The Meditation of Life

The Meditation of Life

Without exception, everything that has happened in your life, every choice you have made, has brought you to where you are now. And where are you now? You are reading this blog post. Depending on your frame of mind, you will engage with the words in this post to a greater or lesser extent. This blog post, as well as every other experience and encounter you have ever had, will be a causal factor in terms of bringing you into contact with all of your future experiences. The process of accumulating experiences that each influence who we are and what we do, is called life. Perhaps we can think of life as a big snowball rolling down a hill. The snowball grows and accumulates snow as it rolls, and this accumulation – as well as the gradient and texture of the terrain – keeps causing the snowball’s weight, size, shape, velocity, and direction, to change.

If a person was to stop the snowball and look at it, they might only see a big ball of snow that they want to play with or take photographs of. Alternatively, if they have sufficient insight, they might see the snowball as the product of the journey it has undertaken. In this case, when they look at the snowball, they will see how it has grown, the choices it has made, the terrain and landscape it has passed through, and the different bumps and jumps it encountered along the way. The same applies when we look at ourselves and other people. If we have sufficient skill and insight, when we meet somebody we can glean understanding into the journey they have undertaken. We can see how they have grown, what motivates them, what scars they have accumulated, and whether they live only for themselves or for the betterment of humanity. Furthermore, based on the trajectory of their choices and journey thus far, we might be able to estimate the direction that they will go in next.

The difference between a skilled and mediocre meditator is that when the skilled meditator looks at a person, situation, or object, they see the whole story. They see that a person or object is comprised of its past, present, and future. If we can understand the trajectory that a person is travelling on, it means we are better able to decide what intervention, if any, might be possible to help shift that trajectory into one that will bring them wisdom and happiness.

Another difference between a skilled and mediocre meditator is that the skilled meditator doesn’t actually practise meditation. To practise meditation implies that a person tries to be mindful or regularly sits in meditation in order to cultivate mental tranquillity or clarity. However, the truth is that whether we know it or not, and whether we like it or not, we are all partaking in a meditation. This mediation is called life. Life brings us into contact with new experiences each moment of every day. These experiences are pregnant with wisdom. They are our teacher, if we want them to be. This applies to seemingly boring situations just as much as it does to circumstances that appear to be out of the ordinary or that we find challenging.

In other words, we don’t need to strain ourselves in meditation to look for spiritual insights because they are all around us. Everything we do, every sound we hear, every person we meet, are opportunities to grow and encounter spiritual insight. All we have to do is open our eyes, heart, and mind. Don’t you see that you have been meditating since before the moment you were born? As soon as we realise we are partaking in a meditation, we start to wake up and see how each moment of our lives connects to, and influences, the next. Moreover, we encounter the complex web of the universe and begin to see how each moment of our lives connects to each moment of the life of every other living and non-living entity.

Meditation isn’t about sitting with our legs crossed and working ourselves into a state of calm. Rather, it is the art of fully experiencing every aspect of normal daily living and using it as the raw material to foster spiritual awakening. Meditation is both joyful and painful. There is nothing mystical about meditation. It is the process of allowing life to be our teacher. Eating a piece of toast is our teacher. Getting drenched by the rain is our teacher. Missing the bus is our teacher. Being cheated out of money is our teacher. Making love is our teacher. Taking a dump is our teacher. The death of a loved one is our teacher. Winning is our teacher. Losing is our teacher. Getting old is our teacher. Meditation is being awake to what is unfolding in front of us and having the courage to embrace life as the training ground for cultivating our full potential for love and wisdom.

Dr Edo Shonin & Dr William Van Gordon

Letting Go

The following post is from a friend in Thailand. Roughly, the words translate as: ‘If you let go, time will heal’. This is sound advice. However, better still is not to hold on in the first place! This is the path of meditation.

Condivido il seguente post da un’amica in Thailandia. Grossomodo, le parole si traducono come: ‘Se si lascia andare le cose, con il tempo tutte le cose possano guarire’. Questo è un consiglio sano. Tuttavia, Forse è meglio non trattenere delle cose già dall’inizio! Questo è il percorso della meditazione.

Ven Dr Edo Shonin & William Van Gordon

Putting the ‘Buddhist’ Back into Mindfulness: A Research Round-Up

Putting the ‘Buddhist’ Back into Mindfulness:

A Research Round-Up

The past is history and no longer exists. The future never arrives. Life can only be experienced in the present moment. Mindfulness involves focussing awareness on the present moment and paying attention, in real-time terms, to psychological and sensory processes. Mindfulness derives from Buddhist practice where it is deemed to constitute a form of spiritual training. In Buddhism, mindfulness comprises one small part of the path to spiritual awakening.

As Buddhist teachers, we have practiced mindfulness for most of our adult lives. However, about four years ago, we decided to commence a programme of empirical research with the objective of helping to improve scientific understanding of mindfulness and related contemplative techniques. The decision to do this was influenced by our growing concern that the rate at which mindfulness is being assimilated by academia (and Western society more generally) means that some researchers, scholars, and Buddhist teachers have overlooked the need to (i) consolidate and replicate research findings, (ii) clarify whether mindfulness (i.e., as it is used in contemporary mindfulness-based interventions) continues to bear any resemblance to the Buddhist model of mindfulness, (iii) investigate potential harmful effects of mindfulness, (iv) control for a ‘popularity effect’ in mindfulness intervention studies, (v) formulate comprehensive training and supervision curricula – that are informed by the traditional meditation literature – for secular mindfulness instructors, and (vi) investigate the Buddhist position that mindfulness has limited utility when isolated from the supporting meditative and spiritual techniques that would traditionally accompany it.

Within the last four years, we have published (or submitted for publication) – mostly as first authors – over 80 academic papers specifically relating to mindfulness and related contemplative techniques (i.e., peer-reviewed papers, professional/practitioner journal papers, academic book chapters, and books [over 230 publications within the last 4 years if one counts peer-reviewed papers on subjects not directly related to mindfulness, conference papers, blog posts, etc.]). Today’s post provides a brief summary of findings from some of our key academic papers relating to mindfulness and outlines their implications for the field of mindfulness research and practice (see further reading list below for details of specific papers referred to in this post).

Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions

In order to address some of the aforementioned issues relating to mindfulness, an important part of our research has explored the applications of a newly-developed second generation of mindfulness-based intervention (SG-MBIs). SG-MBIs frame mindfulness as a spiritual or psycho-spiritual practice and employ a greater range of meditative techniques compared to first-generation mindfulness-based interventions (FG-MBIs). More specifically, a part of our empirical work has focussed on assessing the efficacy, versatility, and flexibility of an eight-week secular SG-MBI known as Meditation Awareness Training (MAT). MAT has been the subject of empirical investigation since 2010 and to our knowledge, it represents the first intervention meeting all the criteria of a SG-MBI to be formally evaluated in research settings.

Findings from our research show that SG-MBIs (and more specifically MAT) may have a role in the treatment of a range of health-related disorders including fibromyalgia syndrome, work addiction, sex addiction, problem gambling, schizophrenia, sleep disturbance, stress, anxiety, and depression. Our published research findings also indicate that MAT can lead to improvements in (for example) job performance, goal attainment, decision-making competency, positive affect, negative affect, dispositional mindfulness, civic engagement, non-attachment (to self and symptoms), and job satisfaction.

In addition to helping to prompt an international programme of empirical investigation into SG-MBIs (i.e., as a means of addressing some of the limitations of FG-MBIs), other specific examples of how our research has helped to advance scientific understanding are as follows:

• Providing theoretical and empirical support for a novel definition of mindfulness that acknowledges its spiritual properties and that is increasingly being utilised in the academic literature (we have defined mindfulness as the “process of engaging a full, direct, and active awareness of experienced phenomena that is (i) spiritual in aspect and (ii) maintained from one moment to the next”).
• Defining the key components of SG-MBIs as well as the factors that distinguish them from FG-MBIs.
• Delineating the key attributes of mindfulness from a Buddhist perspective and offering recommendations in terms of integrating them into contemporary secular mindfulness-based interventions.
• Explicating the relationship between mindfulness and emptiness, and demonstrating how the emptiness principle could challenge some central assumptions of Western psychological thought.
• Conceiving and providing preliminary empirical evidence for a new psychological theory (called Ontological Addiction Theory) that posits ‘addiction to self’ as a third category of addiction (i.e., in addition to chemical and behavioural addiction).
• Eliciting rich quantitative and qualitative data to feedback into, and refine the design of, the secular MAT intervention.
• Empirically demonstrating the role of self-attachment in the onset and maintenance of mental illness.
• Conducting the first ever empirical study to use mindfulness as a treatment for workaholism.
• Conducting the first ever controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of any treatment for individuals suffering from workaholism.
• Conducting the first ever empirical study to use mindfulness as a treatment for sex-addiction.
• Conducting the first ever empirical study to use mindfulness as a treatment for co-occurring schizophrenia and problem gambling.
• Conducting the first ever qualitative study to evaluate the experiences of individuals suffering from fibromyalgia syndrome following participation in a mindfulness-based intervention.
• Eliciting rich quantitative and qualitative data to facilitate the design of suitable non-pharmacological interventions for treating behavioural addiction.
• Delineating how an in-depth understanding of a Buddhist model of suffering can inform the effective practice of mindfulness as well as its use in clinical settings.

Limitations

Findings from our research need to be considered in light of their limitations that are discussed in detail in the various papers referred to in this post (see further reading list below). However, a more general limitation of our research is that although SG-MBIs have been presented as a means of addressing some of the limitations of FG-MBIs, our research findings do not allow direct comparisons to be drawn as to the relative effectiveness of FG- versus SG-MBIs. Accurately drawing such conclusions would require the conducting of head-to-head comparison studies in which the FG- and SG-MBI protocols are delivered under identical research conditions (although it is acknowledged that effect size calculations as part of rigorously conducted meta-analytical studies could provide an approximation of relative effectiveness). Thus, our research could be criticised for relying too heavily on supposition as to the necessity for SG-MBIs.

Implications and Future Directions

Notwithstanding the lack of studies directly comparing FG-MBIs with SG-MBIs, SG-MBIs constitute an important development in mindfulness research and practice because, at the very least, they provide service-users—including those interested in (or belonging to) Eastern contemplative traditions—with an intervention that more closely follows a traditional (but secular) approach to mindfulness practice. Furthermore, it may be that FG-MBIs and SG-MBIs can co-exist or complement each other because they are based on different delineations of mindfulness and employ distinct treatment models.

Findings from our (and others’) research indicate that SG-MBIs may have applications for treating a diverse-range of health disorders (as well as applications in other applied settings such as the workplace). It appears that the more spiritual approach embodied by SG-MBIs plays an important role in terms of their therapeutic efficacy. This is significant because FG-MBIs have generally been reluctant to acknowledge any spiritual affiliation and have largely presented mindfulness as an exclusively psychological technique. There are, no doubt, important psychological and attentional aspects to mindfulness and it is correct to identify and evaluate these under research conditions. However, there can reach a point where the conceptual and empirical reductionism of mindfulness means that its use in Western research and applied settings fails to capture the essence of what mindfulness was traditionally intended to embody. Moving forward, a key challenge for the scientific community will be to embrace the need to undertake programmes of empirical investigation to explore the possibility that some of the most active ingredients of mindfulness operate on the metaphysical rather than purely the psychological or biological plane.

