September 15, 2003
Peace Out
Last April, the Dalai Lama wrote a fascinating editorial in the NY Times. Called "The Monk in the Lab," the piece described how research 
is demonstrating the beneficial effects of meditation in these times "when destructive emotions like anger, fear and hatred are giving rise to devastating problems throughout the world," as the Lama wrote. It's a poignant, thought-provoking premise, that peace is literally just a state of mind.
He visited MIT last week and gave a talk at a workshop on "Investigating the Mind: Exchanges Between Buddhism and the Biobehavioral Sciences on How the Mind Works.” I've always been fascinated by the intersection of faith and science -- even wrote a song about it -- because there's a fine line between the knowable and the unknowable. Researchers studying brain functions are trying to prove what a lot of people already know: Meditation gives people control over negative emotions and makes them happy, even euphoric. The fact that meditators exhibit greatly increased activity in brain regions associated with happiness doesn't prove God exists, obviously; let's leave that to the high energy physicists. But it has serious implications for religion as mind control, both in the positive and negative senses. Separated from the question of whether there's a deity, meditation (or prayer, maybe) can have a quantifiably positive effect on humans, and therefore on society. Boy, could we use it. But the irony is that so much hatred stems from religious zeal -- I'm not expecting the MIT folks to solve that one in my lifetime.
On a related note, some columnist named Tina Trice is just the latest pundit to speculate as to whether Prozac could reduce tensions in the Middle East. It's just a matter of time before the pharmaceutical industry catches on and offers Faith as a pill. Available by prescription only. May cause drowsiness. Do not take while operating machinery, etc.
Posted by Vernam at September 15, 2003 09:34 PMAmong reasons to pray, I don't think personal gain and avoiding damnation are especially worthy. How many more dubious reasons? To wish damnation on others (combination of the first two). To earn forgiveness for past transgressions -- that one was always suspicious to me. Even worse, to ensure forgiveness for future transgressions.
The fanatical types often are reacting to the fact that daily life doesn't bear out the belief that their way of life is superior. IOW, the world must be an evil place because it rewards the wicked and not the just. There's some truth to this, clearly. But taken to its extreme, it gives the whack jobs an excuse to hate, or worse, to act on that hatred in the most vile ways. Makes me proud to be an agnostic.
Posted by: Vernam at September 19, 2003 11:10 PM> Are you saying western culture reflects its
>(lack of) spirituality, or vice versa?
Not really; but I wouldn't disagree with that.
I was trying to say religous 'zealots,' in any religion, seem far too fixated on getting a piece of the pie. Or, at the very least, blowing up someone elses pie. Even islamic fundamentalists, their entire premis of a satanist western society, relies on the west's material wealth - and the (arguable) moral corruption it creates. They need the wealth, on the other side, to give themselves validity.
But if you subscribe to a more non-materialistic view of the world and to life-practice, your prayers aren't so much about 'give me.' You don't pray to buddha to give you enlightenment. Of course, if that was possible, I would!
A Pres Buddha? I'm sure we won't... but we still live with Jerry Brown, over in Oaktown...
> Are you saying western culture reflects its
>(lack of) spirituality, or vice versa?
Not really; but I wouldn't disagree with that.
I was trying to say religous 'zealots,' in any religion, seem far too fixated on getting a piece of the pie. Or, at the very least, blowing up someone elses pie. Even islamic fundamentalists, their entire premis of a satanist western society, relies on the west's material wealth - and the (arguable) moral corruption it creates. They need the wealth, on the other side, to give themselves validity.
But if you subscribe to a more non-materialistic view of the world and to life-practice, your prayers aren't so much about 'give me.' You don't pray to buddha to give you enlightenment. Of course, if that was possible, I would!
A Pres Buddha? I'm sure we won't... but we still live with Jerry Brown, over in Oaktown...
Are you saying western culture reflects its (lack of) spirituality, or vice versa? I think there's plenty of blame to go around. Organized religion as mind control has long since outlived its usefulness, assuming it every had any. My sense is, before civilization took root, religion was necessary to explain how/why people should behave morally. Now it undermines civilization. Or, at best, fanatics who want to undermine civilization want to use it as an excuse.
Do you think either of us will live to see a Buddhist president of the U.S.?
Posted by: Vernam at September 16, 2003 11:48 PMPeace: within you and without you.
I'll even go you a step further and propose that if the 'modern' forms of judeo-christian based prayer *were* more meditative and less "here's what I need from you now, Lord," a big hunk of the hatred you point to, in religious zealotry, wouldn't exist.
Meditate to find your way to becoming the Buddha. Not meditate to the Buddha!
Posted by: deano at September 16, 2003 02:31 PM