Meditation for Heretics
Presented by Steve Anderson, FAoWM member and Buddhist
About the Speaker
About the Event
Announcements
It was announced that there has been a change of speakers for our next, September 11, meeting. “The World of Islam” will be presented by Ali Metwalli, PhD, WMU College of Business, Islamic Center of West Michigan. This is, of course, a subject that has special reverberations on this anniversary date of the attacks on America by members of an Islamic fundamentalist group.
Jeff Seaver welcomed all those interested in attending, to come out for the Fall Harvest Party on October 19 starting at 6PM. This will be at the Jeff’s home in Allendale, MI. Arrive in costume or as you are. Bring a dish to pass. There will be a bon fire, hay rides and fun for all. For directions or further information, call (616) 892-9300 or send e-mail to: .
We voted by a show of hands whether or not to retain the day before the Thanksgiving holiday for our November 27 meeting: ”’…I just like the presents’” The Origins of the Holidays,” to be presented by Bob Stark, FaoWM member. We agreed to have this meeting as scheduled. This is a timely topic during the “holiday season.”
On December 11, we will have our annual Winter Solstice Party beginning at 6:30PM. Location to be announced.
There will be no scheduled meeting on December 25th due to the Pagan Holiday.
A.H.A. and FaoWM member, Dirk Nebbeling, encouraged us to plan on seeing the play, Tartuffe at the Spectrum Theatre, located at 160 Fountain NE, G.R. The play begins at 8PM. The remaining days to see it are the 29th-31st. The number is (616) 234-3998. This spoof on religion, although written in the 17th Century, resonates with contemporary audiences for its unintentional portrayal of recognizable types of today’s Christian fundamentalist leaders.
Presentation
Our topic for this meeting was “Meditation for Heretics” presented by FAoWM member and Buddhist, Steve Anderson. Steve quipped early on in his presentation that our group acronym is appropriate for this topic on meditation, especially if pronounced “FA(H)O(HHH)MMMMM.” Anderson defined heretics as non-believers who can discern for themselves what is important and asked why we thought meditation might be a beneficial practice for those of our ilk. It was noted by group members that theists have approved times set aside for reflection, silence and immobility, in the form of prayer and worship services and that meditation provides an alternative to those who do not address, or maintain belief in, supernatural beings. Also that rationalists face reality without delusions and comforting myths. They tend to take responsibility for their own real world actions in the here and now and cannot regard this material world as a mere way station before a glorious and carefree hereafter. Therefore, it was reasoned, non-theists might have more stress over Earthly concerns but without the release valves that religious faith provides. Anderson himself mentioned that since we belong to a minority life stance group that is ill regarded by larger society as well as being constantly bombarded by religious messages and tactics, meditation can provide a way to cleanse the mind of the detritus built up throughout the day.
Anderson’s own process of involvement in meditation began in the early ‘80’s after reading a book by Dr. Herbert Benson called The Relaxation Response but it was not until the early 90’s that he became a serious practitioner. He has an AM and PM time set aside each day for meditation and a place in his home where he can “sit with, by and for himself” in meditation.
The meeting room was set up with no tables but with chairs surrounding the perimeter and zafus, or the cushions used traditionally by practitioners of meditation, in front of the chairs for when we did our sessions that Steve led. These zafus were graciously provided by the Clear Mind Temple located off of US-131, between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. We doffed our shoes at the entrance to the room and incense was burning. Besides lack of footwear, it was mentioned that loose fitting clothes and an absence of other physical constraints and distractions is the best approach for meditation. The incense, for Anderson, has symbolic meaning, besides its more obvious function for the olfactory sense; it is burning down and will eventually burn out…as will our individual lives themselves. When seated upon the zafu one assumes a tripod posture created by the butt on the cushion and the knees touching the floor, legs tucked in. Steve showed us several ways to assume a meditative posture, the one selected by the individual is a personal choice and dictated in large degree by comfort. One younger attendee of the meeting was able to demonstrate a “full lotus” position but also shown were the half and quarter lotus, Burmese and Japanese styles and other progressively easier positions to maintain, including being seated in a traditional chair. Anderson stressed that were no strict rules, only guidelines that he would be presenting to us.
Anderson gave a “plug” for the Country Life restaurant in downtown Zeeland, MI. This is a Vegan restaurant but features meatless versions of American staples such as hamburgers and hotdogs in addition to other foods. One does not have to be a Buddhist to meditate but one is almost certainly a vegetarian if s/he is a Buddhist. In another portion of his presentation, Steve (who once before led a discussion on Buddhism to our group) said that ironically, Buddhists are not likely to label themselves as such. They feel it is too much like binding themselves to specific doctrines and the strictures of a designated group.