Ven Dr Edo Shonin and Ven William Van Gordon

 Further Reading

1. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Garcia-Campayo, J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). Can compassion cure health-related disorders? British Journal of General Practice, In Press.
2. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon W. (2017). The Mindful Warrior: The Path to Wellbeing. Wisdom, and Awareness. [Trade book; In Press].
3. Van Gordon, W. (2017). Exploring the Clinical Applications of Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Mixed-Methods Investigation [PhD Thesis]. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University. [In Press].
4. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Dunn, T., Garcia-Campayo, J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Meditation Awareness Training for the treatment of fibromyalgia: A randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Health Psychology, Advance Online Publication, doi:10.1111/bjhp.12224.
5. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Buddhist emptiness theory: Implications for psychology. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance Online Publication, doi: 1037/rel0000079.
6. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Lomas, T., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Corporate use of mindfulness and authentic spiritual transmission: Competing or compatible ideals? Mindfulness and Compassion, 1, 75-83.
7. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Meditation Awareness Training for the treatment of sex addiction: A case study. Journal of Behavioral Addiction, 5, 363-372.
8. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2016). The mechanisms of mindfulness in the treatment of mental health and addiction. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 14, 844-849.
9. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Meditation Awareness Training for individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of participant’s experiences. Mindfulness, 7, 409-419.
10. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Mindfulness and wellbeing: Towards a unified operational approach. In: I. Ivtzan, & T. Lomas (Eds). Mindfulness in Positive Psychology: The Science of Meditation and Wellbeing (pp. 280-292). Oxford: Routledge.
11. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2016). Experiencing the universal breath: A guided meditation. Mindfulness, 7, 1243-1245.
12. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Ontological addiction: Classification, etiology, and treatment. Mindfulness, 7, 660-671.
13. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Are contemporary mindfulness-based interventions unethical? British Journal of General Practice, 66, 94-94.
14. Griffiths, M. D., Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2016). Mindfulness as a treatment for gambling disorder. Journal of Gambling and Commercial Gaming Research, 1, 47-52. DOI 10.17536/jgcgr.2016.004.
15. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2016). Thupten Jingpa on compassion and mindfulness. Mindfulness, 7, 279-283.
16. Cavalli, G., Van Gordon, W., & Shonin, E. (2016) Imparare fin da piccoli la mindfulness. Educare03, 3, 6-8.
17. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Griffiths, M. D. (2016). The four types of psychologist: Ineffective, satisfactory, gifted, and gone beyond. PsychCentral. Available at: http://pro.psychcentral.com/the-four-types-of-psychologist-ineffective-satisfactory-gifted-and-gone-beyond/0016491.html.
18. Shonin, E. (2015). Integrating Buddhist Practices and Principles into Mental Health Settings: A Mixed Methods Investigation [PhD Thesis]. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University.
19. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Does mindfulness work? British Medical Journal, 351:h6919. DOI: 1136/bmj.h6919.
20. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. (2015). Towards a second-generation of mindfulness-based interventions. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 591-591.
21. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2015). Managers’ experiences of Meditation Awareness Training. Mindfulness, 4, 899-909.
22. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Teaching ethics in mindfulness-based interventions. Mindfulness, 6, 1491-1493.
23. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M.D. (2015). Mindfulness in mental health: A critical reflection. Journal of Psychology, Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Brain Stimulation, 1(1),
24. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Singh, N. N. (Eds). (2015). Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness. New York: Springer.
25. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Singh, N. N. (2015). Mindfulness and Buddhist Practice. In: E. Shonin, W. Van Gordon, & N. N. Singh (Eds). Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness (pp. 1-6). New York: Springer.
26. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Griffiths, M. D., & Singh, N. N. (2015). Mindfulness and the Four Noble Truths. In: E. Shonin, W. Van Gordon, & N. N. Singh (Eds). Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness (pp. 9-27). New York: Springer.
27. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Singh, N. N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Mindfulness of Emptiness and the Emptiness of Mindfulness. In: E. Shonin, W. Van Gordon, & N. N. Singh (Eds). Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness (pp. 159-178). New York: Springer.
28. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Griffiths, M. D., & Singh, N. N. (2015). There is only one mindfulness: Why science and Buddhism need to work together. Mindfulness, 6, 49-56.
29. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2015). Mindfulness of ignorance. Mindfulness, 6, 1487-1490.
30. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Compare, A., Zangeneh, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Buddhist-derived loving-kindness and compassion meditation for the treatment of psychopathology: A systematic review. Mindfulness, 6, 1161-1180.
31. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2015). Practical recommendations for teaching mindfulness effectively. Mindfulness, 6, 952-955.
32. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Are there risks associated with using mindfulness for the treatment of psychopathology? Clinical Practice, 11, 389-382.
33. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2015). The lineage of mindfulness. Mindfulness, 6, 141-145.
34. Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). For the mindful teaching of mindfulness. The Psychologist, 28, 514-515.
35. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (Eds). (2015). Mindfulness and Buddhist-derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addictions. Gewerbestrasse (Switzerland): Springer.
36. Langer, A. I., Carmona-Torres, J. A., Van Gordon, W., & Shonin, E. (2015). Mindfulness for the treatment of psychosis: State of the art and future developments. In: E. Shonin, W. Van Gordon, & M. D. Griffiths (Eds). Mindfulness and Buddhist-derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction (pp. 211-244). Gewerbestrasse (Switzerland): Springer.
37. Shonin, E. (2015). This is not McMindfulness by any stretch of the imagination: Edo Shonin talks to Jon Kabat-Zinn. The Psychologist. Available at: https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/not-mcmindfulness-any-stretch-imagination
38. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Mindfulness and Buddhist-derived treatment techniques in mental health and addiction. In: E. Shonin, W. Van Gordon, & M. D. Griffiths (Eds). Mindfulness and Buddhist-derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction (pp. 1-8). Gewerbestrasse (Switzerland): Springer.
39. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). The self and the non-self: Applications of Buddhist philosophy in psychotherapy. RaIIS-IT, 12, 10-11.
40. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Mindfulness in psychology: A breath of fresh air? The Psychologist, 28, 28-31.
41. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Do mindfulness-based therapies have a role in the treatment of psychosis? Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48, 124-127.
42. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Sumich, A., Sundin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for psychological wellbeing in a sub-clinical sample of university students: A controlled pilot study. Mindfulness, 5,381-391.
43. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Dunn, T., Singh, N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Meditation Awareness Training for work-related wellbeing and job performance: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12, 806-823.
44. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Practical tips for using mindfulness in general practice. British Journal of General Practice, 64, 368-369.
45. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Zangeneh, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Work-related mental health and job performance: Can mindfulness help? International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12, 129-137.
46. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Mindfulness and the social media. Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism, 2014, 4: 5, DOI: 10.4172/2165-7912.1000194.
47. Compare, A., Zarbo, C., Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Marconi, C. (2014). Emotional regulation and depression: A potential mediator between heart and mind. Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology, 2014, Article ID 324374, DOI 10.1155/2014/324374.
48. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). The treatment of workaholism with Meditation Awareness Training: A Case Study. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 10, 193-195.
49. Shonin, E. & Van Gordon, W. (2014). Using mindfulness and insight to transform loneliness. Mindfulness, 5, 771-773.
50. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). The emerging role of Buddhism in clinical psychology: Toward effective integration. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6, 123-137.
51. Shonin, E. & Van Gordon, W. (2014). Mindfulness of death. Mindfulness, 5, 464-466.
52. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Current trends in mindfulness and mental health. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12, 113-115.
53. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for the treatment of co-occurring schizophrenia with pathological gambling: A case study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 12, 181-196.
54. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Mindfulness as a treatment for behavioral addiction. Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, 5, e122. DOI: 10.4172/2155-6105.1000e122.
55. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths M. D. (2014). Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for improved psychological wellbeing: A qualitative examination of participant experiences. Journal of Religion and Health, 53, 849-863.
56. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Skelton, K., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Working mindfully: Can mindfulness improve work-related wellbeing and work effectiveness? Counselling at Work (A Journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), Winter Issue, 14-19.
57. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Just what the doctor ordered! Mindfulness meditation as medication. Awakenings Middle East, September/November, 10-13.
58. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Changing Paradigms: Buddhist Insight in Western Psychological Treatments. PsyPAG, 92, 35-39.
59. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2014). Dream or reality? Philosophy Now, 104, 54.
60. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Practical tips for teaching mindfulness to school-aged children. Education and Health, 32, 30-33.
61. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Loving-kindness and compassion meditation in psychotherapy. Thresholds: Quarterly Journal of the Association for Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Counselling (A Journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), Spring Issue, 9-12.
62. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Mindfulness meditation in American correctional facilities: A ‘what-works’ approach to reducing reoffending. Corrections Today: Journal of the American Correctional Association, March/April, 48-51.
63. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). The top ten mistakes made by Buddhist meditation practitioners. The Buddhist Voice, 1(5), 22-24.
64. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Understanding and practicing mindfulness. RaISS-IT, 10, 14-16.
65. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Dunn, T., Singh, N. N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Study summary – Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for work-related wellbeing and job performance: A randomized controlled trial. In J. Näsström (Ed.), Focused, Calm and Effective: Effects of Mindfulness in the Workplace (pp.22-25). Stockholm: Potential Project Sverige AB. (ISBN 9781508855644).
66. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Meditation as medication: Are attitudes changing? British Journal of General Practice, 63,
67. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2013). The consuming mind. Mindfulness, 5, 345-347.
68. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based interventions: Towards mindful clinical integration. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 1-4. DOI:3389/fpsyg.2013.00194.
69. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., Slade, K., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Mindfulness and other Buddhist-derived interventions in correctional settings: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 365-372.
70. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Buddhist philosophy for the treatment of problem gambling. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2, 63-71.
71. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2013). Searching for the present moment, Mindfulness, 5, 105-107.
72. Shonin, E., Van Gordon W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Meditation for the treatment of addictive behaviours: Sending out an SOS. Addiction Today, March, 18-19.
73. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: A tool for Spiritual Growth? Thresholds: Quarterly Journal of the Association for Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Counselling (Journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), Summer Issue, 14-18.
74. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W. & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of problem gambling. Journal of the National Council on Problem Gambling, 16, 17-18.
75. Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2013). Meditation Awareness Training: Participant Training Guide – Revised. Nottingham, UK: Awake to Wisdom.
76. Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012). The health benefits of mindfulness-based interventions for children and adolescents. Education and Health, 30, 94-97.
77. Lomas, T., Etcoff, N., Van Gordon, W., & Shonin, E. (2016). The aesthetics of living mindfully: Learning from Zen artistic principles. Manuscript Under Review.
78. Garcia-Campayo, J., Demarzo, M., Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2016). Cultural influences on the teaching and practice of mindfulness and compassion: Is there a Latin health paradox in mindfulness? Manuscript Under Review.
79. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Garcia-Campayo, J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Are the adverse effects associated with mindfulness? Manuscript Under Review.
80. Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Dunn, T., Garcia-Campayo, J., Demarzo, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Meditation Awareness Training for the treatment of workaholism: A non-randomised controlled trial. Manuscript Under Review.
81. Navarro-Gil, M., Escolano-Marco, C., Minguez-Zafra, J., Shonin, E., & García-Campayo, J. (2016). Efficacy of neurofeedback on the increase of mindfulness levels in healthy subjects: a controlled trial. Manuscript Under Review.
82. Montero-Marín, J., Navarro-Gil, M., Gasión, V., Puebla, M., Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & García-Campayo, J. (2016). Efficacy of ‘Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy’ and mindfulness-enriched ‘Amygdala and Insula Retraining’ in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia: a three-arm randomized controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up. Manuscript Under Review.

