What is meditation, and how is it related to mindfulness? I find that there is quite a bit of (justifiable) confusion about this, because these two words have many meanings, and they also have a lot of baggage attached to them. By "baggage," I mean that many people have some strong opinions about these concepts. For example, I have found that a common belief about "meditation" is that it is a sort of blissful state that some people can enter at will; and I have encountered others who have a negative attitude toward "meditation," because they believe that it is a sort of religious process or activity that is specific to Buddhism, and therefore dangerous for, or forbidden to, Christians.
In Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), the terms "mindfulness" and "meditation" are used quite a bit; it is worthwhile, I think, to engage in some clarification about both of these concepts.
A recent (and quite wonderful!) article (by Lutz, Slagter, Dunne, and Davidson; click here) starts out with a very good definition: "Meditation can be conceptualized as a family of complex emotional and attentional regulatory training regimes developed for various ends, including the cultivation of well-being and emotional balance." This definition appeals to me because it reflects what I believe is a very useful approach to understanding the types of meditation practice that are taught in MBSR and MBCT, and that is the understanding that meditation is an activity.
I have found that when people approach the practice of meditation with the understanding or belief that it is primarily a state or a feeling (a state of relaxation, or a state of bliss, or a feeling of calm or compassion, or a state in which no thoughts or feelings arise), then they can become very quickly frustrated and disillusioned, because they very seldom experience their subjective reality during the practice of meditation as calm, relaxed, or blissful. Sometimes, quite the contrary. If, instead, they can adopt an understanding that meditation is a mental activity that anyone can do, or a "training regime" that may be helpful in various ways (for improved attentional capacity, mood, or impulse regulation, perhaps), then they are not so likely to be either surprised or discouraged when they find that meditation might not be a blissful, or even relaxing, experience. As Jon Kabat-Zinn says, "Meditation is not 'relaxation' spelled differently."
Confusion also occurs about the relationship between "mindfulness" and "meditation." The word "mindfulness" has many meanings; and there are many different types of meditation. In the realm of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), there is are specific forms of meditation that are taught, and the word "mindfulness" has specific meanings.
The forms of meditation that are taught in MBSR and MBCT are drawn from the Vipassana branch of Buddhism. "Vipassana" is sometimes translated as "insight," and you will often hear about "Insight Meditation," as well as "Mindfulness Meditation." These terms are all closely related. However, I think it is important to point out that, although mindfulness meditation has roots within the Buddhist tradition, it not unlike the practices found in the contemplative traditions of Christianity and other great religions. And, despite the "religious" historical connection(s), mindfulness meditation is usually taught today as a purely secular activity, pursued not within any particular religious tradition, but for the benefits it apparently provides in the way of improved mental and emotional functioning.
Various types of "formal meditation practice" taught in MBSR and MBCT include: the "body scan," which involves paying attention to physical sensations throughout the body; "sitting meditation," which can involve paying attention to the sensations of breathing, while sitting still; and "walking meditation," which involves paying attention to the changing sensations, primarily in the feet, while walking (usually at a slow pace). In each case, the mental activity involved is the act of paying attention; and, at all times, the instruction is to pay attention with an attitude of curiosity and compassion, even when (or, especially when) negative judgments naturally arise within the mind.
And, as used within MBSR and MBCT, the term "mindfulness" refers both to formal mindfulness meditation practice, and also to "mindfulness in everyday life." Ultimately, the goal is to train the mind and the brain to more easily bring an attitude of "mindfulness," or compassionate awareness, to more and more of our lives. And our "formal meditation practice" is the place within which we repeatedly train our minds to do this, and this practice, in turn, enables us to more readily bring mindfulness into our lives, throughout our daily activities. And emerging findings from neuroscience and the behavioral sciences are indicating that mindfulness meditation does, indeed, bring about changes in our brains, in our emotional functioning, in attentional capacities, and even in immune functioning (see the Lutz article, click here, for a summary of the most recent findings). And, for much more information about MBSR and MBCT, and about mindfulness and meditation, see my private practice website (click here).
At the top of this post you will find a drawing that might help to illustrate the relationship between "mindfulness" and "meditation." There is an area of overlap between the two concepts, and we call that area "mindfulness meditation," as taught within MBSR and MBCT. There are also areas in which the two concepts are quite distinct (mindfulness exists outside of formal meditation practice, and there are various types of meditation that are distinct from those types that are taught in MBSR and MBCT).
2 comments:
Hi Delany,
Great post. I'd like to expand a little, though, on your assertion that "meditation is an activity." While on the one hand this is undeniably true, it can be confusing to think of meditation as something we do, like all the other things we do. Part of the unique nature of meditation is that it has a substantial component of "non-action." That is, we refrain from engaging in it in the same way we engage in other activities, and we tend to relinquish our habitual tendencies to take action during a meditation period. The traditional view of meditation is that is closer to non-thinking than to thinking. It's not that thoughts don't arise during meditation, for instance, but that we do not engage in them in the same way we normally do. Establishing mindfulness (whether in formal meditation or not) depends on disengaging from the normal mental habits that get us caught up in our thoughts about our lives and prevent us from living in the actuality of our lives.
I definitely agree that neither meditation nor mindfulness can be defined by a particular feeling. In both processes, we are talking about a particular type of openness to any feeling or mental state that arises.
Mindfulness is sort of like a skill that can be learned - we can train ourselves to be more mindful - but is essence it is more like 'being aware' than 'doing awareness.' I think it might be more useful to think of it as a process of recognizing and letting go of the activities that limit our naturally spacious awareness.
Thanks for your post. I look forward to the chance to talk about the issue (and many others) in our Chicago study group this Friday!
Best wishes,
Roger Thomson
Thanks, Roger. You make excellent points, and they bring out, very nicely, the essential paradox we often end up struggling with (or, rather, one of them!): letting go of "doing" or "making" anything, while realizing that "letting go of" is something that we seem to be "doing"!
From the perspective of one who teaches beginners about meditation, I have found it helpful to err on the side of giving instructions about what one is to DO with one's mind while sitting (e.g., one is to observe, to shift attention, to label), and while refraining from acting on urges (such as the urge to leap up from the cushion and run screaming from the room!)...
And ultimately the "refraining" part is one of the most significant teachings, or learning experiences, I think (at least in terms of the typical goals of MBSR and MBCT).
I'll look forward to discussing this further with you!
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