Another study claiming that the long-term practice of transcendental meditation (TM) can do everything from bring down crime rates to slow aging is once again making the news – and it’s raising the same questions that have plagued this theory for decades.
LC writes: "I was a little disappointed to learn that eastern meditation is not recommended for Christians. I felt that the last one I did by Deepak Chopra led me to the Daniel fast which ultimately changed my life. I started this meditation challenge also by Deepak Chopra and instead of saying the Hindu mantra, I meditate on the actual phrase. For example "I am a radiant and spiritual being." Is that such a bad thing if I also incorporate prayer in my life and keep Christianity first?"
Former Chicago Public School students have been granted class action status by a federal judge to pursue their case alleging that a school forced students to participate in Transcendental Meditation and Hindu practices against their will.
Another healthy young person committed suicide after attending a 10-day Vipassana retreat, known as a Goenke retreat, raising questions about the safety of these programs which require participants to sit in a silent meditative state for 10-11 hours a day.
MM asks: Is there anything wrong with Mindfulness Meditation? It sounds like it's nothing more than living in the present moment. Could there be anything wrong with that?
KB writes: "My husband practices this mindfulness type of meditation, including a body scan meditation. He does a shorter one in the morning, about 15 or 20 minutes, and the body scan in the afternoon, which takes about 45 minutes, for stress reduction and as a way of dealing with anxiety. The other day he chose to skip family prayer time in favor of this meditation . . . "
KM writes: "I have tried to teach my children, the prayer of silence, where I ask them to sit and close their eyes and just to focus on God and to try not to think of anything else. Is that O.K? I thought that was what contemplation was, but sometimes it’s difficult to figure out. I hope that is not the Catholic equivalent of mind-blanking."
BW writes: "I saw an article in a Catholic magazine about a nun who practices Zazen from the Zen religion and shows her sitting in the classic yoga position. I could not find any information on Zazen and hope you can provide some information on this subject."
Another study claiming that the long-term practice of transcendental meditation (TM) can do everything from bring down crime rates to slow aging is once again making the news – and it’s raising the same questions that have plagued this theory for decades.
