5 ms·

Meditation is extremely overrated and is mostly a placebo.

by a3voices 13y ago

chunkyslink 13y ago
Perhaps you've been doing it wrong? Thats quite a bold statement.
ocharles 13y ago
Care to back that up?
- royprins 13y ago
  I think the request for proof lies with something that claims to have a certain effect or benefit. On the other hand, it has been proven that taking breaks can enhance concentration and endurance. Meditation should be no exception.
andrewcooke 13y ago
shrug. placebos are pretty powerful. it's a useful tool. since starting meditating regularly i use it quite practically. it helps when you're in an environment with screaming kids, for example. i don't really care if it's placebo (which would be what? working only in my mind? you don't say...?) or not (but what else could it be?). it helps.
ankitml 13y ago
whatever is a mystery is a placebo. That view wont help you mate.
a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
Meditation in the context of these bobo articles is just prayer for westerners who hate Christianity. It's a warped solipsistic form of prayer, however. Of course if they knew a damn thing about real Buddhism or Hinduism they'd avoid using terms from those religions, too.
- locopati 13y ago
  You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about Westerners practicing Eastern religions. If your practice is Christianity and you are happy in your practice, why does it bother you how other people find the same relief?
  - a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
    I'm not christian and I have no chip. I just think the social dynamics of this meditation stuff are highly noteworthy and important. It is absolutely rooted in western self hatred and rejection of tradition. Anyway, these people aren't really practicing eastern religions. They're simply remaining ignorant enough about the faiths that their PC sensibilities aren't triggered.
    - locopati 13y ago
      At least in the community of practitioners that I am a member of, that doesn't ring true. Many people, including myself, did not connect with the faith they were born into, yet found something that spoke to them in Zen practice, which is deeply rooted in tradition (albeit one novel and unfamiliar to most Western practitioners). To say that 'these people aren't really practicing eastern religions' is a sweeping statement. Again, it may apply to some folks, but not generally to members of the communities I have experienced. I'm curious about your connection of self-hatred to 'the social dynamics of this meditation stuff.' Could you expand on what you wrote?
- rainmaking 13y ago
  All of these statements are false. Prayer is communication with a God(1), while meditation is simply quieting of the mind(2). Therefore, one is not a warped form of the other. The two are distinct. Finally, meditation is a etymologically a western term(3) (1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prayer http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prayer (2) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditation http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditation (3) http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=meditation http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=meditation
darsham 13y ago
OK, I'll bite. Meditation allows you to gain an otherwise impossible level of control over somatic functions (heart rate, pressure). That's why it's often used by freedivers to learn to hold their breath for example, and, to a greater extent, it's used in static apnea to help you hold your breath for a ridiculous amount of time (see Jacques Mayol). That doesn't mean it's only useful to static apnea champions, though. The potential uses are wide-ranging, perhaps stress control and introspection is what most people can get from it.
eli 13y ago
Placebos are highly underrated.
mathattack 13y ago
The placebo effect is strong though!
danielbln 13y ago
One hell of a placebo though: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314170647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314170647.ht...
locopati 13y ago
Are you speaking as someone who has practiced meditation regularly or from an non-practicing perspective?
rainmaking 13y ago
That is plain nonsense. There copious amounts of solid empirical evidence on the effects of meditation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation

Meditation is extremely overrated and is mostly a placebo.

chunkyslink 13y ago

Perhaps you've been doing it wrong? Thats quite a bold statement.

ocharles 13y ago

Care to back that up?

royprins 13y ago
I think the request for proof lies with something that claims to have a certain effect or benefit. On the other hand, it has been proven that taking breaks can enhance concentration and endurance. Meditation should be no exception.

andrewcooke 13y ago

shrug. placebos are pretty powerful. it's a useful tool. since starting meditating regularly i use it quite practically. it helps when you're in an environment with screaming kids, for example. i don't really care if it's placebo (which would be what? working only in my mind? you don't say...?) or not (but what else could it be?). it helps.

ankitml 13y ago

whatever is a mystery is a placebo. That view wont help you mate.

a8da6b0c91d 13y ago

Meditation in the context of these bobo articles is just prayer for westerners who hate Christianity. It's a warped solipsistic form of prayer, however. Of course if they knew a damn thing about real Buddhism or Hinduism they'd avoid using terms from those religions, too.

locopati 13y ago
You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about Westerners practicing Eastern religions. If your practice is Christianity and you are happy in your practice, why does it bother you how other people find the same relief?
- a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
  I'm not christian and I have no chip. I just think the social dynamics of this meditation stuff are highly noteworthy and important. It is absolutely rooted in western self hatred and rejection of tradition. Anyway, these people aren't really practicing eastern religions. They're simply remaining ignorant enough about the faiths that their PC sensibilities aren't triggered.
  - locopati 13y ago
    At least in the community of practitioners that I am a member of, that doesn't ring true. Many people, including myself, did not connect with the faith they were born into, yet found something that spoke to them in Zen practice, which is deeply rooted in tradition (albeit one novel and unfamiliar to most Western practitioners). To say that 'these people aren't really practicing eastern religions' is a sweeping statement. Again, it may apply to some folks, but not generally to members of the communities I have experienced. I'm curious about your connection of self-hatred to 'the social dynamics of this meditation stuff.' Could you expand on what you wrote?
rainmaking 13y ago
All of these statements are false. Prayer is communication with a God(1), while meditation is simply quieting of the mind(2). Therefore, one is not a warped form of the other. The two are distinct. Finally, meditation is a etymologically a western term(3) (1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prayer http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prayer (2) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditation http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditation (3) http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=meditation http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=meditation

darsham 13y ago

OK, I'll bite. Meditation allows you to gain an otherwise impossible level of control over somatic functions (heart rate, pressure). That's why it's often used by freedivers to learn to hold their breath for example, and, to a greater extent, it's used in static apnea to help you hold your breath for a ridiculous amount of time (see Jacques Mayol). That doesn't mean it's only useful to static apnea champions, though. The potential uses are wide-ranging, perhaps stress control and introspection is what most people can get from it.

eli 13y ago

Placebos are highly underrated.

mathattack 13y ago

The placebo effect is strong though!

danielbln 13y ago

One hell of a placebo though: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314170647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314170647.ht...

locopati 13y ago

Are you speaking as someone who has practiced meditation regularly or from an non-practicing perspective?

rainmaking 13y ago

That is plain nonsense. There copious amounts of solid empirical evidence on the effects of meditation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation