Buddha's way is best if you want to combat
stress
By Stefanie Marsh, The Times, April 8, 2004
London, UK -- IN CASE more than 20 centuries of grueling spiritual
journeys towards harmony and balance have not persuaded you,
scientists have now proved that Buddhist meditation relieves
stress.
Researchers at Wisconsin University monitored the brain activity of
25 randomly chosen individuals and concluded that Buddhist
meditation causes a significant reduction in anxiety and
correspondingly increased levels of positive emotions.
Members of the group, who meditated for 14 hours over an eight-week
period, exhibited a dramatic increase in levels of activity in the
prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that is most commonly
associated with well-being and happiness.
The only problem now is to resolve which form of meditation is the
most successful in combating what has been labelled Britains
stress epidemic. Nine out of ten workers claim to suffer from
stress and almost a million people claim incapacity benefit for
mental strain.
While transcendental meditation has been shown to lower blood
pressure, mindfulness training is reported to decrease symptoms
in those with confirmed psychiatric diagnoses.
According to the Tibetan spiritual teacher, the Venerable
Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, it is specifically Buddhist meditation
that yields the most positive results. Other forms of meditation,
such as the form practised in yoga where yogis attempt simply to
clear their minds, were less effective.
Buddhist meditation is different from other forms of meditation
because it attempts to rid the mind of what we call the five
poisons desire, attachment to material things, pride, jealousy
and anger, he said.
Other forms of meditation say that in time you will find inner
peace but do not treat the root cause of unhappiness, and the same
can be said for various other forms of so-called stress-busting.
Even karate or swimming require the mind to be active, so there is
no fundamental change occurring.
The Venerable Lama, who has a large following in Britain, including
bankers, lawyers and government officials, accused the British of
being too negative.
Physically a lot of people have become incapable of enjoying their
lives because they do nothing but sit in front of the television,
he said.
They have become so focused on their professions, which often
require very boring repetitive skills, that they lose motivation
for everything. A lot of people in Britain are very negative and
are very happy to judge other people and also themselves. They have
become paralysed and dont know how to be positive.
In Buddhism you learn to use meditation as a target. You need to
find out your poison and transform that into a positive.
The Venerable Lama came to Britain in the 1960s and is now the
abbot of Kagyu Samye Ling monastery in Scotland. He is a meditation
master and specialises in bringing meditation into everyday
life.
Buddhist Lamas, or teachers, recommend 15 minutes of meditation
every day, preferably in the mornings. In the seven-point
posture, for example, which can be held either cross-legged on the
floor or sitting in a chair, the focus moves from the seat to the
eyes, spine, shoulders, back of the neck, mouth and tongue.
Sit down and prioritise what it is you want from your life and try
to target the weakest point in your life.
Tibetan Buddhism dates back to AD173, when Buddhist scriptures
arrived in southern Tibet from India during the reign of Thothori
Nyantsen, the 28th king of Tibet.
There are 152,000 Buddhists in Britain. The elimination of hatred,
greed and ignorance are core to the Buddhist faith.
Lama Zangmo is the first western female Lama in Britain. She is
also the spiritual director of the Tibetan Buddhist Centre in
London.
She said: Meditation is about the present moment and learning to
live our lives to the full in the present moment.
Whats special about Buddhism is that it enables you to bring
something with you into your everyday life. Its very different
from becoming calm through yoga or acupuncture.
HEALING BY CONCENTRATION
Chanting
Anathema to many until recently, chanting, especially in yoga
classes, has a new following among those keen to let it all
out.
It is believed that the sounds caused by chanting have a healing
effect on the nervous system. The two main types are Gregorian and
overtone. The word Om is rarely heard in class: it is a recluse
mantra for those who wish to renounce the world.
Transcendental meditation
The most controversial form is still in relative infancy after
being introduced to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1959. But
more than four million people, including the Beatles, Clint
Eastwood and the film director David Lynch, enthusiastically took
it up in their search for Nirvana.
TM involves the repetition of a Sanksrit mantra, a short word or
phrase which is said to have a soothing effect and to allow a
deeper level of consciousness while remaining fully alert. Harmful
effects include physical tics and emotional volatility.
Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness, vipassana or insight meditation, requires
practitioners to focus on the details. A person attempting
vipassana should try to be aware of thoughts, sounds, smells and
sensations as they happen.
Someone practising mindful meditation will sit quietly and try to
witness whatever goes through the mind, not reacting or becoming
involved with thoughts, memories, worries, or images. A focus on
the breath and patience are often key components in this form of
meditation.
Yogic gaze
Practitioners often choose to focus their gaze on a candle,
although any other relatively stationary object can be used.
The candle, which is placed at arms length and at eye level, is
gazed at for several minutes. The eyes are then closed and the
practitioner attempts instead to focus on the image of the candle
inside the head.
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