Meet Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation as a wellness exercise has exploded in North America and much of the Western world over the course of the past few decades. It can be found among celebrity practitioners, discussed on magazine covers, and hundreds of self-help books. But what exactly is mindfulness meditation? Is it just sitting and relaxing? Does it actually help manage issues like anxiety, depression, and interpersonal relationships? Or is it just an opportunity to nap under the pretense of personal development. The following blog series attempts to unravel some of the mystery of mindfulness meditation, and give an overview of the history, efficacy, and practice of mindfulness. In the first article, we’ll discuss the historical origins of mindfulness and its roots in spiritual ritual. The second article will present some of the modern approaches to using meditation in personal development and therapy as well as its efficacy. The final article will provide a guided meditation with the intention of both demonstrating how mindfulness is typically practiced, as well as a resource for those interested in using mindfulness meditation in their own lives.
Meditation in Ancient South-East Asia
Unfortunately, when it comes to uncovering the roots of mindfulness meditation in a historical context, records are difficult to find. While many documents are referenced in ancient texts, those original documents are either lost, ill-kept, vague, or provide reference to themselves in a circular manner. Despite this, there are several key documents that are able to provide the reader with an understanding of some of the origins of meditation.
The root of meditation as a step-by-step mental practice is connected to the cultures of a number of ancient civilizations ranging around Southeast Asia, the Indian Peninsula, and even into Mesopotamia and North Africa (Al Taher, 2015). The earliest known written accounts of meditation can be traced to the Vedic era of northern India (1500 BCE – 500 BCE), where it can be found in the Vedas, a body of literature on the religious practices of northern Syrian, proto-indo-European, and Indic peoples. The Vedas themselves are primarily occupied with the practices of ancient dogmas and are broken down into components that outline ritual, sacrifices, and the worship of regional gods. However, a reformation period in classical India (800 BCE – 200 BCE), led to the development of philosophies related to Karma, reincarnation, transcendentalism, and enlightenment (Michaels, 2004; Muesse, 2003). Over the next several centuries Vedic practices would continue to spread throughout South-East Asia, mixing with the cultures dominant in those regions; eventually developing into the core religions of ancient India: Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
At this point in time, meditation practices developed as an exercise for physiological maintenance (i.e. physical stretching in the form of yoga, manipulating heart rate, etc.) and spiritual activity (transcendentalism, enlightenment, zen, vipassana, etc.). Of particular interest to the practice of mindfulness, Vipassana was, and remains, the Buddhist principle of gaining insight into the nature of reality through silent contemplation. It developed as an insight-oriented meditation practice that focused on increasing awareness towards thoughts, feelings, and actions; and as such, is considered to be the ancestor of what would later become mindfulness meditation in the western world.
Meditation in Medieval Europe and the West
While the migration of Vedic practices into European history faded as early Christian and regional beliefs took hold, medieval Europe still contributed to our current understanding of meditation. For instance, the word ‘meditate’ didn’t actually appear until the 12th century, when it was introduced by Carthusian monk Guigo II, in his book The Ladder of Monks (Scala Claustralium) (Guigo, 1978). This book recorded the use of meditatum, who’s Latin roots mean to ponder. According to the Judeo-Christian tradition, meditation was the act of prayer and contemplation; and while its roots do not necessarily tie into earlier Vedic teachings, there is certainly a similarity between the two practices. Both traditions were used as a tool to withdraw awareness away from the external world, and into the internal world of silent contemplation. Additionally, both forms were used as tools by their respective practitioners in order to reflect upon the particular tenets of their faiths.
It is important to note that meditation practices are not isolated to either Vedic or Judeo-Christian traditions. There is evidence to suggest that many regional peoples engaged in practices similar to what we have described thus far. For instance, early Scandinavian and Siberian peoples would enter trance-like states using medicinal herbs for religious ceremonies (Karsten, 2019). Practices in emotional and spiritual grounding are also rumoured to have taken place among the Indigenous peoples of North and South America (First Nations Health Authority, 2021). However, in cases such as these much of the original documentation was either lost or nothing was written down. Regardless, that there is some evidence that meditation-like practices may have existed in these and other areas helps indicate that the act of silent reflection and altering states of consciousness cannot be isolated to a single region or peoples.
Meditation in the Modern World
In its historical context, meditation is seen as the act of withdrawing attention away from the external world in order to train the mind to nurture a particular way of thinking. As mentioned earlier, the Judeo-Christian tradition reinforced the focus of meditation on prayer and contemplation. Among its Vedic origins; the Hindu tradition focused on concentrating the mind on chants, religious images, and spiritual energy, and the Buddhist tradition focused on training the mind to develop greater awareness of the body’s condition and philosophy of life. According to each of these traditions, meditation can be broken down into one of two practices. The first is a religious approach, where meditation is used to reflect upon tenets of faith, and cultivate spiritual energy in the form of qi, ki, chi, prana, or others. The second practice could be considered a physiological approach, where the practitioner endeavours to develop a state of relaxation in their body and mind, focusing on muscle and skeletal structure. It’s from these practices that our modern understanding of mindfulness meditation stems.
Meditations that focus on bodily relaxation and reflection have found substantial use in the psychological world. Today it is primarily used as a tool for maintaining physiological and psychological stability and reflecting in a non-judgmental way on emotionally triggering events. Something that we will discuss in greater detail in the next article: Meditation as a Therapeutic Exercise.
References
Al Taher, R. (2015). A (Quick) History of Meditation for Beginners.
First Nations Health Authority. (2021). Our History, Our Health. Wellness. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.fnha.ca/wellness/wellness-for-first-nations/our-history-our-health
Guigo, I. I. (1978). The Ladder of Monks. Doubleday Image.
Karsten, F. (2019). Sagas of the Solanaceae: Speculative ethnobotanical perspectives on the Norse berserkers. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 244(112151). 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112151
Michaels, A. (2004). Hinduism Past and Present. Orient Blackswan.
Muesse, M. W. (2003). Great World Religions, Hinduism. Teaching Co.