At one point in the presentation it was asked if a good night’s sleep could provide the same benefits as a meditation session. Anderson replied that he would not pit one against the other but would instead say that good sleep, good nutrition, a general sense of well- being and meditation can all work together for the benefit of the individual. Another member said that in the form of meditation he was taught, one does not clear the thoughts but lets them flow for examination in the rational, wakeful but relaxed state whereas REM-state thoughts during sleep may be more challenging to put to good use.
Meditation can be practiced wherever one chooses to do it. One member spoke of how he meditates in a waiting room to curb his anxiety, leaving him calm and relaxed for an examination, another who had undergone heart surgery mentioned that meditation techniques were offered along with other forms of therapy. One member talked about how the more one practices meditation, the more acclimated one becomes to it and can then more readily call upon it in varied situations to relieve stress and tension, without having to have a perfect setting to practice it.
It was mentioned how in our impatient, fast-paced world, the stop light is our mortal enemy, but that it can be used as a time to just…stop…take some breaths…let the time flow. One might find that his subjective time has sped by and without the increase in stress often concomitant with traffic delays. Meditation provides a time for the self, free of other concerns, worries, appointments and scheduled events. It is best practiced when and where one is relatively certain to be free of the above. Even music is a distraction. Anderson talked about how people will often posit that gardening or golf, as examples, is their “meditation.” He declared that, no, golf is golf, gardening is gardening and meditation is meditation; meditation being the absence of thought of worldly matters and a shutting down of external input.
We discussed the differences in Western and Eastern cultures in regarding meditation. Westerners tend to be brought up to see “idle hands as the devil’s workshop” and in general see no accomplishment in sitting without television, computers or other sit down “work” or “entertainment” taking place. Steve recalled the phrase “Don’t just do something, sit there” as encapsulating the meditative view well. The Eastern mentality, by contrast, tends more to see meditation as a beneficial and productive use of time. We also are more abhorrent of silences-feeling strong urges to fill every moment of quiet with some sound.
There are no special approved times of the day for meditation-”you are in charge” as Anderson put it. Follow a routine that you can stay with, assess your own level of discipline and know your individual biological clock. He feels that it is best not to practice meditation on a full stomach, so that can be a guide to routine.
We discussed the physiological benefits ascribed to meditation with correlations experienced anecdotally or seen more scientifically between meditation and lowering of blood pressure, stress reduction, better sleep, digestion, and other health related matters. A book was mentioned called “Zen and the Brain” written by a neurologist who trained under a Zen master. The book deals with synaptic firing rates, receptors, and other technical aspects of the positive impact of meditation on the body.
We began with a 5 minute meditation, after being given some basic hints on procedure, including general posture, eye gaze, positions for the head and hands, etc. While it is okay to close your eyes if you wish, traditionally they are kept open. “Why take away the sense of vision?” He shared a story about having an insect crawl upon him once while in meditation, but staying with the meditative state in spite of the irritation. He also said it is interesting to explore what happens when we do not scratch an itch…saying we will probably find that it will go away. Several people declared, following the first round of meditation, how fast the time went! We were to do a counting, and focusing on our breathing. As our minds went to other thoughts we were to start over. One group member found himself particularly adept at this technique, attaining the unbroken count of 27.
We did two more sessions of meditation. One of these continued the practice of clearing thoughts away. Different people employ different symbols and techniques for doing this-the “jar” method was mentioned-where thoughts are mentally placed into a jar and can be extracted and examined later. Steve talked of his own process which he called “putting the puppy on the paper.” As a neophyte, his “puppy” was poorly trained and he had to place it on the paper frequently. Now he can go much longer before other thoughts intrude; his puppy is much better paper-trained. The first session concentrated on breathing, the second; on body relaxation through progressive release of tensions starting at the crown of the head and going out, ultimately, to the toes. The last session we did differed from the other two in that it actively involved thought through the use of a koan. The concept was: “Who is this person sitting here?” Afterwards, Anderson said that this last session can be a bit unsettling for some people since the ego is not used to being confronted and “doesn’t like it much.” This was a private, personal, introspective meditation and quite illuminating for us.
”…Even though it is the most important thing we possess, we pay much more attention to our external environment than to our own minds. We do not hesitate to repair our bodies and keep them healthy. We do not even think twice about repair to our physical belongings such as our cars, houses, clothes, and physical sources of pleasure. Yet most of us let the mind run full strength constantly without ever thinking about “repairing” or caring for it. We take that which is our most important possession for granted and often abuse it. Meditation is medicine and care for the mind, but we must see the patient.” Excerpted from a longer writing in a hand out from Steve Anderson to our group called “Training in Knowing the How and Why of Meditation.”
Secretary: Charles LaRue