Mindfulness for Pet Dogs

 

Unsurprisingly, a search of the academic literature reveals that there has been little (if any) scientific investigation into whether dogs can be taught mindfulness. In fact, you would be forgiven for thinking that teaching dogs mindfulness is taking things too far and that it is another example of how ancient mindfulness teachings are being misappropriated in modern society. However, based on personal experience, it’s our view that under certain conditions and to a certain extent, some dogs can learn to practise a form of mindfulness. In this post we present the cases of Vajra, Tara, and Zeus – three beautiful dogs with whom we are fortunate to have shared our lives – and share how they have each come to embody a form of mindfulness practice.

Vajra

Vajra was a medium sized mixed-breed male dog who lived with us at a Buddhist monastery and retreat centre that we ran in North Wales. Vajra (pictured above) was fawn coloured and his weight as an adult was approximately 18kg. Vajra came to us as a puppy from a dog rescue centre. He grew up in the monastery and met new people on a day-to-day basis. The monastery followed a daily routine of meditation practice involving formal seated meditations in the morning and evenings as well as periods of silence, walking meditation, working meditation, study, and chanting. At various times throughout the day, the monastery bell would sound in order to invite people to a particular practice or to remind them to stop, breathe, and remember that they are alive.

When Vajra was two years old, of his own accord he would come and lie in the meditation hall during the formal meditation sessions. To begin with, he would often just go to sleep and he could sometimes be heard snoring when people were trying to meditate. However, from the time Vajra reached three years of age, rather than lay on his side and go to sleep during meditation, he would assume a squatting position whereby he was still effectively lying down, but was upright and sat directly over his front paws. When sat in this manner, Vajra would hold his head off the ground and in addition to remaining alert, he would stay still and as quiet as a mouse. We suppose this posture would be similar to that which professionally trained dogs assume when they are given the “platz” command.

As mentioned above, walking meditation was practised on a daily basis at the monastery and this involved participants walking very slowly, in single file, and remaining meditatively aware of all that they experienced during each moment of every step. When he was young, Vajra would ignore the people practising walking meditation and would use the practice as an opportunity to play, sniff, and run around. However, as he grew older, Vajra started to join in with the walking meditation; he would take his place in the line of participants and place one foot in front of the other in a slow and focussed manner.

Of course, it is impossible for us to know what was going through Vajra’s mind when he exhibited these behaviours and it could be that all along, he was thinking about what he would receive for dinner or was just unconsciously mimicking our behaviour. However, many of the visitors to the monastery commented on Vajra’s calm nature and we like to think that in his own way, Vajra had learned to practice a form of meditation.

Tara

Tara (pictured above) is a toy Jack Russel Terrier. She weighs about 5kg in adulthood and came to us as a puppy. Like many Jack Russel Terriers, for the first few years of her life, Tara was somewhat naughty. Despite almost being small enough to sit in the palm of a person’s hand, it seemed Tara thought that she was a Rottweiler and she would even try to dominate dogs that were ten times her size. Also, Tara had a habit of climbing trees and getting stuck high up in the branches such that in order to bring her down, we had to perform acrobatic manoeuvres that easily exceeded our tree-climbing capabilities. It’s fair to say that Tara was hard-headed and despite understanding fully our commands, she would frequently test how far she could cross the line.

However, when Tara turned four years old, she began to settle down and assume a much calmer demeanour. The house that we lived in with Tara was visited by a large number of practicing Buddhists (as well as spiritual practitioners from non-Buddhist traditions). In the house, there was a chiming clock that was used as a mindfulness reminder. When the clock chimed to announce the turn of the hour, people in the house were invited to stop whatever they were doing in order to return to awareness of their breathing and awareness of their being. Each time she heard the clock chime, Tara would freeze her position and remain perfectly still and quiet. In fact, there reached a point when not only would Tara take a moment of pause when the clock chimed, but if – as was frequently the case – visitors ignored the chiming clock, Tara would bark at them to remind them to stop and be present. Therefore, in the house at that time a system of a ‘double mindfulness reminder’ was in place; Tara reminded people to remember to be mindful of the mindfulness reminder!

Zeus

Zeus is approximately one-year-old and his current weight is 42kg. Zeus was abandoned when he was five months old and as a stray dog, he roamed the countryside and streets for about three months. Zeus has been with us for four months and we are informed by the vet and a dog breeding specialist that Zeus is an American Mastiff. It is expected that Zeus will reach a weight of 50-60kg. Zeus is highly protective of us and through training, we are attempting to temper some of his protective instincts. He is making exceptionally good progress and we think that although his time in the wild has been difficult, it has helped him to think for himself and perhaps even to understand something about the nature of suffering.

Zeus appears to really enjoy joining in with meditation and related forms of spiritual practice. For example, when we practice chanting, Zeus makes deep humming and groaning noises, and if he hears the gong sound to announce the start of a meditation session, he comes running in from the land and sits in a relaxed but attentive manner at our side. When Zeus is practising canine meditation in this manner, if somebody throws him a treat or ball to fetch, he remains completely undistracted and won’t retrieve it until after the meditation session has concluded. Zeus has adopted these behaviours of his own accord and several individuals have commented that Zeus sometimes appears to exude an air of wisdom and elegance.

Concluding Thoughts

We have shared our lives with other dogs in addition to Vajra, Tara, and Zues. For example, in addition to mixed-breed and cross-breed dogs, family members have included a Border Collie, German Shepard, and Rottweiler. All of these dogs have been beautiful companions in their own right but it is only Vajra, Tara, and Zeus in whom we feel there was some genuine form of meditative practice. We have always attempted to obedience train any dog that has lived with us and to do so in such a manner that the dog enjoys the training and feels loved and cared for. However, we have never specifically sought to teach mindfulness to a dog and have found that just by practising mindfulness ourselves, most dogs gradually assume a calmer demeanour but a minority of dogs actually go onto practice what appears to be a canine form of meditation.

It should be noted that the type of canine mindfulness we are referring to here is very different from the high level of concentration exhibited by a working dog that is following their handler’s commands. As we have discussed in previous posts, mindfulness is not simply about being alert or concentrating in a focussed manner. It is more about being aware of one’s being and about the nature and dance of the present moment. There is no doubt in our mind that being in an environment or family where people practice mindfulness is of benefit to dogs and that in turn, the dog’s calmer demeanour is of benefit to family members. However, in the absence of empirical research, it is difficult to know what factors predispose a dog to learning mindfulness and, just as with humans, it could be that some dogs are simply more spiritually inclined than others. Empirical research to investigate some of these knowledge gaps would be both welcomed and interesting.

 

Ven Dr Edo Shonin and Ven William Van Gordon

 

Further Reading

Carbonell, H. J., Waite, D., & Jackson-Grossblat, A. (2016). The therapeutic effects upon dog owners who interact with their dogs in a mindful way. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 56, 144-170.

