Ohm... Ohm....
October 14, 2015 7:02 PM   Subscribe

Meditation has gotten hip again. With events like Wisdom 2.0, DIY apps, trendy in-person sessions/ networking, and even free 10 day sessions, the backlash has begun.
posted by JiffyQ (46 comments total) 26 users marked this as a favorite
 
It shouldn’t ... be used to make members of the world’s biggest military better at killing.

Wouldn't be the first time.

Good reads (despite some initial misgivings), thanks for posting.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 7:20 PM on October 14, 2015


For example, it turns out that you can become more mindful by thinking in conditionals instead of absolutes. In one experiment, when people made a mistake with a pencil, they had one of several different objects, like a rubber band, sitting on the table. When they were told, “This is a rubber band,” only 3 percent realized it could also be used as an eraser. When they had been told “This could be a rubber band,” 40 percent figured out that it could erase their mistake.

So... conditional language can head-fake 40 percent of people into not being sure what a rubber band is?
posted by escabeche at 7:24 PM on October 14, 2015 [2 favorites]


...You can use rubber bands as erasers?
posted by rifflesby at 7:32 PM on October 14, 2015 [26 favorites]


calm.com is hilariously exploitive. It appears to just be a nice meditation site/app but once you get hooked it asks for money. I hope whoever made it is happy meditating on their giant pile of $100 bills.
posted by miyabo at 7:32 PM on October 14, 2015 [2 favorites]


Eventually, human culture (as mediated by communication technologies) will become so complex and sophisticated that backlashes will precede instigating trends
posted by clockzero at 7:33 PM on October 14, 2015 [7 favorites]


The link to "free 10 day sessions" might be a little misleading. Goenka's 10 day retreat methodology has been used in the Western Dharma tradition since there was a Western Dharma tradition, i.e., since the early- to mid-70s. My first 10-day retreat in the mid-80s wasn't completely free, but the cost was minimal and really covered only the actual hard costs of my stay. If I recall correctly, the cost for the full 10 days was under $200. Donations for the teachers were (and continue to be) completely optional and anonymous.
posted by janey47 at 7:43 PM on October 14, 2015 [2 favorites]


The 10 day Visapanna retreat is free these days, though they make it clear that donations are accepted. The Goenka's reasoning was that removing payment allows permit to focus on the teachings without worrying if they're "getting their money's worth."

Linking that practice with a charlatan like fad is in extremely poor taste. Especially when the only "evidence" of a backlash is two NYT pieces.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:49 PM on October 14, 2015 [8 favorites]


Not sure I grok the headline; ohm is the unit measure of resistance.

Double entendre...pun intended?
posted by CrowGoat at 7:50 PM on October 14, 2015 [6 favorites]


To me this is a bunch of people whinging about something they haven't made much effort to investigate, or finding out OMG! there are "religions" out there that have ulterior motives and people who want to sell me stuff.
posted by sneebler at 7:50 PM on October 14, 2015 [3 favorites]


A man told me once that he was going to adopt Buddhist meditation techniques (he didn't specify which ones) in order to make more money. Those were exact words: "make more money". Did I hear a hungry ghost? I know this man was not representative.

But there exists a radical inequality of the importance of the things that sitting gives you. Is it that it relaxes you, is that the important thing? You might as well take anxiolytics and be done with it. It is selling indulgences for the modern day. How could you claim you sit and not even look at the face of the realization of the inherent misery of the world (dukkha)?
posted by curuinor at 7:55 PM on October 14, 2015 [5 favorites]


I've always considered "mindfulness" as a pretty simple construct. I think the concept started to make sense after a number of very peaceful visits to the hall of Buddha's at the National Museum in Seoul, it seemed that, other than statue after statue of Buddha, I was always the only one there. The focus on the spiritual aspect of that room was impossible to escape, you HAD to be mindful, you had no choice.

It's an easy construct to loose track of, the world most of us live in makes it difficult, if not impossible, to be mindful, too much chaos, too much input, too much noise and distraction...and once we lose it, regaining that state is a difficult scramble/swim up a quickly flowing stream of pebbles and rocks.

A couple of years ago, I was starting a usual hectic day, doing the chores before I left for work (my job can be pressured, depending on what issues and emotions my clients bring into the office). It was important that mornings were peaceful and calming, it was critical to functioning well, but there was always that one task, every morning, that disrupted the aura.... the litter boxes. Four of them, one for each cat, three located in a basement mechanical room, difficult to traverse, narrow, head banging tools and hardware hanging from the ceiling to maximize storage, and one box located in the mud room off the kitchen. I hated that job, and it threw off every.single.morning, it was dirty, smelly, and I hit my head on the damn chain saw hanging from a hook in the mechanical room nearly every day..... Until that day...the day I decided to be "mindful" about scooping cat poop/pee, mindful about being careful, neat, leaving an environment that reflected the respect I had for the four cats and what they bring into my life.

