Source

KAUAI, HAWAII, September 23, 2003: The August 4 issue of Time magazine carried an article on meditation called “Just Say Om” with the subhead, “Scientists study it. Doctors recommend it. Millions of Americans — many of whom don’t even own crystals — practice it every day. Why? Because meditation works.” The main text by Joel Stein begins, “The one thought I cannot purge, the one that keeps coming back and getting between me and my bliss, is this: What a waste of time. I am sitting cross-legged on a purple cushion with my eyes closed in a yoga studio with 40 people, most of them attractive women in workout outfits, and it is accomplishment enough that I am not thinking about them. Or giggling. I have concentrated on the sounds outside and then on my breath and then, supposedly, just on the present reality of my physical state — a physical state concerned increasingly with the lack of blood in my right foot. But I let that pass.” For $2.50 you can buy the full article here.



The report is generally positive, bringing forward recent scientific investigations into meditation. It is also rather simplistic, and tends to trivialize the traditional goal of meditation — spiritual enlightenment. For example, Stein writes, “Contentment and inner peace are nice, but think how many American swould start meditating if you could convince them they would live longer because of it.” Or, “In its most modern, Americanized forms, it has dropped the creepy mantra bit that has you memorize a secret phrase of syllable; instead you focus on a sound or on your breathing.” Or, recounting the results of teaching “meditation” to jail inmates, “Approximately 56% of the newly enlightened prisoners returned to jail within two years.”



Hinduism Today is seeking comments from knowledgable meditators on the article as part of a review of it in the magazine. Kindly e-mail to “source” above. It would be best to read the entire article. We don’t have an e-mail version, only the pay-for-archive above, but can fax a few people the article if you e-mail us a fax number.

Post Views: 524