Epstein, R. (1984). On mindfulness and our relation to animals. Between the Species. Available at: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1423&context=bts

Fox, M. (2007). Dog body, dog Mind: Exploring canine consciousness and total well-being. Lanham, Maryland: Lyons Press.

Henry, C. L., & Crowley, S. L. (2015). The psychological and physiological effects of using a therapy dog in mindfulness training. Anthrozoös: A multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals, 28, 385-402.

Karen L. Dean (2005). Mindfulness meditation: Learning from dogis and mystical dogs. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 11, 319-321.

Behind the Times: Viewing the Present from the Past

When astronomers estimate the distance between earth and another astronomical entity, they often talk in terms of light years. For example, the Alpha Centauri star (that actually comprises three separate stars) is the closest star to earth other than the sun and is estimated to be 4.37 light-years away. This means that if we were to view Alpha Centauri from earth, we would be looking at the star as it was some 4.37 years ago. In others words, it could be said that our view of Alpha Centauri is 4.37 years out of date.

On a much smaller scale, the exact same principle applies when we perceive objects that are much closer to us. We see an object because light from the sun (or another light source) is reflected by the object before travelling to the light-sensitive retina at the back of our eyes. As discussed in our recent post on ‘The World Through the Eyes of the Central Nervous System’, when sight receptors are stimulated, electrochemical impulses travel via a process of saltatory conduction and once received by the central nervous system, they are transformed into a coherent image that can be acted upon.

The speed of light is 299,792 kilometres per second but for the purposes of this post, we have rounded it up to 300,000 km/s. This means that if we look from the top of a mountain at a lake that is 30 kilometres away, it takes 0.00001 seconds for light from the lake to reach us. Therefore, our view of the lake is ever so slightly out of date. Likewise, if we look at a person standing just three meters in front of us, it takes approximately 0.000000001 seconds for the reflected light to reach us. In fact, it actually takes slightly longer than this because light travels slower through the earth’s atmosphere than it does through space, and it also takes a brief moment for electrochemical impulses to travel from the eyes and be processed by the brain.

In terms of how the average person goes about their daily business, we suspect that there are few (if any) implications of this observation. However, the fact of the matter is that when a person says that they are living in the present moment, this is not entirely true. They might be perceiving in the present, but what they are perceiving is the past. From this point of view, perhaps one could say that individuals following the fashionable trend of mindfulness are actually (slightly) behind the times!

 Ven Dr Edo Shonin and Ven William Van Gordon

 Further Reading

Mendelson, K. S. (2006). “The story of c”. American Journal of Physics, 74, 995-997.

Penrose, R. (2004). The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe. Vintage Books.

Schaefer, B. E. (1999). Severe limits on variations of the speed of light with frequency. Physical Review Letters, 82, 4964-4964.

Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2014). Dream or reality? Philosophy Now, 104, 54.

Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2013). Searching for the present moment, Mindfulness, 5, 105-107.

Torres, C. A. O., Quast, G. R., da Silva, L., de la Reza, R., Melo, C. H. F., & Sterzik, M. (2006). Search for associations containing young stars (SACY). Astronomy and Astrophysics 460(3): 695–708

Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Buddhist emptiness theory: Implications for psychology. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, DOI: 10.1037/rel0000079.

Wiegert, P. A., & Holman, M. J. (1997). The stability of planets in the Alpha Centauri system. The Astronomical Journal, 113, 1445-1450.

Does Mindfulness Work?

We were recently invited to write a paper for the British Medical Journal that discusses the treatment efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions. The paper has just been published and is entitled ‘Does Mindfulness Work?’. It can be accessed (for free) here: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6919.full?ijkey=Q3IuzuNeBFUkrZP&keytype=ref

We wrote the paper with our friend and colleague Prof Mark Griffiths and the full reference is as follows: Shonin, E, Van Gordon, W, & Griffiths, MD. (2015). Does Mindfulness Work? British Medical Journal, 351: h6919. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h6919

Ven Edo Shonin & Ven William Van Gordon

To Enlightenment and Beyond

Click here for Italian readers – Clicca qui per i lettori italiani

Most Buddhist practice systems assert that there are various stages on the path to enlightenment. Perhaps the most well-documented example is the Ten Bodhisattva Bhūmis which in Mahayana Buddhism, are understood to reflect ten stages of spiritual awakening – culminating in Buddhahood – that a Bodhisattva (a highly compassionate spiritual being) progresses through. Another  perhaps less known  example is the Four Vidyadhara Levels in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. A vidyadhara (which means ‘awareness holder’) is believed to progress through the following four stages: 1. matured vidyadhara, 2. vidyadhara with power over life, 3. mahamudra vidyadhara, and 4. spontaneously accomplished vidyadhara. In Theravada Buddhism, various states of spiritual awakening are likewise recognised, including the state of ‘Arahant’, which is generally understood to correspond to a level of spiritual awakening in which the cycle of samsara (the perpetuating round of birth, suffering, death and rebirth) has been broken, but that is still below the level of a Buddha. In order to arrive at the state of Arahant, Theravada Buddhism (and other early Buddhist schools) assert that the spiritual practitioner progresses through stages of ‘stream-enterer’ (Pāli: Sotapanna), ‘once-returner’ (Sakadagami), and ‘non-returner’ (Anāgāmi).

Although there are numerous systems of thought in Buddhism regarding levels of spiritual awakening, all Buddhist schools appear to accept that there is a state of ‘full’ Buddhahood, which is unsurpassable. The Sanskrit term is ‘anuttarā samyak-sambodhi’ (Pāli: anuttarā sammā sambodhi), which literally means ‘unsurpassable perfect enlightenment’. There are specific references to the state of ‘anuttarā samyak-sambodhi’ in the Buddhist canonical literature (such as in the Astasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra of the Prajñāpāramitā collection), but the term is mostly employed to teach the principle that even when an individual attains a high level of spiritual realisation, there are invariably still subtle levels of ignorance that must be transcended. The state of ‘unsurpassable perfect enlightenment’ is understood to be a state that does not require any deliberate effort or ‘practice’ on the part of the spiritual practitioner.

