One of the most common misconceptions holding back the widespread adoption of meditation into the western healthcare & education systems is that meditation is seen, in some way, as a \u201creligious\u201d activity, a “Hindu tradition” or \u201cBuddhist ritual\u201d of some kind. \u00a0In truth, meditation (as it\u2019s used today) is simply an exercise to strengthen the brain.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In the USA, our Constitution is centered around the Separation of Church and State, which is one of the core values of the American People. \u00a0Any time religion seems to be creeping its way into the public school system, healthcare, or public policy, alarms go off in peoples\u2019 heads, and citizens rise up to protect their constitutional freedoms. \u00a0This is a testament to the values of us freedom lovin\u2019 Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n In the 1960s, when a few crazy hippies made some waves in the American \u201cscene\u201d by sitting around cross legged wearing tie-dye tunics and chanting \u201cOhm, Ohm,\u201d the more conservative population (and popular culture in general)\u00a0naturally came to view meditation as some type of foreign \u201cBuddhist ritual,\u201d or some weird \u201cairy-fairy hippie crap.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Over the past half century, the fog of this misunderstanding is being cleared away by scientific research and the independent reports of thousands of \u201cnormal\u201d people who have experienced the benefits of meditation.<\/span><\/p>\n Meditation is a mental exercise, in the same way that jogging is a cardiovascular exercise. \u00a0The process of jogging strengthens the heart, the lungs, and the circulatory system of the jogger. \u00a0The process of meditation strengthens the mind of the meditator. \u00a0Jogging and meditation are both scientifically proven to improve physical and mental health. \u00a0As an exercise for decreasing stress, increasing mindfulness, increasing happiness, et cetera,\u00a0meditation has no more to do with religion than jogging does. \u00a0The \u201csharp mind\u201d that comes with meditation can be used for purely secular ends, like getting better grades in school, making more money, creating a beautiful piece of art, or even just laying back and enjoying the subtle colors of an autumn sunset.<\/span><\/p>\n So, if meditation is just an \u201cexercise for the brain,\u201d where does this whole \u201creligion\u201d thing come into the picture? \u00a0To understand the source of this misconception, it is useful to look at the interplay of meditation and religion over the past few thousand years.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the past several millennia, spiritual leaders from religions all around the world have used the process of meditation to deepen their spiritual lives. \u00a0The cultivation of high states of concentration through meditation has been incorporated into all of the major western religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), as well as being fundamental to all of the major eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc). \u00a0In this regard, meditation is not inherently connected to any one particular religion;\u00a0it is an independent mental exercise that has been used by members of all faiths\u00a0to explore their own, personal, senses of spirituality.<\/span><\/p>\n In certain sects, however, religious leaders have used meditation as a way to strengthen their followers\u2019 belief in their own particular dogmas, philosophies, and\/or belief systems. \u00a0They have done this by making meditation into a kind of two-step process:<\/span><\/p>\n In my writing & teaching (and in my own meditation practice), I try to focus solely on Step 1. \u00a0This step (developing concentration) is the one that leads to all of the health benefits that you have been hearing so much about through the mass media. \u00a0This step is the one that develops the mind\u2019s ability to focus, relaxes the body, reduces stress, cures anxiety\/depression\/ADHD, etc. \u00a0This type of meditation (quieting the mind, developing concentration) is inherently \u201csecular\u201d because it has nothing to do with \u201cbelieving\u201d one thing or another. \u00a0It can be used by religious people and atheists alike to achieve the same benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n People (religious and atheistic alike) are often tempted to use Step 2 to reinforce their own personal belief structures. \u00a0They develop deep states of meditation, and then allow their minds to become absorbed in \u201cdeep insights\u201d into their own, personal, pre-existing paradigms of reality. \u00a0Personally, I think that this is not only unnecessary, but also counterproductive.<\/span><\/p>\n What many secular (Step 1 Only) meditators find is that\u00a0through the simple act of quieting the mind, the simple and fundamental nature of reality is revealed. \u00a0It\u2019s like watching as the fog clears from the windshield of your car; you\u2019re not learning anything new, you\u2019re just seeing everything more clearly. \u00a0The great truths of the Universe are things that you have always known, but that you cannot often see because of the fog that is constantly clouding your mind\u2019s eye. \u00a0Allow the fog to drift away, and all will become clear on its own.<\/span><\/p>\n The way I see it, the act of engaging in Step 2 is the act of taking a step back into the fog after having finally taken a step out of it.<\/span><\/p>\n To some people, who have spent their lives clinging to one way of looking at the world, this practice of \u201cletting go\u201d and \u201cfreeing the mind\u201d can feel very frightening. \u00a0For this reason, I would like to say the following. \u00a0Let your mind be at ease. \u00a0Religious meditators are often glad to find that when the fog of thought finally clears out of their minds, their hearts are suddenly\u00a0flooded\u00a0with a profound understanding of the very\u00a0coreof their own religions. \u00a0How awesome is the astounding realization that, at the core, all man-made truths are actually one and the same. \u00a0We are all looking at the same thing from different angles, and confusing ourselves by using different words to describe it!<\/span><\/p>\n But let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves. \u00a0These are things that you will discover for yourself, and I don\u2019t want to be the one who spoils the surprise. \u00a0Forget I said anything! \u00a0Just go and meditate \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/p>\n TO SUM UP<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re religious, you don\u2019t have to worry about meditation clashing with your religious beliefs. \u00a0All of the major eastern & western religions not only permit, but encourage meditation. \u00a0Meditation is a\u00a0secular\u00a0exercise that is intended to strengthen the mind and improve health and well-being. \u00a0It is not fundamentally connected with any particular religion, but can often intensify your own religious experience. \u00a0So go meditate.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most common misconceptions holding back the widespread adoption of meditation into the western healthcare system is that meditation is seen, in some way, as a \u201creligious\u201d activity, a “Hindu tradition” or \u201cBuddhist ritual\u201d of some kind. In truth, meditation (as it\u2019s used today) is simply an exercise to strengthen the brain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[70,71,72,3,73,74,75],"class_list":["post-2215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","tag-buddhist","tag-christian","tag-jewish","tag-meditation","tag-muslim","tag-religion","tag-secular"],"yoast_head":"\n\n