For many years research into mindfulness and meditation has been pretty shoddy.
Imagine testing a new antibiotic without clarifying what type of antibiotic was being studied and how much was being used. For too long most meditation research has not defined the type and quantity being studied.
Now a landmark study compares mindfulness with emptiness - and the results may be different to what you might expect, but first
Thought for the day
Maybe this needs to be the thought for our time!!!
Many meditation studies have failed to clearly state what type of meditation was taught, and what the participants actually practiced. Few studies give attention to how much practice the participants actually completed.
So this comparative study provides an early window into how different techniques may work in different situations. Clearly this is the way for the future of meditation and mindfulness studies, but right now it makes for an interesting start.
Wisdom-based Buddhist-derived practices (BDPs) are concerned with transmuting suffering by cultivating insight into the ultimate nature of both the self and reality.
Arguably the most important wisdom-based BDP is emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) that implies that although phenomena are perceptible to the human mind, they do not intrinsically exist.
Emptiness can be likened to the stillness we talk of so much in the way Ruth and I teach meditation.
So quoting from this recent research… despite its significance in Buddhism, emptiness has received little empirical attention.
Advancing scientific understanding of emptiness is important as it may yield novel insights not only into the nature of mind and reality, but also in terms of helping human beings realise more of their capacity for wisdom and wellbeing.
This study recruited 25 advanced Buddhist meditators and compared emptiness meditation against a mindfulness meditation control condition within the same group of participants. Qualitative analytical techniques were also employed to investigate meditators’ experiences of emptiness.
Compared to the mindfulness control condition, emptiness meditation resulted in significantly greater improvements in non-attachment to self and environment, mystical experiences, compassion, positive affect, and negative affect. No significant relationship was observed between duration of emptiness meditation and any of the aforementioned outcome measures.
Qualitative outcomes demonstrated that participants
i) combined concentrative and investigative meditation techniques to induce emptiness,
ii) elicited spiritually meaningful insights both during and following the meditation on emptiness, and
iii) retained volitional control over the content and duration of the emptiness meditation.
In conclusion, the researchers suggest cultivating emptiness appears to be a means of reconnecting advanced Buddhist meditators to what they deem to be the innermost nature of their minds and phenomena.
REFERENCE
Exploring Emptiness and its Effects on Non-Attachment, Mystical Experiences, and Psycho-spiritual Wellbeing: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Advanced Meditators. Van Gordon W et al; Science Direct, Dec 2018, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.12.003 LINK HERE
RUTH's next MEDITATION-Based RETREAT May 17 - 21
MINDBODY MEDICINE - with Dr Ruth Gawler and Prof Sanjay Regav
Activate your own inner healer
Support the one you love to heal
We all know healing is a combined effort. It makes sense to benefit from the best of whatever modern medicine has to offer, along with any relevant supportive therapies. But then there is our own side to the healing equation. How do we get the best from our own innate capacity to heal?
What better than to learn from two senior doctors who along with their medical specialties, specialise in teaching and supporting people to activate their healing potentials and recover. This program also specifically addresses the needs of carers - how to look after yourself while supporting the one you love on their healing journey.
Imagine testing a new antibiotic without clarifying what type of antibiotic was being studied and how much was being used. For too long most meditation research has not defined the type and quantity being studied.
Now a landmark study compares mindfulness with emptiness - and the results may be different to what you might expect, but first
Thought for the day
The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it.
If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore;
If a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water;
If a forest is a sacred grove, not timber;
If other species are biological kin, not resources;
Or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity,
Then we will treat each other with greater respect.
Thus is the challenge,
To look at the world from a different perspective.
David Suzuki
If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore;
If a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water;
If a forest is a sacred grove, not timber;
If other species are biological kin, not resources;
Or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity,
Then we will treat each other with greater respect.
Thus is the challenge,
To look at the world from a different perspective.
David Suzuki
Maybe this needs to be the thought for our time!!!
Many meditation studies have failed to clearly state what type of meditation was taught, and what the participants actually practiced. Few studies give attention to how much practice the participants actually completed.
So this comparative study provides an early window into how different techniques may work in different situations. Clearly this is the way for the future of meditation and mindfulness studies, but right now it makes for an interesting start.
Wisdom-based Buddhist-derived practices (BDPs) are concerned with transmuting suffering by cultivating insight into the ultimate nature of both the self and reality.Arguably the most important wisdom-based BDP is emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) that implies that although phenomena are perceptible to the human mind, they do not intrinsically exist.
Emptiness can be likened to the stillness we talk of so much in the way Ruth and I teach meditation.
So quoting from this recent research… despite its significance in Buddhism, emptiness has received little empirical attention.
Advancing scientific understanding of emptiness is important as it may yield novel insights not only into the nature of mind and reality, but also in terms of helping human beings realise more of their capacity for wisdom and wellbeing.
This study recruited 25 advanced Buddhist meditators and compared emptiness meditation against a mindfulness meditation control condition within the same group of participants. Qualitative analytical techniques were also employed to investigate meditators’ experiences of emptiness.
Compared to the mindfulness control condition, emptiness meditation resulted in significantly greater improvements in non-attachment to self and environment, mystical experiences, compassion, positive affect, and negative affect. No significant relationship was observed between duration of emptiness meditation and any of the aforementioned outcome measures.
Qualitative outcomes demonstrated that participants
i) combined concentrative and investigative meditation techniques to induce emptiness,
ii) elicited spiritually meaningful insights both during and following the meditation on emptiness, and
iii) retained volitional control over the content and duration of the emptiness meditation.
In conclusion, the researchers suggest cultivating emptiness appears to be a means of reconnecting advanced Buddhist meditators to what they deem to be the innermost nature of their minds and phenomena.
REFERENCE
Exploring Emptiness and its Effects on Non-Attachment, Mystical Experiences, and Psycho-spiritual Wellbeing: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Advanced Meditators. Van Gordon W et al; Science Direct, Dec 2018, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.12.003 LINK HERE
RUTH's next MEDITATION-Based RETREAT May 17 - 21
MINDBODY MEDICINE - with Dr Ruth Gawler and Prof Sanjay Regav
Support the one you love to heal
We all know healing is a combined effort. It makes sense to benefit from the best of whatever modern medicine has to offer, along with any relevant supportive therapies. But then there is our own side to the healing equation. How do we get the best from our own innate capacity to heal?
What better than to learn from two senior doctors who along with their medical specialties, specialise in teaching and supporting people to activate their healing potentials and recover. This program also specifically addresses the needs of carers - how to look after yourself while supporting the one you love on their healing journey.
This program addresses the basic requirements of how to give the body and mind the best chance to heal. Therefore it is directly applicable to a wide range of illnesses and health disorders including, but not limited to autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, degenerative diseases, mental health issues and chronic stress.
Join an inspiring and practical program. Interact with like minded people all committed to the healing path, and learn from two amazing doctors!
This I highly recommend!
DATES : 17 - 21 May. The program will be repeated 29Nov - 3 Dec 2019
VENUE : The Yarra Valley Living Centre, Rayner Crt, Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia
WEB LINK : Click here
ENQUIRIES and BOOKINGS : Contact the staff at The Yarra Valley Living Centre
Telephone : 1800 667 576
Email : ClientServices@gawler.org
Website : Click here
David Suzuki—beautiful sentiments (and more than sentiments). Very like several native American prayers and poems that are often quoted. And so desperately needed in this time with our degraded natural world and exploitative politics.
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