Our take on the various levels of spiritual awakening and the state of ‘unsurpassable perfect enlightenment’ differs from that of many Buddhist scholars and teachers. We accept that there are different levels of spiritual awakening, but labelling these states is not as easy as most people think. Each spiritual practitioner is an individual, and their spiritual journey is unique. Therefore, although there are some common ‘signposts’ that spiritual practitioners may encounter, it is difficult (and unwise) to assign a label to a person’s level of spiritual awakening. Indeed, for the diligent spiritual practitioner, spiritual development happens (or should happen) every moment of every day. Consequently, an individual’s level of realisation in the morning, is unlikely to be the same as the evening.

Our view differs from consensus opinion even more when it comes to the state of ‘unsurpassable perfect enlightenment’. We accept that there is a state of Buddhahood, in which all forms of suffering are transcended, and in which spiritual awareness is self-sustaining (i.e., it does not require deliberate effort). We also accept that arriving at Buddhahood, a spiritual being penetrates fully, and abides as, the underlying ‘fabric’ of the universe. However, we don’t accept that there is such a thing as an ‘absolute’ level of spiritual awakening. If the state of Buddhahood reflects the upper limit of spiritual awareness, then logic dictates that there must also be a lower limit of spiritual awareness – a state of absolute spiritual ignorance. Based upon an observation of the life forms around us, it seems improbable that there is a lower limit to ignorance. Taking hatred amongst human beings as an example, it can consume a person’s mind to such an extent that they will harm and kill other humans, only to hate themselves and others more intensely. Perhaps this is what Einstein was referring to when he said: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe”.

When a person becomes a ‘stream enterer’ that we referred to earlier, they become a child of the Buddhas, and enter a completely new world. They leave behind a life of living a soap opera and their – as well as other people’s – existence, takes on new meaning. When a person enters the stream that leads to liberation, their ‘wisdom eye’ is opened, compassion takes root in their being, and they begin to emanate spiritual presence. However, a similar thing happens when that same ‘stream enterer’eventually attains Buddhahood. They are born into a completely new way of being and perceiving. In fact, the Sanskrit root of the word Buddha is ‘Budh’, which literally means, ‘to wake up’ or ‘to be awakened’ to a new way of seeing.

When a being awakens to Buddhahood, it is not the case that their spiritual journey has finished. Rather, it has just begun. A Buddha has an inconceivable amount of wisdom and compassion at their disposition, but they have to learn how to apply that wisdom, how to grow with it, and how to transcend it. Buddhahood is a dynamic state; a Buddha is continuously evolving. Therefore, there are young Buddhas, mature Buddhas, and ancient Buddhas. There are Buddhas who are learning how to harness and mould the energy of the universe, and how to best apply it in order to help suffering beings. There are also Buddhas who are primordial, who are ‘masters of reality’, and who ‘gave birth’ to other enlightened beings.

Try not to reduce spiritual development into a system of limits, levels, and labels. For as many Buddhas that exist, there are that many different levels of Buddhahood. How inspiring that there is no upper limit to the amount the mind can expand and awaken. How beautiful that the spiritual journey continues for eternity. How amazing that within every sentient being, there exists the potential to attain Buddhahood, and then go beyond.

Ven Edo Shonin and Ven William Van Gordon

 

Verso l’illuminazione e oltre

La maggior parte dei sistemi di pratica buddista affermano l’esistenza di varie tappe del percorso verso l’illuminazione. Forse l’esempio meglio documentato è quello dei Dieci Bodhisattva bhumi, che nel buddismo Mahayana riflettono le dieci fasi di risveglio spirituale, che culminano nella Buddità, attraverso cui un Bodhisattva (un essere spirituale altamente compassionevole) progredisce. Un altro esempio – forse meno conosciuto – è quello dei Quattro Livelli di Vidyadhara nella tradizione Nyingma del Buddismo Tibetano. Si ritiene che un Vidyadhara (che significa ‘detentore di consapevolezza’) progredisce attraverso le seguenti quattro fasi: 1. Vidyadhara maturato, 2. Vidyadhara con potere sulla vita, 3. Vidyadhara di mahamudra, e 4. Vidyadhara che è spontaneamente compiuto. Nel Buddismo Theravada, si ritrovano similmente vari stati di risveglio spirituale, compreso lo stato di ‘Arahant’, con cui generalmente si intende un livello di risveglio spirituale in cui il ciclo del samsara (il ciclo perpetuo di nascita, sofferenza, morte e rinascita) è stato interrotto, ma che è ancora al di sotto del livello di un Buddha. Al fine di raggiungere lo stato di Arahant, il Buddhismo Theravada (e altre scuole buddiste dello stesso periodo storico) affermano che il praticante spirituale progredisce attraverso le fasi di ‘colui che entra nella corrente’ (Pāli: Sotapanna), ‘colui che ritorna una sola volta’ (Sakadagami) e ‘Anāgāmin’ (colui che non-ritorna).

Anche se ci sono numerosi sistemi di pensiero nel Buddismo per quanto riguarda i livelli di risveglio spirituale, tutte le scuole buddiste sembrano accettare il fatto che vi sia uno stato di Buddità ‘assoluta’, che è insuperabile. Il termine Sanscrito è ‘anuttara samyak-sambodhi’ (Pali: anuttara Samma sambodhi), che letteralmente significa ‘illuminazione perfetta insuperabile’. Ci sono riferimenti specifici allo stato di ‘anuttara samyak-sambodhi’ nella letteratura canonica buddista (come nel Astasāhasrikā Prajnaparamita Sutra della collezione di Prajñāpāramitā), ma il termine viene impiegato principalmente per insegnare il principio che, anche quando un individuo raggiunge un alto livello di realizzazione spirituale, ci sono inevitabilmente ancora sottili livelli di ignoranza che devono essere trascesi. Lo stato di ‘illuminazione perfetta insuperabile’ è inteso come uno stato che non richiede alcuno sforzo intenzionale o ‘pratica’ da parte del praticante spirituale.

