Is there any evidence or research on the effectiveness of guided meditation in listeners first or second languages?
Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
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Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Walking or exercise also have that effect, similar to mindfulness, if that's your goal. Therapy in itself has limited scientific backing (specific types for specific diagnosis often do). But it feels rational. However the main point is: Buddhism, and all religions, focus on why you do what you do. The Western Way is confusing, partially career & material, bit of humanism, etc. Now that's fine. You can figure it out i…
I agree. I come from a contemplative Christian tradition, and we've adapted Mindfulness to Christocentric meditations. I also practice centering prayer, and this is in the Hesychasm tradition of Christian contemplation. Hesychasm, and in modern times, Centering Prayer as well, are not without controversy. There are people who accuse us of attempting to "empty the mind" and push out all thought, but my goal is to fill…
If someone is interested on reading more on contemplative Christian tradition I recommend them:
The Philokalia Vol 5 [1]
I started reading more on it after reading The Experience of God[2]
I was suprised to find out there was a breathing component as well and being so close to the eastern meditation practices.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X9HRWXH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E64EH0K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#83Mindfulness took one small technique out of the Buddhist system that feels rational & scientific. It kind of works. But the corpus of Buddhism is what makes it powerful. And this is hard to make palatable for the West. The main goal of buddhism is giving you meaning & joy in life despite of stress or tragedy. Very important aspects of Buddhism that make the whole much more powerful are: - Living & acting out of compa…
There are the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and there is the religion Buddhism created by his followers. He said: This is my truth, see for yourself if it is true for you too. This is the reason i take him seriously, in contrast to the monotheistic myths that all claim to have the only truth. > Understanding emptiness The other points are valid to me, this one belongs in the realm of metaphysics for me. Buddha said…
The metaphysical view of Buddhism is definitely different from Western view.I think both lack empirical evidence, because both are very hard to prove.
But also emptiness as a meditative state (Samatha) can be experienced. Whether or not you end up believing it's the essence of reality, you can experience it as the essence of your experience through meditation.
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Living & acting out of compassion (boddhicitta): if your main focus is other not yourself, a huge relief of worries is gone, and meaning arises naturally. Of course here articial part. You'll easily become a victim of people who exploit "caretakers". You'll become an unpaid servant. People need to look after themselves first.
This is Western attitude right down to the implication that you have some sort of insight that invalidates what the parent is saying. A society of people acting as isolated islands because they all think that they’re out to get eachother is how society crumbles. You can put others first with boundaries. You can put others first and remain vigilant. The “look after yourself first”. It’s all a false dichotomy, and the…
> This is Western attitude right down to the implication that you have some sort of insight that invalidates what the parent is saying.
This is my experience and it is true. Getting people to apply philosophy of other cultures without taking into account the context, it's a recipe for disaster. You can't blindly follow the advice of the OP in the western society - at least no without awareness and being vigilant that there are always people ready to exploit something that they perceive as weakness.
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Living & acting out of compassion (boddhicitta): if your main focus is other not yourself, a huge relief of worries is gone, and meaning arises naturally. Of course here articial part. You'll easily become a victim of people who exploit "caretakers". You'll become an unpaid servant. People need to look after themselves first.
This is an overly paranoid response to someone suggesting to have compassion for others as a form of self-care. The idea is that worrying exessively about yourself can be harmful in itself, not "allow yourself to be exploited".
It's more in the vein of advice you get on the plane - when oxygen masks drop you need to put the mask first before putting another over the face of someone you care for.
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#86Mindfulness took one small technique out of the Buddhist system that feels rational & scientific. It kind of works. But the corpus of Buddhism is what makes it powerful. And this is hard to make palatable for the West. The main goal of buddhism is giving you meaning & joy in life despite of stress or tragedy. Very important aspects of Buddhism that make the whole much more powerful are: - Living & acting out of compa…
Breathing practices objectively have an effect on our body and nobody can counter this. Buddhist ideology on the other hand is up to debate and everyone is free to try it or believe it. Maybe in your experience meditation is enhanced by believing all that stuff, but that is your prerogative. I can do mindfulness and go to a psychologist instead of doing meditation and going to a temple because maybe that oriental stu…
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Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#87Mindfulness meditation may reduce stress levels, but only temporary. Instead of focusing on the source of stress and trying to solve the underlying issues, it fights the symptoms. I don't say that it doesn't "work", but one should be aware of the limitation of mindfulness practices, and look at it just as one of the tools in a tool set to fight stress, not as a holy grail, like many of its proponents preach.
Maybe the underlying issue is commonly that one worry about things out of ones control.
I don't think anybody is advocating mindfulness as a response to an abusive spouse, but more of a "here's a tool to help you let go of work when you leave the office"
Especially among the HN crowd, I imagine I am not the only one thinking about how to move forward with a project or what I should say in tomorrows stand-up meeting.
There is no core issue to deal with. I can figure both out when I arrive at work tomorrow.
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
User counters 13000 word meta study by simply stating the opposite without giving any arguments, sources or studies. Is there a forum like Hacker News, but with no "talking out of your ass"? How could the mechanics of a forum be set up to achieve this? The thought "Is it a long term effect or just temporary?" is totally fine. But then just posting out of your ass does not help anyobody. A quick search for "months" in…
> User counters 13000 word meta study by simply stating the opposite without giving any arguments, sources or studies. I am giving my opinion on a random forum, not writing a study about mindfulness. I didn't even say anything controversial, a glance at the wikipedia page would list a bunch of criticism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness#Concerns_and_criti... > Is there a forum like Hacker News, but with no "…
> I didn't even say anything controversial, a glance at the wikipedia page would list a bunch of criticism.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness#Concerns_and_criti
Nothing in that Wiki link supports your claim that mindfulness doesn't fight the root cause of distress. The 'Scholarly Research' subsection says reviewers want more reproducing studies with larger sample sizes and better randomization (they always do), the 'Shortcomings' subsection claims it's too commercialized and departs from Buddhist practice (so what?), and the 'Risks' subsection describes some side effects that are proven rare in the literature.
The Buddhist critiques are closest, but are largely framed as a critique of authenticity rather than efficacy.
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#89Mindfulness meditation may reduce stress levels, but only temporary. Instead of focusing on the source of stress and trying to solve the underlying issues, it fights the symptoms. I don't say that it doesn't "work", but one should be aware of the limitation of mindfulness practices, and look at it just as one of the tools in a tool set to fight stress, not as a holy grail, like many of its proponents preach.
You're partially correct in that it does not focus on the source of stress. Rather, it focuses on the Source of peace. As a Christian, my contemplative practice is focused on the source of truth and life, Christ Jesus. There will still be suffering in this life, but it will pass away, and Christ will remain, our Source of peace and comfort. My contemplative practice helps me prepare for that day by peeling away all t…
I'm curios how much time per day do you dedicate to your contemplative practice?
Re: Mindfulness-based programs show promise in reducing psychological distress
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is an overly paranoid response to someone suggesting to have compassion for others as a form of self-care. The idea is that worrying exessively about yourself can be harmful in itself, not "allow yourself to be exploited".
It's more in the vein of advice you get on the plane - when oxygen masks drop you need to put the mask first before putting another over the face of someone you care for.
Well you could've stated it that way from the get go. As it stands your comment reads like a strong denial of helping others in favor of helping yourself.