For the past two years those boxes have been cleaned every morning in a peaceful, deliberate, thoughtful manner, I rarely hit my head on the chainsaw, I take my time, I take pride in the quality of my attention to the task, I leave the room peacefully, turning off the light and gently closing the door...

I actually look forward, most mornings, to cleaning the litter boxes... And, the lesson was free, the learning curve easy to climb, and I walk out of the house calm and prepared to be "mindful" for the balance of the day.
posted by HuronBob at 7:56 PM on October 14, 2015 [55 favorites]


Until that day...the day I decided to be "mindful" about scooping cat poop/pee, mindful about being careful, neat, leaving an environment that reflected the respect I had for the four cats and what they bring into my life...I actually look forward, most mornings, to cleaning the litter boxes

Ok I respect and appreciate your spiritual sensitivity but that's straight-up the toxoplasmosis talking, bruh
posted by clockzero at 8:04 PM on October 14, 2015 [70 favorites]




No diss of the OP intended here, because it's fascinating and I favorited it, but two very sententious op-ed pieces from the NYT is only a "backlash" in the most elastic possible sense of the term.
posted by blucevalo at 8:37 PM on October 14, 2015 [2 favorites]


Still, you might consider storing the chainsaw elsewhere.
posted by Hello Dad, I'm in Jail at 8:38 PM on October 14, 2015 [7 favorites]


I'm happy to be mindful about say cooking, that's a pleasure, and sort of what happens anyway. I find sitting down to observe, and thereby interrupt, my mental processes and autonomic functions extremely stressful.
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:39 PM on October 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


I don't meditate every day, and when I do, I don't meditate very long, but I have identified the root cause of my anxieties (other than a chemical imbalance in my brain) & fears - namely 2 things: regret about past things done or not done, and fear of the unknown future. I have a mind that can play out doomsday scenarios & it is difficult for me to imagine/envision a positive future, and when I do, I go overboard and am met with frustration when my grandiose imaginings don't come to pass.

I use meditation to ground me in the present- I have 2 "mantras" ( I don't even know if I'm using that word right) but thoughts that I repeat to myself to crowd out the past/future noise thinking:

"No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future."

I use that alongside:

"Be here, in this place, at this time, and be okay."

All we have is right now, and it is too easy for me to forget that, so I find it essential to take some quiet time to reinforce those things, and it is hugely beneficial. I wish I could carve out time for it every day, at least 10 minutes a day. I, like all of us, am overwhelmed with input, and I think awake quiet time is as essential to handling that as sleeping & dreaming is.

I wouldn't use meditation as a tool to bring me material success, and that notion seems to defeat the purpose of becoming grounded. Instead of being still in the now, you are projecting onto the future, which is counter-productive. That is the kind of thinking meditation helps me move away from. If some god consciousness were to ever appear during those quiet times, it would be a plus, but I don't seek anything but peace.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:05 PM on October 14, 2015 [31 favorites]


Ampere... Ampere... Ampere...
posted by clvrmnky at 9:47 PM on October 14, 2015 [4 favorites]


A religion could be formed using the holy trinity of Volts, Ohms, and Amperes. Or perhaps one already has? I don't keep up with current meditative trends!
posted by Agave at 10:34 PM on October 14, 2015


Huronbob - that's crazy one of my first mind opening experiences was also litter related. I was scooping litter as a teenager and then suddenly asked myself: what if this, too, is grace? BAM. Litter arena was suddenly the divine.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:07 PM on October 14, 2015 [7 favorites]


If giant evil corporations introduce mindfulness to their employees, I would think the employees then have a greater chance of seeing the evil around them, waking up, and leaving those companies. I'm kind of OK with them using meditation, even if its for the wrong reasons.
posted by greermahoney at 11:09 PM on October 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


how could you claim you sit and not even look at the face of the realization of the inherent misery of the world (dukkha)?

Because religions create all kinds of useful intellectual technology that has nothing to do with their dubious metaphysics. I'm not going to stop applying Occam's Razor even though I think old Bill was using it wrong.
posted by howfar at 1:00 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


Also, I think most people are just open minded open what they might find when they explore new practices. If the inherent misery of the world is there to be found, I am sure it will make itself apparent.
posted by howfar at 1:03 AM on October 15, 2015


Actually the greatest guided meditation ever made is free on youtube.
posted by jeffburdges at 2:46 AM on October 15, 2015 [3 favorites]


I thought jeffburdges link was going to go to a Bob Ross episode
posted by ServSci at 2:55 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


New Proposed Corporate Slogan: Fuck mindfulness, be a drone!
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:36 AM on October 15, 2015


Resistance is not only futile, it is the product of Potential and Flow.

