tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post6492892506679445354..comments2024-03-25T14:09:59.347-05:00Comments on Augoeides: Brain Research and Meditation MethodsScott Stenwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12389664381513219613noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post-60494835285067289172014-09-08T21:40:20.687-05:002014-09-08T21:40:20.687-05:00Very interesting indeed! I think this is dealt wit...Very interesting indeed! I think this is dealt with fairly well in the Vajrayana though often through emphasis on ideas like compassion and the Path of the Bodhisattva, ideas that emphasize a kind of selflessness or service mindset which can be an antidote to inflation. In otherwords Bodhicitta. Also the emphasis on the lineage comes into play as one grapples with what an seem a loss of groundedness one can find some anchoring and modeling in the teacher and the various manefestations of the lineage gurus going back to Shakyamuni and even beyond to Primordial Buddhas. Some of these guide posts and anchoring points don't translate very well into non religious language, and I think this is one of the reasons we tend to see a lot of puffery coming out of the Western tradition. Cut loose from models and grounding, even if they are arguably useful abstract concepts. It is telling that the ideas of lineage and the teacher is even more strongly emphasized in these practices, even while the student is opening up to the idea that they themselves are without necessary limits.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08185169088111086060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post-2719564351359670402014-09-08T15:35:02.848-05:002014-09-08T15:35:02.848-05:00I just had another thought, too. If you look at th...I just had another thought, too. If you look at the problems that arise in mindfulness meditation versus those that arise in arousal-based meditation, what you're really looking at are the symptoms of depression (dark night of the soul and so forth) versus those of mania (egotism, feeling god-like).<br /><br />So maybe that has some bearing on who will run into problems with contemplative practices and what those problems will be. And maybe that also means we should be looking at the balance point between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to develop new treatments for bipolar disorder. Scott Stenwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12389664381513219613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post-28523229864436563642014-09-08T15:05:34.121-05:002014-09-08T15:05:34.121-05:00One of the things that would be interesting to see...One of the things that would be interesting to see about a simplified, non-sectarian method that has similar neural effects is how those problems would manifest.<br /><br />If it's non-religious, that would probably exclude any sort of specific deity practice that might lead one to see themselves as godlike. Also, if what we're talking about is a system for managing regular mental states rather than a system for creating advanced mystics, getting practitioners to a "first plateau" might be enough.<br /><br />The mindfulness meditation system avoids any talk of "enlightenment" and simply treats it as a system for managing the mind. I imagine the sort of practice I'm talking about would be framed the same way. So the "elitism" pitfall, at least, is somewhat mediated. The practice you're doing isn't making you better than other people, it's just making you better than you used to be.<br /><br />I'm sure there are still going to be problems; after all, no method is perfect and individual psychology varies widely. But it would be especially telling if said problems wound up behaving differently without the surrounding cultural baggage of Tibetan Buddhism or for that matter Western Esotericism.Scott Stenwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12389664381513219613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post-88705646361587811732014-09-08T14:33:43.923-05:002014-09-08T14:33:43.923-05:00Unfortunately those advanced practices have their ...Unfortunately those advanced practices have their own pitfalls which end up being quite similar to the dangers which befall modern Western Tradition practitioners, i.e. mistaking the first plateau for the summit, taking all manner of transient pleasant experiences, insight, clarity, etc. as evidence of one being now "enlightened" or God Like etc.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08185169088111086060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post-53663088011910564262014-09-08T13:43:38.680-05:002014-09-08T13:43:38.680-05:00You're welcome.
It makes sense that you proba...You're welcome.<br /><br />It makes sense that you probably wouldn't want to take up an arousal-type practice until you get basic anxiety under control, at least to a degree, as shamatha does. Otherwise I could see an arousal-type practice strengthening problematic patterns of behavior such as aggression and so forth.<br /><br />So probably a "stripped down" generic technique would start with basic mindfulness meditation, and then at a certain point move on to the Vajrayana-inspired method, whatever that turns out to be.Scott Stenwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12389664381513219613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294505416127496842.post-60299428603717073512014-09-08T13:26:22.523-05:002014-09-08T13:26:22.523-05:00Thanks for the interesting article. For the most p...Thanks for the interesting article. For the most part I agree, and I've been studying Dzogchen and Mahamudra as taught by the Tergar Meditation Community for some time. Their shamatha based "Joy of Living" programs provide a straightforward gateway toward those more advanced teachings as taught by the sons of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Shamatha is emphasized at first to provide a foundation in meditative stability before introducing the "Path of Liberation" teachings which include Dzogchen and Mahamudra. (Rigpa etc.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08185169088111086060noreply@blogger.com