In this episode of the Waking Up podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson about the current scientific understanding of meditation practice. They speak about the original stigma associated with meditation, the history of introspection in eastern and western cultures, the recent collaboration between Buddhism and western science, the difference between altered states and altered traits, an alternate conception of mental health, “meta-awareness,” the relationship between mindfulness and “flow,” the difference between pain and suffering, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and other topics.
The practice of yoga is gaining in popularity with a wide range of practices. Recent research and descriptions from the ancient texts are often concurrent with regard to the effects of the practice, taking into account expected differences between modern scientific terms and those used in the original texts. Voluntarily regulated yoga breathing practices form a bridge between physical and mental changes. The voluntarily regulated yoga breathing has distinct effects on metabolism, the autonomic nervous system, higher brain functions, and mental state. The effects of meditation on the nervous system and mental state are even clearer.
Jon Kabat-Zinn presents an array of observed benefits from studies of mindfulness. This was part of a talk put on by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.http://greatergood.berkeley.edu
Professor Mark Williams examines the neuroscience of mindfulness in the second of four short videos.We live in a world filled with material wealth, live longer and healthier lives, and yet anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and depression have never been more common. What are the driving forces behind these interlinked global epidemics? In this series, Professor Mark Williams (Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at Oxford University) and Dr Danny Penman discuss the recent scientific advances that have radically altered our understanding of depression and related disorders. Also discussed is the latest treatments and therapies that are offering hope to those suffering from depression. Professor Williams co-developed Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment for anxiety, stress and depression that is at least as effective as drugs at preventing new episodes of depression. It's now one of the preferred treatments for depression recommended by the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The same technique, based upon an ancient form of meditation, can also help us cope more effectively with the relentless demands of our increasingly frantic world. Professor Williams and Dr Penman co-authored the bestselling book Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World.
We speak with Jon Kabat-Zinn, who's credited with bringing meditation and mindfulness into the American consciousness in the late 1970s.
Conscious experience is fluid; it rarely remains on one topic for an extended period without deviation. Its dynamic nature is illustrated by the experience of mind wandering, in which attention switches from a current task to unrelated thoughts and feelings. Studies exploring the phenomenology of mind wandering highlight the importance of its content and relation to meta-cognition in determining its functional outcomes. Examination of the information-processing demands of the mind-wandering state suggests that it involves perceptual decoupling to escape the constraints of the moment, its content arises from episodic and affective processes, and its regulation relies on executive control. Mind wandering also involves a complex balance of costs and benefits: Its association with various kinds of error underlines its cost, whereas its relationship to creativity and future planning suggest its potential value. Although essential to the stream of consciousness, various strategies may minimize the downsides of mind wandering while maintaining its productive aspects.
Table Of ContentsPUBLISHERS' NOTEINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER ONEPrana and PranayamaSub-Pranas and Their FunctionsThe Colour of PranasThe Length of the Air-CurrentsThe Centering of the PranaThe LungsSushumnaKundaliniShat-ChakrasNadisPurification of NadisShat-Karmas (The Six Purificatory Processes)DhautiBastiNetiNauliKapalabhatiCHAPTER TWOThe Meditation RoomThe Five EssentialsThe PlaceThe TimeThe AdhikariDietetic DisciplineYogic DietMitaharaPurity in FoodCharuMilk DietFruit DietArticles AllowedArticles ForbiddenA Kutir For SadhanaMatraPadmasana (Lotus Pose)TechniqueSiddhasana (The Perfect Pose)TechniqueSvastikasana (Prosperous Pose)Samasana (Equal Pose)Three BandhasArambha AvasthaGhata AvasthaParichaya AvasthaNishpatti AvasthaCHAPTER