Turn off your mind and drift Anode...
posted by clvrmnky at 6:07 AM on October 15, 2015


I have mixed feelings about corporations using mindfulness to squeeze out more productivity from the workforce. I think creating systems that enable work to flow without stress, promoting managers that have learned to manage the emotional well-being of their staff, and setting achievable goals are much better.

It's like... giving your employees the cheapest, crappiest chairs, then hiring a chiropractor that anyone can attend (if they are willing to step away from their desks for long enough to do so)
posted by rebent at 6:41 AM on October 15, 2015 [4 favorites]


I admit it, I've recommended Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction to people several times over on the green. It hasn't made me a million dollars (actually it has not made me any money at all), or allowed me to network with venture capitalists, or made me more productive. It has helped me nearly eliminate panic attacks--no Ativan required.

At first all the attention to mindulness made me worry that it's going to be the Next Big Thing, like yoga, and that it will get commercialized, like yoga. But for every yogini who's try to 'feel the burn' in some trumped-up yogalates class, there's also someone who discovered yoga because it became associated with 'fitness' but has stayed because yoga practice enables her to more fully and respectfully inhabit her body. I'm guessing the same thing will happen with mindfulness.
posted by tuesdayschild at 7:13 AM on October 15, 2015 [2 favorites]


I have mixed feelings about corporations using mindfulness to squeeze out more productivity from the workforce.

Nothing says "thank you" like cold, hard cash.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:32 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


"Meditation is, of course, not a 'thing,' but if we make it a 'thing,' package it, and market it, we can sell it and make some serious coin, people." - overheard on Madison Avenue
posted by Bob Regular at 7:57 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


"No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future."

You don't know that. Maybe we haven't been guilty or stressful enough to cause the changes.
posted by Sangermaine at 8:59 AM on October 15, 2015 [2 favorites]


If I worry enough I can cause myself indigestion. Bam! Future changed motherfuckers!
posted by ian1977 at 9:08 AM on October 15, 2015 [2 favorites]


Ooooohmmm.

Watt?

No, Oooooohm.
posted by mule98J at 9:34 AM on October 15, 2015


All of these apps a guided things and retreats boggle my mind.

You just sit! Just sit there for a few minutes! You can lie down if you want to!
posted by cmoj at 11:00 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


“But Steve Jobs meditated!”

Yeah, and he also did L.S.D. — do you want me to try that, too?


Yes, actually.
posted by symbioid at 12:51 PM on October 15, 2015 [5 favorites]


"Meditation is, of course, not a 'thing,' but if we make it a 'thing,' package it, and market it, we can sell it and make some serious coin, people." - overheard on Madison Avenue
posted by Bob Regular at 9:57 AM on October 15


Same as it ever was...

Sexy Sadie...
posted by symbioid at 12:53 PM on October 15, 2015


Meditation is thousands of years old. I'm pretty sure it'll survive Google, think tanks, and the lovely attention of the NY Times clickhunters.

calm.com is hilariously exploitive. It appears to just be a nice meditation site/app but once you get hooked it asks for money. I hope whoever made it is happy meditating on their giant pile of $100 bills.


I use Meditation Helper on Android. Nice, simple timer app. No sleaze.

The 10 day Visapanna retreat is free these days, though they make it clear that donations are accepted. The Goenka's reasoning was that removing payment allows permit to focus on the teachings without worrying if they're "getting their money's worth."

Linking that practice with a charlatan like fad is in extremely poor taste. Especially when the only "evidence" of a backlash is two NYT pieces.


I don't know anything about this particular school, and it doesn't appear to be Buddhist, but when looking for a Buddhist teacher you want to actively avoid anyone who charges money. Charging for the Dharma/Dhamma is against the rules in most traditions.

Because religions create all kinds of useful intellectual technology that has nothing to do with their dubious metaphysics. I'm not going to stop applying Occam's Razor even though I think old Bill was using it wrong.

Most "mindfulness" meditation is ultimately based on Buddhism. Buddhism is methodological in nature; that is, it is about the process, not the belief or dogma. Using the technique without understanding what it is for is like picking a path at random on the side of a mountain; absolutely go for it, but the results may not be spectacular.

All of these apps a guided things and retreats boggle my mind.

You just sit! Just sit there for a few minutes! You can lie down if you want to!


Please don't take offense at this, but I really hate this attitude. You shouldn't waste your money on glib hucksters, but a good teacher (or heck, just some reading) can help enormously. And retreats have been part of the tradition since the beginning; Buddha instructed his disciples to go into the forest for this purpose. It's not something that we just invented out of nowhere.
posted by selfnoise at 1:23 PM on October 15, 2015 [2 favorites]


I don't know anything about this particular school, and it doesn't appear to be Buddhist, but when looking for a Buddhist teacher you want to actively avoid anyone who charges money. Charging for the Dharma/Dhamma is against the rules in most traditions.

