The Uses of MeditationThis section, on the USES OF MEDITATION, is sort of like the flip side of a coin - where the other side is BENEFITS OF MEDITATION. In the Benefits section I mentioned this - that it is difficult to separate both, without being very repetitive. Therefore this section will probably be fairly short, so that I avoid repeating stuff that we have already covered. So, lets get started at a look at them;-
As a means of relaxation and relief from stress
This is the most common in the secular situation. By secular, I mean where the main focus is using meditation by itself, without having it linked with some particular religion or spiritual philosophy. This particular use of meditation has grown enormously in the past few years, and has become very popular as a means of dealing with the stresses and strains of our modern fast-paced world.
Another time of great stress in our lives - that is often overlooked - is in the school years, especially secondary school and any further education.
This is a time of great stress both for the students and the teachers, and meditation can be of great use as a means of dealing with this particular ongoing stressful time. Other techniques that can be effective for this are included in a well written and comprehensive website that can be reached by clicking on I think it is probably true to say, that were it not for meditation, a lot more people would be taking some form of tranquillisers, or blood pressure medications, or sleeping tablets or similar. In the same way, meditation has certainly helped to reduce the frequency of heart attacks and strokes, and also contributes a wonderful answer for how to deal with "road rage"
Meditation has given people something that has allowed them to live their lives more effectively and with less stress - using a natural, effective, cheap, time tested tool. Other good effects of meditation in this context also include the following ------ To improve concentration. ------ To improve self awareness. ------ To improve mental- and self-discipline. ------ To promote an even temperament. ------ To improve patience. As I mentioned before, it is also being utilized in the treatment of both the childhood and adult forms of ADHD. I feel sure that this kind of meditation will grow more and more. One growing use of meditation is in the field of drug addiction and 'substance abuse', where the mental relaxation and calmness that it produces has been used successfully to minimise the difficulties of the withdrawal effects of these things. My personal feeling is that it can be utilised in a lot of situations, where at the moment, it is not being done so very much. For example, I feel sure that there can be an important place for meditation in the treatment of overweight people, or actual obesity. Also in Psychiatry in the treatment of stress-like disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, facial tics and twitches and maybe even in Depression. Of course such cases should only be with the careful and knowledgeable support of the Doctors involved.
With Religions and other Spiritual systems
Meditation has long been used in nearly all of the Eastern type religions, for similar reasons as those that we have just mentioned above, and with the addition of the following :- ------ To gain further insight into the nature of reality. ------ To gain further insight into the mysteries of that particular religion. ------ To help with forming a connection or 'communing' with one's God. ------ To improve the conditions of the human race as a whole....( for example - Mahayana Buddhists are encouraged to meditate to bring about "the full and perfect enlightenment of all sentient beings") ....this is a very special part of this religious philosophy that is known as "The Bodhisattva Vow" ....in effect, where the people who take this vow make a promise to help EVERYONE ELSE reach enlightenment (similar to being in a state of heaven), before allowing themselves to reach that state.
Meditation is also used in the Western type religions for many of the same reasons, and often in the form of repetitive prayer. Remember that previously we said that - in effect...Prayer is Meditation - and Meditation is Prayer.
With Martial Arts
We have already talked about the benefits of meditation in Martial Arts, and the uses closely mirror these. Thus the main ones are to make the Martial Art more effective, to increase its power, and in many cases, to make it easier to learn. Another purpose in Martial Arts, (which is also true of the majority of the other systems that have meditation ) - is to help improve the morality of the students of the Martial Arts - I will explain what I mean -
Most spiritual and religious traditions, and also the Martial Arts - stress the integration - or 'coming together' - of mind, body and spirit, in all areas of life including work, play, family life and so on. Therefore a lifestyle that is as ethical and 'upright' as possible is strongly encouraged. Most traditions frown on taking drugs, or alcohol and any form of stimulants if used in excess. There are a few exceptions to this however. For example the Rastafarian Church in the West Indies, and some branches of Hinduism partake of Cannabis (marijuana) as part of their ceremonies. Similarly the Native American Church has traditionally taken Peyote, and some South American systems have other hallucinogenic herbs, such as Ayahuasca, in their ceremonies. However, I must emphasize that these substances are NOT being used in a recreational sense, but are an important part of learning experiences in their ceremonies - together with some form of meditation. I think that about covers it, for the majority of the uses of meditation.
On some of the pages in this website there is a Survey form for ideas you may have for further subjects to be included in this website - please give me your thoughts.
I will also be sending updates about the growth of this website to anyone who wishes - it will be like an Ezine, and you should get a new one approximately once every month. So to sign up for my MeditatEzine, just click on this link to go to the information page about it: -
Click to go from Uses of Meditation to What is Meditation
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