Do You Think That Meditators Should Take Advantage Of Advances In Technology?

[garro]

My question is just this. Do you think that meditators should take advantage of advances in technology which claim to assist meditation or are the meditation techniques handed down by the Buddha impossible to improve and any attempt at speeding the process along is doomed to failure?

Has anybody tried new technologies to assist their meditation practice? Did it help?

[Brucenkhamen]

My question is just this. Do you think that meditators should take advantage of advances in technology which claim to assist meditation or are the meditation techniques handed down by the Buddha impossible to improve and any attempt at speeding the process along is doomed to failure?

Has anybody tried new technologies to assist their meditation practice? Did it help?

I use a bleeper to tell me what time to stop.

Other than that I'm not sure what kind of technologies you are referring to.

[commons]

My question is just this. Do you think that meditators should take advantage of advances in technology which claim to assist meditation or are the meditation techniques handed down by the Buddha impossible to improve and any attempt at speeding the process along is doomed to failure?

Has anybody tried new technologies to assist their meditation practice? Did it help?

_in general_; i'd say some technologies might help some people to gain some benefits from meditation. & here are the "but"'s...

a) what kind of meditation you consider? some "samadhi", mainly an improvement of concentration, a strong crystal-clear calm & stable mind? or some "subtle energy" training that can be related to kundalini in yoga, chi in taoism/acupuncture/chi-kung? or real deep "vipassana", insight-meditation?

i have been told that it's "vipassana" that is the _ONE_ authentic improvement the Buddha introduced into spiritual practice. & many are his remarks... that it's _practice_ & not just some listening, reading, intellectual acrobatics that makes the difference.

i doubt any contemporary technology is able to touch, to transform, to improve "vipassana".

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for people who meditate to gain some inner peace & strength, to improve their heart's/mind's well-being, maybe even to touch flow & letting-go... sure, technology might help. a bit. as do traditional techniques like massage, a healthy diet, exercises like yoga, chi kung, martial arts, acupuncture, last but not least walking & breathing :-)

you work with the body to calm the mind. whether it's fine music, or mere acoustic environment to trigger certain "brain waves"; whether it's some plants in your house/home that require & offer nourishment, or just some light colors; whether it's "mind machines", bio-feedback-devices... or even experimental devices that claim to synchronize human subtle-energy-field (aka: "aura") --- i guess it'll all work. for some people. under right conditions.

but let me say... imho, all of these are mere tools to help you... going. that is, it helps to make "heart/mind" "inclined".

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people often speak of "meditation music", etc. again, it helps to create an environment. an environment for your individual inclination to release "heart/mind". that would be my words for the non-work/non-doing of deep "meditation".

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c) i doubt anybody can "speed up" _any_ process. & i sincerely doubt it'd be "beneficial" if it'd be possible at all. mind is tricky habits na...: you run around with it since your individual birth; generations before you trained these "tricky habits"... :-) so, if you ... in that brief & fragile period we call a "life"... if you can _start_ to realize & maybe even release _some_ of heart/mind's "tricky habits" --- i guess you'll touch joy & freedom. to share with all na :-)

but who knows?

comons

[rockyysdt]

_in general_; i'd say some technologies might help some people to gain some benefits from meditation. & here are the "but"'s...

c) i doubt anybody can "speed up" _any_ process. & i sincerely doubt it'd be "beneficial" if it'd be possible at all. mind is tricky habits na...: you run around with it since your individual birth; generations before you trained these "tricky habits"... :-) so, if you ... in that brief & fragile period we call a "life"... if you can _start_ to realize & maybe even release _some_ of heart/mind's "tricky habits" --- i guess you'll touch joy & freedom. to share with all na :-)

but who knows?

comons

As you say, it depends on what your purpose is?

If it's to attain enlightenment, many of these techniques or aids may end in dead ends.

We should however keep open minds.

The Buddha had to work with 2,500 year old technology.

If there are techniques which can be proven to speed up the path then these should be embraced.

[garro]

I suppose examples the technology I'm thinking about would be boifeedback and neurofeedback. I recently read a book called, 'The Blissful Brain' by Dr Shanida Nataraja. One of the arguments presented in this book was that if we can use technology to map out what is happening in the brain when advanced meditators are in higher states, we could then use these maps to augment less experienced meditators by leading them in the right direction

[Brucenkhamen]

I suppose examples the technology I'm thinking about would be boifeedback and neurofeedback. I recently read a book called, 'The Blissful Brain' by Dr Shanida Nataraja. One of the arguments presented in this book was that if we can use technology to map out what is happening in the brain when advanced meditators are in higher states, we could then use these maps to augment less experienced meditators by leading them in the right direction

We had a similar thread not long ago, I think scientists like this work on the theory that meditation is about concentration rather than about wisdom.

