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Comment by triyambakam | Hacker News Reader

In Hinduism, meditation is not just a calming practice, but an actual movement toward God. And in the tradition I follow, it is also not for beginners. Basic discipline — the following of the Yamas (restraints of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, etc.) — is recommended first.

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I like to consider Meditation outside of any religion personally.

Meditation helps to calm the nervous system. Counting to 10 (1 count per inhale + exhale), or simply focusing on each inhale & exhale, or repeating a word or multi-word mantra, is what I do personally.

It's especially nice in a Sauna with some mystical atmospheric music (such as Anugama, one of my favorites for meditation).

I have found that it improves my ability to concentrate (especially useful when studying or working) and to calm myself in stressful situations.

You find all kinds of approaches in the Eastern traditions. Buddha rejected the eternalism and theism of the Hindus, but most of his teachings were really quite similar. The yoga sutras emphasized asana prior to the practice of dhyana. Go further east and some of the chan/zen schools rejected all formal teaching methods such as ethical precepts and sutra studies in favor of meditation alone. This latter is where the modern mindfulness movement found its primary inspiration.

Exactly. How many Westerners are trying to meditate without a conscious belief in a Higher Power, an Infinite Creator, God, or such? I wonder if there may be negative spiritual effects by employing meditation without seeking closeness with divinity.

Atheism isn't a solely Western thing.

Not all meditative traditions require belief in a God.

See Hindu atheism for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_atheism

Eh, my guess is it just isn't quite as effective. Belief in a higher power makes things a lot easier to accept and meditation in many aspects is the practice of accepting emotions and thoughts.

I would also say prayer like you see in Abrahamic religions is its own type of meditation. You also enter a sort of meditative state in sports where you kind of feel in the moment and "in the flow" where there's not God involved... at least not consciously.

>Eh, my guess is it just isn't quite as effective.

I suppose that would be less guess and more...belief. :)

Meditation is not just about accepting emotions and thoughts; you can get such by talking with a close friend or visiting a mental health counselor. Many people claim to receive new insight or guidance amidst the mental stillness. Two common explanations is that it's either God or your Higher Self sending a message.

Prayer is absolutely a form of meditation, arguably a more advanced form. If meditation fosters observation of self and others, prayer takes that observation and combines it with will to cause action.

What you're ultimately getting at is the difference between "going through the motions" and proper meditation and prayer. Most spiritual systems discuss a "right" way to meditate or pray which focuses less on the external actions and more on your internal desire.

We've stripped off the religious part and rebranded it as mindfulness. There have been reports of having positive impact on mental health.

Interesting point. There are obvious connections from the Yamas to the eight-fold path of Buddhism: Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

I’m not aware of an explicit ordering. But the other seven steps complement and deepen the meditation.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

Relevant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C4%81ja_yoga#Comparison_with...

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