There's no official charge. The idea is that you have been gifted the teaching via the donations of past students and other donors, and if you wish to donate after your course to "pay it forward" then you're given an opportunity to do so.

If you like, you can go, enjoy the teaching (plus room and board) and pay nothing. (I suspect that most people probably do give a donation after their experience.)

Source: I did a Vipassana course a few years ago. I found it valuable and made a financial contribution. I didn't feel any social persuasion or pressure to do so.
posted by theorique at 1:31 PM on October 15, 2015


You just sit! Just sit there for a few minutes! You can lie down if you want to!

You are mistaken. This is the schedule for a ten day Vipassanna retreat:
4:00 am-Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am-Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am-Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am-Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am-Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon-Lunch break
12noon-1:00 pm-Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm-Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm-Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm-Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 pm-Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm-Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm-Teacher's Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm-Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm-Question time in the hall
9:30 pm-Retire to your own room--Lights out
4am to 9:30pm you're going, constantly meditating and pushing your mental limits to gain a few seconds of clarity. You can like or dislike the practice as you wish, but please don't think it's just sitting there. It's some of the hardest, most exhausting work I ever had to do.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:36 PM on October 15, 2015 [4 favorites]


I suppose the best case scenario would be if the military and business became convinced of the benefits of orgasmic meditation.
posted by jeffburdges at 1:40 PM on October 15, 2015


Huh. As with a lot of things, ultimately YMMV. I can see some approaching mindfulness openly and getting real benefit, while others get into it with expectations and miss the point. It would be silly to lump everyone together and overreact to what has certainly become a trend. From the article:

For some people, meditation might be the most efficient way to reduce stress and cultivate mindfulness. But it isn’t a panacea. If you don’t meditate, there’s no need to stress out about it.

I'm grateful that it's receiving more exposure at the moment - it led me to try something that seems to be working for me. A company I worked for a while ago offered online mindfulness-based stress reduction classes , ostensibly to improve employee productivity. I took the class, and at the same time subscribed to one of the apps mentioned in one of the links. I try to fit in 20 min a day, and find the app helps to improve my technique. The daily commentary gives me something to consider as I go about my day.

Not sure the class succeeded in making me more productive, but I like the feeling of clarity that I get at times.
posted by Otherwise at 5:49 PM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


I don't know anything about this particular school, and it doesn't appear to be Buddhist

It is Buddhist, actually, and can be traced back to a Burmese monk named Ledi Sayadaw who taught meditation to lay people in addition to clergy.
posted by homunculus at 10:04 PM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


I don't meditate every day, and when I do, I don't meditate very long, but I have identified the root cause of my anxieties (other than a chemical imbalance in my brain) & fears - namely 2 things: regret about past things done or not done, and fear of the unknown future.

You're 100% correct about this, and what you say agrees with Buddhist teaching (as well as enlightened wisdom of other spiritual practices). I believe you've identified the root cause of everyone's anxieties, not just your own.

"No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future."

The truth of this mantra is absolute, and I also have a recommendation for a small change. Currently it contains "negative" words (guilt, worrying) which might lead the thinking mind to contemplate those negative states. To replace them, you could use something like:

"I give myself permission to be at peace with the past, and to welcome the future with total acceptance."

The "give myself permission" softens the statement a little bit - maybe you aren't feeling at peace with the past right at this moment, and that's OK, but you can at least issue a reminder that you're allowed to be at peace, that there's no obstacle to your experience of peace (other than thought).

"Be here, in this place, at this time, and be okay."

This one is great - brief, wise, correct!
posted by theorique at 1:22 AM on October 16, 2015 [6 favorites]


I find it fascinating that we use just one word 'meditate', and frequently assume it means the same thing.
It is about as specific as saying 'exercise', because it is! Mental exercise!
But one person might be training for a marathon, while the other person might be doing yoga. They are both healthy for you, but very different benefits and side effects.

Vipassana is not metta/compassion, which is not counting your breath, which is not guided meditation or TM or visualisation or mantra, etc etc etc.

Most of them will calm you down. Some are for developing focus, or concentration, or the ability to return from distractions, or compassion. Vipassana in large doses will almost definitely make you more distressed before it makes you less so.

Meditation will REALLY be popular when it is widely known that they are different mental exercises, with different effects.
posted by Elysum at 3:19 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]


Vipassana in large doses will almost definitely make you more distressed before it makes you less so.

I concur. This has been my experience. I found the first 6 months of my daily practice to be very traumatic, yet I persevered. It was so worth it.
Everyone's experience will differ.
posted by Lawton at 6:02 AM on October 25, 2015


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