Is Buddhism Good For Your Health?

This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was

Buddhists have many practices that all mostly focus on the ideas of purifying one’s self through the eightfold path. The practice of meditation in the Buddhist faith

Josephine P. Briggs, M. (2010, June 25). Exploring the Power of Meditation. Retrieved from National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: https://nccih.nih.gov/about/offices/od/2010-06.htm

When people generally discuss the Buddhist principals or the life of Buddha, the subjects of the anatomy or evolution of probably rarely arise. However in this book, “Buddha 's Brain – the practical neuroscience of happiness, love, & wisdom”, many of the tenets of Buddhist teachings are backed by the latest research and well established scientific theory. The author, Dr. Rick Hanson and his collaborator, Dr. Richard Mendius, are both scientist themselves with Dr. Hanson being a neuropsychologist and Dr. Mendius being a neurologist. While someone might infer from the title that the book is focused on the connection between science and Buddhism, that is not the case. The weight of the book actually deals with the various states of the mind associated with suffering and the ways we can overcome them in psychological growth, spiritual practice, and positive well-being.

Published in “Newsweek”, “The Neuroscience of Meditation, And the Virtues of Shutting Up,” by Zoe Schlanger, is an article to persuade stressed out and skeptical people towards meditation. Published in 2015, the focus of this article is to help those who don’t understand how “powerful” meditation can be and how others may react to the situation. Miss Schlanger not only puts in her own personal experience, but also brings in other information to try to help guide them to a positive outlook on the way meditation helped her and how it could help them as well. This piece effectively helps the target audience lean toward the idea of meditation by switching from casual to formal diction, using personal experience, and organizing to keep the flow interesting.

Research suggests that meditation may physically change the brain and body and could potentially help to improve many health problems and promote healthy behaviors. In a 2012 study, researchers compared brain images from 50 adults who meditate and 50 adults who don’t meditate. Results suggested that people who practiced meditation for many years have more folds in the outer layer of the brain. This process (called gyrification) may increase the brain’s ability to process information (Meditation: In Depth).

Buddhist meditation is very different from all other forms preached by other religions. To understand their meditation one must first learn about the Esoteric Buddhist beliefs and teachings. Esoteric Buddhism is a large sect that is also known as Shingon, which translates to true word, and Mikkyo Buddism. Esoteric Buddhism rose to popularity during the Tang dynasty. This rise was due to the rich liturgy that an esoteric buddhist had to study. It became popular amongst the intellectual who wanted to learn more about the teachings. Esoteric Buddhist also are required to meditate in order to advance in their spiritual progress. Esoteric Buddhism is based primarily on the

Namely, Buddhist scholars and some monastics, are troubled about the subsequential lineage arising from MBSR programs, specifically how they might be diluting the rich teachings from various Buddhist schools and traditions (p. 189). With regards to Buddhist traditions, a vow of ethical behavior is required before engaging in meditation training. Reason being, vows provide “structure of safety for retreatants and monastics, and useful in purifying the mind for deeper practice” (p.189) Reputably, Cullen’s illustrates that Jon Kabat-Zin cultivated formal and informal practices of mindfulness, focusing on Vipassana Buddhist traditions. On the grounds that, this application, refrains from deep cultural influences compared to other Buddhist schools tradition and practices. This merger of Vipassana traditions in mainstream settings, still uphold original formal practices of the tradition, including; mindful movement (yoga that places emphasis on mindful awareness of the body), body scans (first foundation of mindfulness), sitting meditation (awareness of breath and extending awareness to include all four foundations of mindfulness) (p.188). Intentions of these MBSR programs are not solely based on stress reduction, but, the application of four foundations in daily life. According to Cullen is

Meditation is a huge aspect of the Buddhist way of life because meditation allows one to become connected with their inner self. It was believed that Buddha had become awakened through his meditation and realization of what causes his suffering and happiness which led to what is known as the Four Noble Truths. The meditation sessions take place on Saturdays and does not consist of one class where everything is learned, but instead several different classes where things are learned over a period of time. He had said that the first session was just to get to clear your mind and learn the way you think. This is a significant part of the buddhist beliefs because Buddhist adherents believe happiness comes from within, and in order to release all negativity, one must first connect with their innermost thoughts and

I agree meditation can do wonders for the human brain. It has been proven with MRI's that  the brains of the people who meditate have a higher amount of gray matter in the hippocampus area compare to those that do not meditate. This part of the brain has to do with the way we process information and memory.  Medication can also help us synchronize the left hemisphere of the brain,  responsible for our mathematical thinking and the right hemisphere which is our creative and intuitive side the connection among the two is called "whole brain synchronization" It is believe that past inventors and great thinkers were able to use both the right and left parts of the brain in harmony.  (Meditation's Effect on the Brain: Positive Changes Through Meditative

A particular branch of Buddhism called Zen Buddhism has sparked an interest in psychologists with a focus on mindfulness, meditation and non-violence (Berger, 1962). Zen Buddhism is a practice that was transferred from master to disciple and dates back to the spiritual awakening of Siddhartha (Buddha). Zen means , quiet simply, meditation and the experience of living in the moment. The teaching of Zen Buddhism claims to be “a special transmission outside the scripture, not depending upon the letter, but pointing directly to one’s Mind to see into Nature itself and attain Buddha-hood” (Suzuki, 1938). Berger (1962) described Zen as a form of Buddhism that originated in India and was introduced to China in the first century A.D. The

Buddhism is seen as a religion that leads more to spiritualism rather than religious teachings. Founded by Buddha, one must achieve their own spiritual awakening, or nirvana, through meditation and ethical living. Most Buddhists spend a large portion of their time in self-reflection or meditation as a way to liberate themselves from perceptions of inadequacy. Through human desires, Buddhists believe that suffering is an imperative part of life’s existence. The purpose of this paper is to understand The Four noble truths and The Eightfold Path, the main goal of Buddhists, and how meditation can relieve one from suffering.

A major impact meditation has is on the physical increase of thickness of the cerebral cortex (outer layer of brain tissue) and grey matter

According to Schneider et al., in a 5-year study with patients who have coronary heart disease it was found that there is a 48% reduction in death, heart attack, and strokes with people who used Transcendental Meditation as opposed to the control group (2012). Not only is Transcendental Meditation great for an individual’s health, but it is also great for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, increased school performance and helping treat some mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Neurophysiologists have shown interest in that state of no-self that Buddhist monks can reach while in prayer. It has been found, using a specialized brain imaging technique based on CT scanning, that the brain-state of Buddhist monks in deep meditation is radically different from that of the average waking person (Newberg et al., 2001). In fact, during meditation the body changes its physiological ‘state' to a more beneficial pattern (Weiten, 2005, p. 145). This is not to say that Buddhism is "the path" – similar brain patterns have also been found in Franciscan Nuns deep in prayer. Interesting work has also been done researching the effect of electromagnetic interference on brain function. Researchers