Article:
Current Meditation Trends
by Rev. Sue Annabrooke Jones
Over the last few decades, meditation has become enormously popular throughout
the Western hemisphere. Published medical findings on the health benefits of meditation, the spread of yoga and
the martial arts, the publication of books on comparative meditation, the Dalai Lama's rise to prominence as
a respected spiritual teacher, cable TV and the Internet have all helped to fuel public interest in
meditation.
In the West, the swell of interest in meditation extends not only to those Eastern
meditation imports that have been around for awhile, notably those from the yogic and Zen Buddhist
traditions, but to other meditation methods that have taken root and sprouted up alongside them.
Some of these methods have grown slowly and steadily, while others have enjoyed a
boost in popularity through celebrity endorsements and other forms of media attention. While some forms of
meditation have wider appeal than others, they have all become part of the meditation landscape
here in the West.
The Contemporary Meditation Panorama
Chinese meditation has really come into its own over the last two decades. Chinese meditation
methods include those from the Taoist tradition, such as inner smile meditation and several forms of moving meditation
like tai chi; and Ch'an, also called early Zen or original Zen, of which there are several strains.
Other methods that have become part of the meditation scene include Nichiren Buddhist
meditation, a form of intonation meditation from Japan; Vedantic meditation and Jain
meditation from India; vipassana from Myanmar (formerly Burma); and meditation techniques from the various schools of
Tibetan Buddhism, such as tonglen meditation.
"Original" and new-old forms of meditation are also climbing in popularity. The
aforementioned Ch'an is one example. What has come to be knwon as Jewish Meditation is also enjoying a resurgence.
Comprising a collection of meditation techniques drawn from ancient Hebrew mystical practices, Jewish meditation is
practiced not only by persons of the Jewish faith, but to lapsed Jews and non-Jews as well.
We are also witnessing a trend toward inclusiveness, of which the Kwan Um School of
Zen Buddhism is a good illustration. Rinzai and Soto, the two main schools of Zen Buddhism, have always been treated
as separate paths, but the Kwan Um School teaches both meditation methods. Originating in Korea, the Kwan Um School
now has centers all over the world.
Various integral methods are also changing the face of meditation. The Integrated Amrita
Meditation (IAM) Technique from India, taught by the extremely popular Mata Amritanandamayi ("Amma"), is one example.
Dzogchen-mahamudra from Tibet is another one that is catching on, though it was actually hybridized
in the 17th Century, perhaps even earlier.
Forms of meditation associated with native traditions, like power animal meditation,
Hawaiian huna meditation and ecstatic dance, are also attracting attention.
Another trend in the West, a disturbing one to some, is the redefining
of meditation by its health benefits, and the subsequent corporatizing of meditation, a topic more
appropriately examined in a separate article.
Is there anything in this wild and woolly mix of meditation methods that is
new — truly new — in the meditation world? Surprisingly, the answer
is yes.
What's New
In the 1970s, British artist Benjamin Creme, claiming to be a channel for the
Ascended Masters, offered up transmission meditation. Transmission meditation is highly unusual in several respects,
notably its goal, which is not to benefit the meditator, but to uplift humanity and other planetary life forms.
The Quan Yin method, taught by the immensely popular Vietnamese spiritual teacher
Ching Hai, is another new form. Centering on meditation on the inner light and sound, and said to be divinely inspired,
the Quan Yin Method is practiced by her devotees all over the world.
Technology-induced meditation is another new kid on the block, its proponents proffering
a variety of techno-gadgets designed to induce deeper, faster and better meditation. With people being generally reluctant
to turn over the care and feeding of their minds to such devices, and the long-term effects of using these rather
expensive apparatuses being largely untested, the value and benefits of technology-induced meditation, if any, remain
to be seen.
The West's Contribution to Meditation
With Eastern meditation methods dominating the worldwide meditation scene, you may wonder
if the West has produced any forms of meditation. Here too, the answer is yes. Aside from the aforementioned
transmission meditation and technology-induced meditation, another form of meditation is indigenous to the West.
This meditation method originated in 17th Century England. Can you guess what it is? Hint:
its founder had powerful mystical visions that birthed a radical new religion, for which he and his followers were
persecuted. Give up? The heretic in question was George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, better known as
the Quakers. Silent meditation constitutes nearly all of Sunday services of the universalist or
"noncreedal" Quaker branch, and it is practiced regularly at Friends meeting houses worldwide.
To the West also goes credit for guided meditation; if not for its invention (its exact
origin is unknown, it may have developed from campfire storytelling or shamanic healing practices), then certainly for
the spread of it. Practiced widely today, usually for general well being, or to effect physical or psychological healing,
guided meditation is an excellent tool for connecting with the Inner Presence and for receiving guidance. It also works to empower
the imagination, a faculty of mind valued more highly in the West perhaps than in the East.
The West's greatest contribution to meditation, however, may lie not with specific
meditation methods, but with computer technology, which has played an enormous role in advancing meditation worldwide. Typing
the word meditation into a popular search engine renders over 26 million pages — pages packed with
information about meditation methods and their history, meditation products, meditation classes and groups all over the world,
and many, many other meditation resources.
The computer revolution has also given us a new way to practice object meditation
(meditation on a thing, tangible or intangible), which is meditation at the computer itself. Computer meditation can be
practiced while online or using recorded media.
Much of what passes for computer meditation amounts to little more than commercial
come-ons. But there can be no doubt that on the whole, computer meditation is genuine and worthwhile. Anyone can go
online and take a course in Sufi meditation, learn to chant the Gayatri Mantra, open the heart and calm the mind
with a guided Buddhist metta meditation, chant along with Tibetan monks, learn how to practice Jyoti meditation, and
more.
Further, visual tools for inner transformation, once available only to the fortunate few,
are now accessible to everyone for meditation, thanks to computer technology. Esoteric symbols and pictographs that are
capable of inducing powerful breakthroughs in consciousness, and sacred objects like mandalas and yantras, backlit by the
monitor, appear in all their illuminated splendor before our very eyes. The world wide web is
truly resplendent with opportunities, free and paid, for meditating at our computers.
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