sight in the wings, but who is nevertheless keeping a watchful eye on the stage. The artist's trick is to exert that supervisory control without worrying about it, to be thinking freely without striving for that freedom. In the most successful moments the artist often feels as if the work gets done by itself, without effort by the artist - just as a skilled athlete sometimes comes to feel that the game is played effortlessly, without any feeling of "trying" to play well. Athletes call this feeling "being in the zone". This is commonly experienced as a moment of pure joy. There is an apparent logical contradiction between the artist letting the mind be totally free, and supervising the mind at the same time. This pair of apparent opposites is "equivalent to the Buddha's enjoining his disciples to stop desiring, which would of course put them in a state of desiring not to desire."19 But "freedom and "desire" are complex multi-layered words, and in fact there need be no psychological contradiction in these matters. Brainstorming (see Chapter 331) also has much in common with Eastern "religious" thought through meditation and related processes of "letting go". In both, one attempts to break away from categories which embed the conventional, the traditional, the well-established. Meditation also is quite different from brainstorming, however, in being energetic rather than effortless. You are trying to accomplish something in brainstorming¦whereas in meditation you try not to try, an important paradox which goes to the heart of the process. Meditation does not produce practical ideas. Indeed, as on the Jewish sabbath, if a practical idea comes into your head you try to push it out as if to say, come back later. The complex inter-connection between freedom and control experienced in meditation as well as in art, idea-getting, bringing up children, avoiding sadness and depression, and in learning skills such as the martial arts, is one of the themes that connect disparate topics in this book. There is a crucial difference between on the one hand, meditation, and on the other hand, habit-formation and count- your-blessings exercises to combat depression, though they may seem similar in some respects. Meditation seems to produce increased energy in some people, whereas counting your blessings and such habit-formation devices as behavior-modification therapy seem touse up energy in the exertion of "will power" to alter one's behavior. When meditating, you husband energy because you are not "trying" to do anything. It is a state in which you feel no "ought," ; you purposely "let it all hang out" (really, hang in). This unusual cessation of activity for all your striving and physical mental faculties produces a sense of deep restedness afterward. If meditation can have such anti-depressive effects, and if - as seems to be the case - almost everyone can learn to meditate, why is meditation not the perfect cure for depression? For some people, lengthy meditation may in fact be an excellent therapy. But most people cannot leave the workaday world and remain in the world of meditation. Even if one can financially afford to do so, many people feel an urgent need to work for its own sake, as a contribution to society or because one's ability cries out to be used. Another reason that people will not choose to forego involvement in the workaday world is that they hope for joys as well as pain, and full-scale Buddhist-type meditation implies putting aside the craving for joys and the joys themselves. Zen prescribes that you should do your best at whatever you do, but you should not feel sad when you fail to succeed. This is marvelous advice, but it is a prescription for walking a tightwire so thin and so high that few of us can balance ourselves on it. To strive to do well requires evaluation of how you are doing. But not being sad requires not evaluating how you are doing. So unless you are capable of extraordinary skill in compartmentalizing your thoughts, this prescription is not a perfect cure for most of us - though trying to take the prescription will certainly help all of us somewhat. Another way through the horns of this dilemma is to restrict your evaluation to your act, and refraining from allowing the evaluation of the act to become a judgment of yourself as a person. It is certainly possible to evaluate that a tennis stroke was hit badly without judging the hitter to be a bad person or even a bad tennis player. This separation of the evaluation of the act from evaluation of the actor is exceedingly valuable mental hygiene for everyone, at all times. And it reconciles Zen doctrine and practice with active participation in the everyday world. Happiness and unhappiness are not the opposite sides of the same coin. And people seek both the attainment of happiness and the removal of unhappiness. Watts wrote that "happiness is associated with relaxation...the essential principle (in achieving happiness) is one of relaxation."20 That is not correct, I believe. It is correct that relaxation induced by meditation or other means can replace sadness with a feeling of inner peace. But for most people - especially in their younger years - "happiness" means excited pleasant feelings - work achievement, sexual success and sexual experience, falling in love, bearing children, athletic or political victories. Peaceful relaxation is not an acceptable substitute for these aspirations in the minds of most Westerners (and Easterners, too), especially in the first half of one's life. Though meditation may not be a total cure, a depressed person can be cheered considerably by receiving relief in meditation from time to time, and from knowing that such relief is possible without braving the dangers. SUMMARY Meditation is a mode of thought in which you try not to make comparisons. Instead you focus upon the present instant and its contents, and away from judgment and progress. One strives to avoid trying and effort, and instead surrenders oneself to effortless existence for the moment. Western religious services and prayer sometimes share this characteristic with Eastern thought. The theme here is another of the fundamental elements of thought which appears in many disparate branches of thinking -- in idea-getting, in art, in religion (mysticism in Western religion is related), and in some devices to fight the depression of those who suffer from it. 1