Slide presentation for REL 100 World Religions at Mesa Community College.

1. Meditation

2. Most people associate
meditation with Buddhism.
There are thousands of statues,
paintings and engravings that
present the Buddha in the lotus
position.
At the same time, the majority
of people would likely identify
the purpose of meditation as
getting a sense of calm,
relieving stress or the like.
The purpose of this
presentation is both to take
meditation beyond its calming
benefits, and to present a
variety of approaches and
techniques.

3. It is true that most Buddhist schools
hold meditation at the center – but not
all. Pure Land Buddhism, for instance,
can at times look to outsiders very
much more like a Methodist Church
service than classic meditation.
But Buddhism did not invent
meditation. Indeed, most of the forms
and techniques that Buddhism uses
have been taken from Hindu or Taoist
traditions.
There are other forms
that may predate all
these traditions by
millenia.
Seated Lao Tzu, Wu Yi Mountain, Fu
Jian, China

4. Prayer and meditation are not the same thing. Prayer is
communication with another, meditation is the discernment of
one’s own mind and essence. That said, not all forms of
meditation include the traditional seated position. Indeed,
sometimes what is called prayer is actually meditation, as in the
Roman Catholic act of praying the rosary.
Sufi Dervishes Taoist Tai Chi Catholic rosary prayer

5. Hindu tradition identified two basic
approaches to meditation: samatha and
vipassana. They teach that vipassana
is necessary for gaining the insight
that liberates a person from the
cycle of rebirth (the Buddhist
nirvana). As such it focuses
inward. Samatha is easier to
practice and actually serves
as the basis for vipassana. It
is the practice of concentration
– and concentration usually
begins on the world outside. For
instance, creating the mandala
(an intricate sandpainting like the
one at the left) is the practice of
concentration. The monk blocks all but the
mandala out of mind as he works.

6. Kundalini is one example of
vipassana – the practitioner
becomes deeply aware of his or
her body and through that the
deepest mind. Kundalini is a
school of yoga. Through
kundalini, a person can master
many aspects of the physical
self that most people believe
are simply there: breathing,
pulse, blood pressure, pain and
much more are governed by our
minds, and those who come to
know the mind can assume
control.
Shiva seated with a serpent coiled
around him. In kundalini, the serpent
represents the spiritual energy within
that starts at the base of the spine and
coils to the crown of the head.

7. Kundalini teaching holds
that there are seven
chakras (the word is
actually the Sanskrit for
“lotus”) or centers of
energy.
Illustration of the seven chakras.
The wand of Caduceus from ancient
Greece is the symbol of the Amercian
Medical Association. The idea of the
serpent as sacred also finds expression in
ancient Sumeria (Lilith is portrayed with a
serpent entwined around a branch) and
Israel (the snake in the tree in the Garden
of Eden).

8. At times, Tantric
meditation can go so
far as to make
meditation an act of
the sexual couple.
Contrary to the
typical Western
understanding,
meditation in the
moment of coitus is
not about better sex.
Rather, the goal is to
Shiva & Parvati, Nepal (10th
cent.)
The Yab-Yum
use the sexual moment as a way of gaining greater insight into
the mind. Tantric meditation, called maithuna, is difficult to
master, since we tend to allow our sexual desire to take control.
Maithuna practitioners very deliberately slow the process so as
to allow deep concentration on breathing and sensation.

9. Zazen is the meditation practice of Zen Buddhism.
Essentially, it is “sit down and shut up” Buddhism,
placing a radical emphasis on emptying the mind of
all thought.

10. By now, it must be clear that the decision to take up
meditation requires that a person consider not just whether,
but how and why to meditate. Among the basic options:
• Intense focus on an outside reality
• Concentration on one’s physical self
• Use of repetitive chant, dance
or other activity
• Emptying the mind of all thought
Jeannette Larzalere of Whiteriver,
AZ at her Sunrise ceremony.
Apache girls dance for hours in
their transition to womanhood.
That transition happens when the
girl becomes one with Changing
Woman, the feminine power of
the earth.

11. When you decide to dedicate
time to your meditation, your
posture will be a critical
dimension. Many have tried
seated meditation, only to crash
and burn with the realization
that their foot has fallen asleep
or their neck hurts.
The classic lotus position (with
the left foot on the right inner
thigh, and right foot on the left
inner thigh) has the advantage
of allowing very long meditation
stretches. Many choose to do
this on a pillow – not a new
innovation, as the picture at the
left demonstrates.

