So much is lost in the verbiage surrounding the different traditions. They are full of buzzwords that have to be explained. Most of the explanations have no direct relation to the actual experience of meditation. Instead of describing the phenomenology of practice they go on conceptual trips.

 

By Angel Roberto Puente

Meditation has not been immune to what we now call branding, that identity or story that makes a product stand out from other competitors.

Buddha didn’t invent meditation; it was being done thousands of years before. But he simplified it and packaged it in a way that made it the go-to method. As far as I am concerned, it continues to be the simplest and most complete method of deep psychology, but the interpreters just couldn’t leave it alone.

As soon as Buddha died, the squabbling started.

In the following centuries, philosophers, religionists, and supplanters began to add and subtract from the teachings. Books were written that eventually became even more important than the sutras. The simplicity of the original method was virtually lost. There were commentaries, followed by commentaries on the commentaries. Even today, you can find teachers and traditions using these to brand their product.

When Buddhism became a religion, it left the small area of Magadha and spread throughout India.

Eventually it got on the Silk Road and spread across Asia through networks of overland and maritime routes between India, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and China.

Cultural influences from the countries through which Buddhism passed were added to the teachings. In China it became the Five Houses of Chan. The winners of this branding contest were Linji Yixuan and Hongzhi Zhengjue. The first championed Rinzai (koan study), the second, Cáodòng (Silent Illumination, Shikantaza) or Soto. These spread to Japan, Korea and East Asia. Both of these schools are active today in the West, after being revived in Japan by Hakuin and Dogen respectively.

Another lineage that has thrived in the West is Tibetan Buddhism. It was led by Padmasambhava, who is considered by the people of Tibet as the second Buddha. From him many different sects were developed.

Teachings that rely on early Buddhist Suttas prevailed in Burma and Thailand. The Theravadin and Forest lineages have also become popular in the West. There are many versions of practice that originate from these lineages. Watered-down versions are very popular in America.

It should be noted that although women have been active as teachers since the Buddha’s time, no lineage has originated from them. Patriarchy and authoritarianism have been a strong influence. When we look at this history with our modern eyes and in light of what we see happening in contemporary art, politics, and the general culture, we should wonder.

Deciding what the best practice in meditation is can be a real challenge. Strange things position themselves at the top of popularity. Whose meditation are you practicing?

Science can eventually become the best arbiter. There are now efforts being made to perform a deep analysis of the core competencies needed for practice. This analysis includes a path through beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of practice. These efforts are led by highly educated scientists who are also practitioners. The major difficulty may be that they are capable of going beyond the lineages in which they have been trained.

One good aspect of these studies is that they pursue the practical side of meditation. The actual experience of training the attention. So much is lost in the verbiage surrounding the different traditions. They are full of buzzwords that have to be explained. Most of the explanations have no direct relation to the actual experience of meditation. Instead of describing the phenomenology of practice they go on conceptual trips.

The worst part is that they are so convincing that the people who hear them think they understand. Instead of an experiencer, they produce proud believers that go on repeating the same explanations.

For the curious among us, I give a few references to some very interesting contemporary research on the meditation experience.

1) Meditation as Language:

David Germano and the Generative Contemplation Initiative are looking at the intuitive way we acquire language as children by being immersed in its environment and how to apply this to contemplative practices.

I think anyone who thinks back on their childhood can wonder about how we learn our native language by immersing ourselves in the environment in which that language is spoken. We pick up the vocabulary, the rules of grammar, and the context in which we use phrases before having any schooling.

There are also theories that point to early childhood capacity to make inferences that tie ideas together without conscious effort. It would be good to have a way to practice that can communicate the essentials in an intuitive way.

2) Meditation and the Brain:

James H. Austin M.D., a clinical neurologist has written a series of books on the brain structures and the meditation experience. Although related to Zen, a reading of the experiences Dr. Austin describes gives a better understanding of what to expect from practice.

3) Contemplative Studies:

The Journal of Contemplative Studies, “publishes original research and scholarship on topics related to the world’s contemplative practice traditions—historical and contemporary, religious and secular.”

The wealth of points of view in this journal is eye-opening!

4) Consciousness Studies:

The Center for Contemplative Research put out a paper that uses a “research design that effectively integrates first-, second- and third-person research approaches,” i.e. the first-person perspective of lived conscious phenomenological experience, the second-person insights of skilled teachers and guides, and the third-person data from behavioral and neurological measures.

There will always be a religious aspect to practice, but it should be genuine. Scientific research cannot erase this aspect.

Any deep look into the mind will end in the encounter with an indescribable presence that transcends normal human functioning. It’s referred to these days as the, “hard problem of consciousness.” The natural response to this encounter is usually awe, wonder. Religions use myth and stories to put it into words.

Without this encounter religions are only words.

 

 

Photo: Pixabay

Editor: Dana Gornall

 

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