[agent69]

I suppose examples the technology I'm thinking about would be boifeedback and neurofeedback. I recently read a book called, 'The Blissful Brain' by Dr Shanida Nataraja. One of the arguments presented in this book was that if we can use technology to map out what is happening in the brain when advanced meditators are in higher states, we could then use these maps to augment less experienced meditators by leading them in the right direction

We had a similar thread not long ago, I think scientists like this work on the theory that meditation is about concentration rather than about wisdom.

yep, it's all about concentration. When you have concentration, you will easily learn, even something that people would normally take for granted. That, to me, is wisdom. It's something that differentiate a wise person from bunch of clever ones.

[agent69]

I can't wait to share this fascinating talk by Jill Bolte Taylor on TED.com, http://blog.ted.com/2008/03/jill_bolte_tayl.php .

Apart from experiencing euphoria through meditation (or drugs, if I dare saying it! ) you could try inducing a stroke that could disable the left hemisphere of the brain. hahahaha

[fabianfred]

I suppose examples the technology I'm thinking about would be boifeedback and neurofeedback. I recently read a book called, 'The Blissful Brain' by Dr Shanida Nataraja. One of the arguments presented in this book was that if we can use technology to map out what is happening in the brain when advanced meditators are in higher states, we could then use these maps to augment less experienced meditators by leading them in the right direction

We had a similar thread not long ago, I think scientists like this work on the theory that meditation is about concentration rather than about wisdom.

I always say that ...nobody gets to nirvana by accident...only hard work.....

and the Scientists still insist on looking for the 'self' in the brain

My teacher says that all of us are actually born with six senses.....the sixth sense is not the ESP which it is normally thought of....but the mind which observes....the observer

If we close our eyes and smack our hand....it is the sixth sense which observes the feeling and decides to remain with it or ignore it.

[garro]

At the risk of irking the wise Buddhists on TV, I believe that a certain amount of concentration is required to reach a level where insight is possible. Surely, any technology that could assist in this would be welcome? Surely the Buddha would disapprove of dismissing new technologies without wise consideration? Or am I wrong here?

[Brucenkhamen]

At the risk of irking the wise Buddhists on TV, I believe that a certain amount of concentration is required to reach a level where insight is possible. Surely, any technology that could assist in this would be welcome? Surely the Buddha would disapprove of dismissing new technologies without wise consideration? Or am I wrong here?

You miss my point, I don't doubt there are modern ways to develop concentration, but if you develop concentration some quick and easy way rather than the long and difficult old fashioned way then you've missed the opportunity to develop wisdom along the way as part of the process.

It's a bit like getting a degree without having gone to class.

[garro]

At the risk of irking the wise Buddhists on TV, I believe that a certain amount of concentration is required to reach a level where insight is possible. Surely, any technology that could assist in this would be welcome? Surely the Buddha would disapprove of dismissing new technologies without wise consideration? Or am I wrong here?

You miss my point, I don't doubt there are modern ways to develop concentration, but if you develop concentration some quick and easy way rather than the long and difficult old fashioned way then you've missed the opportunity to develop wisdom along the way as part of the process.

It's a bit like getting a degree without having gone to class.

But isn't the breath or a mantra just another tool; I don't think that there is anything inherently enlightening about watching the breath. Certain sitting positions are believed to be more conductive to concentration, but nobody would claim that this is like getting a degree without having gone to class.

[rockyysdt]

But isn't the breath or a mantra just another tool; I don't think that there is anything inherently enlightening about watching the breath.

I suspect the breathe is more than just a tool.

It's fundamental to self awareness.

[Brucenkhamen]

But isn't the breath or a mantra just another tool; I don't think that there is anything inherently enlightening about watching the breath. Certain sitting positions are believed to be more conductive to concentration, but nobody would claim that this is like getting a degree without having gone to class.

What's the first thing your learn when you sit down and observe the breath? What you learn is not something about the breath but something about the mind, and this learning process about the mind continues as your meditation practice develops.

If there were an instant jhana machine you would miss all that learning. Not only that you will not have developed the ability to concentrate your mind by your own efforts, you'd always be reliant on your instant jhana machine. So if it broke down where would you be, you would be at a loss as to how to concentrate the mind.