12. Intense focus on an outside reality
This is an everyday practice,
not requiring any special
arrangements. Simply put, pick
something and focus –
intensely. If the object is a tree,
notice every detail – the
texture, color variations and the
blemishes in the bark, the way
the shadows vary with from the
edges of the trunk to the center
and through the texture, the
insect that scurries across the
bark. The goal is to be so
completely absorbed in the
details that all other outside
reality falls away.

13. At first, this can be
done within the daily
routine, but you will
eventually need
some dedicated
time.
It may seem simple
but actually requires
practice: Imagine the
feelings on the
surface of your skin.
The temperature of
the air around us is
a
Concentration on one’s physical self
constant – there are pockets of cooler and warmer air. Stop all
other activity, and try to feel what that air is like on your arms,
your neck, your face. Feel the breezes across your skin.
Buddhist nuns do a walking meditation in Bangkok, a common
practice of Therevada Buddhism and Zen.

14. From such
awareness of your
exterior sensation,
you can turn to
interior sensation.
One of the most
widely used
meditation
techniques centers
thought on breath –
the feeling of breath as it enters your nostrils, including the
physical movement of the nostrils themselves, then the breath
as it moves through your nose. You can mentally follow the
breath into your lungs, and become aware of the senses
throughout your body as you breathe in, then out.

15. There are three other types of focus on
breath. First, counting breaths is a rhythmic
action that can still subconscious thought in
the same way as dance or rhythmic prayer.
Second, you can focus intellectual analysis
on breath. Considering the nature of breath –
its fleeting nature, its interaction with the
atmosphere, its way of weaving the
individual to the whole – can still other
thought as well. Finally, focusing on the
various forms of breathing can be an act of
mindfulness.
Qi (pronounced
“chee”), the
Chinese character
for “breath”. It
also means “spirit”
and “energy”, and
is the word used
in Taoist tradition
for “life force.”
The same
interwoven set of
meaning is part of
the Hebrew
tradition, where
ruach is “breath,”
“wind” and “spirit.”

16. Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism are not the only traditions that
incorporate meditation. Within Judaism (the Kabbalah), Islam
(Sufi tradition) and Christianity (the mystic tradition) movements
have been shaping, using and exploring meditation for
centuries. It is part of the Lakota Vision Quest and Sun Dance,
the Huichol peyote pilgrimage, Wiccan dance and chant and
much more.
Thomas Merton, one of modern
Christianity’s more famous
mystics.
Huichol bead art – the crafting of the
piece is considered an act of
meditation.

17. Hatha Yoga and Tai Chi are both forms of non-religious
meditation. The focus in each is complete physical self-control.
Neither is concerned with a spiritual dimension, and thus can be
taught in public schools.

18. The mind is a swirl of thought –
most of which we never become
aware. The goal of all
meditation is to still this chaos,
and the techniques above seek
to focus all mental energy on
one thing and simply let all the
others “settle”. Other
techniques have been
developed for a more active
process.
Buddhists speak of “monkey
mind” – the seemingly endless
rise of thoughts from our
subconscious to our conscious
mind.
(PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO
THIS DETAIL!)

19. The use of sound (including drum, flute or even didgeridoo
music), dance and many other activities can be
meditational if the goal is to empty the mind of thought.
One warning, however: emptying the mind of thought while
running can lead to a broken foot. Seriously. It has
happened.
Tibetan nun with prayer beads Runner

20. Modern neurological research
has given us a surprising
explanation for the way
meditation works. At the crown
of the head (the highest chakra)
is the area of the brain that
allows us to distinguish
ourselves from other objects.
This allows us to sit (the chair
is something different from me)
and walk (that chair is
something to go around).
Without this area, we could not
function.
But tests have shown that meditation in all the forms discussed
above impact on this area of the brain by slowing down the
activity. Through meditation, we begin to quiet that separation,
and feel a unity with all reality.

21. Where would you want to go with
this? Practitioners of meditation
have many goals, from wanting a
more laid-back approach to life to
a mystic union with the One.
Between the two are other
possibilities. You can use
meditation as a way to manage
chronic pain, or you can meditate
to develop a higher awareness of
the world in which you move.
Meditation is not a religion, any
more than bread or wine or music
are religion. It is simply a powerful
tool.

22. (End of presentation)