41–50 of 103 posts
I don't think this is true though. I don't think most people who aren't Buddhist do Yoga for renouncing the material world, but just for getting in shape and perhaps relaxing. I think the premise here is wrong.
That's weird, usually people claim the opposite. Perhaps perceiving having less of an ego is actually a symptom of having a huge ego. I wouldn't know; I've barely got an ego at all.
So if meditation and yoga don't help the average person in this way, perhaps we need to change the meaning of MAGA to Make Acid Great Again. LSD induced ego death could be our new national high school graduation ritual.
I am not familiar with the Pali or Hindi languages, but, for example, in Chinese, there are over 20 words that all mean "karma", and the language has taken on many loanwords and native associations as a result of Buddhist influence. In the West, this type of transformation was brought forward by Christianity, not from Buddhism. When you read a Buddhist sutra translated into English, you get six-syllable Latinate constructions that sound more like a neuroscience paper than a living religion, such as "contingently-originated phenomenon", which is actually just two syllables in Chinese. I am sure that there's even more ingrained Buddhist ideas if you are a native Pali speaker.
"To advance this perspective, millions of people around the world practice yoga and meditation." I don't think this is true though. I don't think most people who aren't Buddhist do Yoga for renouncing the material world, but just for getting in shape and perhaps relaxing. I think the premise here is wrong.
I think comparing yoga/mediation in the context of our current society versus how a Buddhist practices is very apples and oranges.
That's weird, usually people claim the opposite. Perhaps perceiving having less of an ego is actually a symptom of having a huge ego. I wouldn't know; I've barely got an ego at all.
Meditation has boosted my ego, in some meanings of the word, and given me a sense of self worth. It's also taught me that everyone is interconnected and self is an illusion. Those two things go hands in hand to make me much more generous and giving than I used to be.... Still no saint though.
I think people lack the language or don't realize the two concepts of self-worth and non-self are sperate. The word ego just gets thrown around. "Oh yeah I have a tiny ego but great self esteem." == "I have a strong view of non-self and a huge ego."
>> Though yoga and meditation were originally intended as ways to calm the ego, many non-Buddhist practitioners do these activities with an eye to self-improvement or calming personal anxieties. I have noticed meditation being pitched more and more as a self-help/productivity tool/cure all for a range of issues. Is the main difference between 'traditional' (for lack of a better word) and Western meditation just the m…
To study these in India, Vietnam, Nepal, or elsewhere, you'd likely receive a lot of learning from the reading of texts, ancient or more recent, which is not as widely received by Westerners in today's meditation craze. Go to the Apple Store, you'll see over a dozen meditation apps, though I doubt any would explain jhana or the four-noble truths of Buddhism. Yet, here or abroad, most people will not know those ancient texts or the techniques you've been practicing for months on end.
This is actually an interesting subject. There is a Dao "master" who chiefs a temple in California and he wrote his dissertation on how meditation is actually bad for you. I believe he is featured on the "What's this dao all about" podcast but he doesn't go too far into the subject there.
Bytematic, I'd be quite interested if you could track down the details on him and his research.
The episode regarding meditation is Episode 4 (http://whatsthistao.com/2015/09/21/epiosode-4-meditation/) but I would be weary of the source as Dr. Carl Totton is a "Reiki master" and Chinese spiritual healer.
I personally believe meditation is fantastic in calming the mind and relaxing you.