C T Posted March 16, 2013 short 20-minute presentation by Dr Kelly McGonigal, PhD on the difference in brain function/activity between meditators and non-meditators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCwC7XBQq9o Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voidisyinyang Posted March 16, 2013 dang no mention of the pineal gland. haha. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oildrops Posted March 16, 2013 Enjoyed the presentation, thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
exorcist_1699 Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) Sorry to say that I don't enjoy this. I can't understand why many Westerners still stubbornly attach to such a futile approach ... Buddhist Heart (Buddhist) or Mind of the Cosmos ( "天心", Taoist ) , unlike the magnetic or gravitational field , is NOT and CAN'T be a research target of Science. Why ? Simply because a much bigger , super Mind can't be understood by another small, inferior mind; A zoologist , who lives among the chimpanzee in a forest and study their behaviors for years , can find something meaningful from his study ; yet if you bring a chimpanzee into a modern house of human society, with computer, internet and all those advanced electronic devices put around it, hardly can it understand the significance of our civilization . If something amazing arises when we meditate , it is not because the mind or brain itself has an ability that is so amazing, but because a much bigger , superb Mind, from emptiness , comes upon us at that moment ( Buddhist explanation ); More precisely speaking. the Buddha is not in our mind , but something hidden in emptiness ; it is only after our mind capable of entering deep layers of it , can our mind link to the Buddha . In Taoist theory , it is only after our having accumulated enough jing and qi, can we invite the Mind of Cosmos into our body.. .; In either case, we can't find any theory or approach focuses solely on the brain's ability or on our mind, let alone approaching it in such an analytic way.. Edited March 17, 2013 by exorcist_1699 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C T Posted March 18, 2013 Dharma can be taught in many ways, not just according to our limited understanding of how it ought to be taught. It can be a good exercise to view matters in a wider perspective. This way, we can learn to let go of our brittle, fixated views with the intention of regenerating our intrinsically pure nature thru cultivating a tolerance for both the sacred and the mundane. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ragamor Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) To exorcist_1699: I was thinking the same as you, after all my own experience is that the mind can't grasp something bigger then itself. But that youtube info might get more people into meditating/tao, so it's nice to get it out there. However I don't agree with the womans idea that you have to hit a bullseye while meditating. Seems more like "if you don't join our specific yoga group then your going to get it wrong" kinda mindset. Edited March 18, 2013 by ragamor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
exorcist_1699 Posted March 18, 2013 To exorcist_1699: I was thinking the same as you, after all my own experience is that the mind can't grasp something bigger then itself. But that youtube info might get more people into meditating/tao, so it's nice to get it out there. Yes, I do agree that it is funny and useful in that sense.. what I oppose is that we can use Science to instruct our practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