THREEWhat is PranayamaPranayama (According to the Gita)Pranayama (According To Sri Sankaracharya)Pranayama (According to Yogi Bhusunda)Control of BreathVarieties of PranayamaThree Types of PranayamaThe Vedantic KumbhakaPranayama for Nadi-SuddhiMantra During PranayamaExercise No. 1Exercise No. 2Exercise No. 3Exercise No. 4Deep Breathing ExerciseKapalabhatiThe External Kumbhaka (Bahya)Easy Comfortable Pranayama (Sukha Purvaka)Pranayama for Awakening KundaliniPranayama During MeditationPranayama While WalkingPranayama in SavasanaSitkariSitaliBhastrikaBhramariMurchhaKevala KumbhakaPranic HealingDistant HealingRelaxationRelaxation of MindImportance and Benefits of PranayamaSpecial InstructionsAPPENDIXConcentration on Solar PlexusPancha Dharana Prithvi DharanaAmbhasi DharanaAgneyi DharanaVayavya DharanaAkasa DharanaStory of Yogi BhusundaThe Inner FactoryYogic DietSivananda's PranayamaKundalini PranayamaQuestions and AnswersGLOSSARY
From 2001 to 2003, the University of California, Santa Barbara hosted several prominent scholars, philosophers, and scientists in a series of lectures devoted to the relation between science, religion, and human experience. The lectures covered evolution, cosmology, health and spirituality, empathy and its relation to subjectivity, mysticism, the nature of experience, the study of consciousness, meditation, and the future of science and religion. Each lecture was accompanied by a panel discussion consisting of peers from a variety of disciplines. The website features an online video of each lecture and panel discussion, as well the lecture text, and transcription of the panel proceedings. Pictures and biographies of each lecturer are also included. Religious perspectives come from Buddhist, Christian, and Jewish traditions. (Zach Rowinski 2004-05-10)
Summer Institute participants describe how they've used what they learned last summer
This authoritative volume reviews the breadth of current scientific knowledge on subjective well-being (SWB): its definition, causes and consequences, measurement, and practical applications that may help people become happier. Leading experts explore the connections between SWB and a range of intrapersonal and interpersonal phenomena, including personality, health, relationship satisfaction, wealth, cognitive processes, emotion regulation, religion, family life, school and work experiences, and culture. Interventions and practices that enhance SWB are examined, with attention to both their benefits and limitations. The concluding chapter from Ed Diener dispels common myths in the field and presents a thoughtful agenda for future research.
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As Buddhism spread into China, the Mahayana (Dacheng) and Hinayana (Xiaocheng) schools, as well as the kong 空 (empty) or you 有 (being) schools, each developed separately, with all sorts of competing theories emerging. While Chinese Buddhism saw a revival in modern times, Western science also gained ground all over the country, and many scholars, technologists and monks sought to interpret the meaning of kong according the achievements and method of the natural sciences. They used science to interpret the content and methods of Buddhist teachings, ontology, and outlook on life. Of the scholars who did so, Wang Jitong (王季同) and You Zhibiao (尢智表) are the most excellent.
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<p>Since ancient times, spiritual teachers have described paths and practices that a person could follow to achieve health, happiness, and peace of mind. Considerable recent research has indicated that any sort of spiritual practice is likely to improve one's prognosis for recovering from a serious illness. Many of these approaches to spirituality involve learning to quiet the mind rather than adhering to a prescribed religious belief. These meditative paths include the mystic branches of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity; Kabalistic Judaism; Sufism; and many others. What is hinted at in the subtext of these teachings is that as one learns to quiet his or her mind, one is likely to encounter psychic-seeming experiences or perceptions. For example, in The S?tras of Patanjali, the Hindu master tells us that on the way to transcendence we may experience all sorts of amazing visions, such as the ability to see into the distance, or into the future, and to diagnose illnesses and to cure them. However, we are told not to get attached to these psychic abilities--they are mere phenomena standing as stumbling blocks on the path to enlightenment. In this article, we describe the laboratory evidence for some of these remarkable phenomena and their implications for science, mental health, and peace of mind.</p>
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