Although this subject can bring up great philosophical insights (or debates) I would like to share what I have learned about "Meditation". So that people like Greer and Prophet YHWH don't ruin this Very Real and very useful skill for others who would be put off by such Cult like sources of the information.
In this thread I am taking the route of the Cognitive Neurosciences, I don't want the waters of this forum to be muddied by - OBEs, Channeling, Remote Viewing, Auras, Chakras, Kundalini, Patented methods of meditation (maharishi university "Transcendental Meditation") or vague descriptions of things such as Chi, Pranic Breathing, or ESP. Why? Well first we must all agree on the Science presented to us, by sharing the actual observed and recorded the effects of meditation and neurological phenomenon (which by extension can include the nervous system, so the heart and guts Can have a place in this thread as long as we provide reference material). Then when we feel we are actually taking steps to learn what the latest understandings have been, then we can begin to hypothesize as to how these understandings MAY has implications on such understandings as are not within our grasp (yet). But I will open a new thread for that when we get there.
I am undertaking this because I know something most people do not, but many people need to reach this understanding in a logical orderly fashion, I aim to reach you from where your understanding is currently. I aim to be here to answer questions for you in a way that will reach you from where you are standing, there should not be any huge leaps of logic.
I will repeat and stress the fact that I do not want this thread to have anything to do with unexplained, vague or otherwise hard to reach concepts, Please abide by this one rule, we will begin another thread where all the Musings under the sun can be entertained, but not here. Please and thank you.
I do not know everything, I will work well with those who have a working knowledge and we can build each other up from there as we help others that have less knowledge but would like to learn what the big deal is. This is not a contest.
Here are some topics we can touch on. just for ideas.
-Sound (how it affects you and how you can use it as a tool)
- Various methods ( there are many ways to meditate not only one or 2, hypnogogic, focus, trance, empty mind, rhythm, dance, ex, ex)
- Cultures (the native Americans had powwows, Tibetan monks have chants, Gregorian monks sing...)
- Health benefits ( Stress relief, anger management, sleep aid, focus primer.)
-Clarity, ability to re assess the situation without thinking, letting go as a way of letting your unconscious to process complex issues over time, learn to recognize and utilize this more effectively, this is what we do when we sleep, why not take a more proactive approach.
And many more, I'm sure you reading this are thinking of some right now.
To begin I will present a short video that begins to bridge the gap between western science and the eastern tradition of meditation, arguably a science in its own right thru thousands of years of trial and error ( Objective meets Subjective ).
[media=youtube]_mz9UqYi5U0[/media]
I hope this thread is enjoyable.
Peace.