Il nostro punto di vista sui vari livelli di risveglio spirituale e sullo stato di ‘illuminazione perfetta insuperabile’ è diverso da quello di molti studiosi e insegnanti buddisti. Accettiamo che ci siano diversi livelli di risveglio spirituale, ma l’etichettatura di questi Stati non è così facile come molti pensano. Ogni praticante spirituale è un individuo, e il suo cammino spirituale è unico. Pertanto, anche se ci sono alcuni ‘segnali’ comuni che i praticanti spirituali possono incontrare, è difficile (e non è saggio) assegnare un’etichetta al livello di risveglio spirituale di una persona. Infatti, per il praticante spirituale diligente, lo sviluppo spirituale avviene (o dovrebbe avvenire) ogni momento di ogni giorno. Di conseguenza, sarà improbabile che il livello di realizzazione di un individuo al mattino sarà come quello della sera.

Il nostro punto di vista differisce ancora di più dall’opinione diffusa per quanto riguarda lo stato di ‘illuminazione perfetta insuperabile’. Accettiamo che ci sia uno stato di Buddità, in cui tutte le forme di sofferenza sono trascese e nella quale la consapevolezza spirituale è autosufficiente (cioè, non richiede sforzo intenzionale). Accettiamo anche che, arrivando allo stato di Buddità, un essere spirituale penetra completamente – e rimane o resta come – la ‘matrice’ alla base dell’universo. Tuttavia, non accettiamo che ci sia qualcosa come un ‘assoluto’ livello di risveglio spirituale. Se lo stato di Buddità riflette il limite superiore di consapevolezza spirituale, allora la logica impone che ci debba essere anche un limite inferiore di consapevolezza spirituale – uno stato di ignoranza spirituale assoluta. Tuttavia, sulla base dell’osservazione delle forme di vita intorno a noi, sembra improbabile che ci sia un limite inferiore per l’ignoranza. Prendiamo, per esempio, l’odio tra gli esseri umani, che può consumare la mente di una persona a tal punto da nuocere e uccidere altri esseri umani, solo per odiare più intensamente se stessa e gli altri. Forse questo è ciò a cui Einstein si riferiva quando ha detto: “due cose sono infinite: l’universo e la stupidità umana; riguardo l’universo ho ancora dei dubbi”.

Quando si diventa una persona, come quella a cui abbiamo fatto riferimento in precedenza, ‘colui che entra nella corrente’, si diventa un bambino dei Buddha e si entra in un mondo completamente nuovo. Si lascia alle spalle una vita vissuta da soap opera e la sua esistenza – così come l’esistenza delle altre persone, assume un nuovo significato. Quando una persona entra nella corrente che porta alla liberazione, si apre il suo ‘occhio della saggezza’, la compassione si radica nel suo essere e comincia a emanare una presenza spirituale. Una cosa simile accade quando un praticante spirituale raggiunge alla fine lo stato di Buddità. Nasce in lui un modo completamente nuovo di essere e percepire. Infatti, la radice sanscrita della parola Buddha è ‘Budh’, che significa letteralmente,  ‘svegliarsi’ o ‘essere risvegliato’ a un nuovo modo di vedere.

Quando un essere si risveglia alla Buddità, non significa che abbia terminato il suo cammino spirituale. Piuttosto, è appena iniziato. Un Buddha ha una quantità inimmaginabile di saggezza e compassione a sua disposizione, ma deve imparare ad applicare quella saggezza, come crescere con essa, e come trascenderla. Lo stato di Buddità è uno stato dinamico; un Buddha è in continua evoluzione. Di conseguenza, ci sono giovani Buddha, Buddha maturi e Buddha antichi. Ci sono Buddha che stanno imparando a sfruttare e plasmare l’energia dell’universo e come applicarla al meglio al fine di aiutare gli esseri che soffrono. Ci sono anche Buddha che sono primordiali, che sono ‘maestri della realtà’ e che ‘hanno fatto nascere’ altri esseri illuminati.

Cercate di non ridurre lo sviluppo spirituale in un sistema di limiti, livelli ed etichette. Così come esistono molti Buddha, ci sono numerosi diversi livelli di Buddità. Quanto è stimolante il fatto che non esista un limite superiore a quanto la mente possa espandersi e risvegliarsi. Quanto è bello che il cammino spirituale continui per l’eternità. Quanto è incredibile che all’interno di ogni essere senziente, esista la possibilità di raggiungere la Buddità, e poi andare oltre.

Ven Edo Shonin & Ven William Van Gordon

 

Thupten Jingpa on Compassion and Mindfulness

We recently had the pleasure of talking with Thupten Jingpa, who has been the principal English translator of the Dalia Lama for the past 30 years. The theme of the conversation was the interrelated practices of compassion and mindfulness, including (i) their role in contemporary society, (ii) the traditional context for learning and applying these techniques, (iii) the utilisation of compassion and mindfulness in contemporary behavioural interventions, (iv) issues relating to teacher training, and (v) whether lessons learnt from more than two decades of researching and rolling-out mindfulness-based interventions can be carried forward in order to facilitate the effective integration of interventional approaches based on compassion and loving-kindness meditation.

The interview is now published in Mindfulness and is available for free download from the following link. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-015-0448-x

Calling a Spade a Spade: The Need for Authentic Meditation Teachers

Calling a Spade a Spade: The Need for Authentic Meditation Teachers

Some time ago, we uploaded a post that featured a vajragiti that we wrote called ‘Hearken to the Dharma’. A vajragiti is a type of spiritual song or poem. The Sanskrit word vajra means ‘diamond’ or ‘indestructible’ and the word giti means song. Some of our vajragitis have been spoken or written spontaneously, while others have been written at the request of a particular person or for a particular occasion. Since the post was published, we have received several enquiries as to what some of the terms means. Today’s post provides information on the meaning of these terms, and on the theme of the vajragiti more generally.

‘Hearken to the Dharma’ is a four-verse vajragiti written in the style of the spiritual songs of certain yogic traditions of Vajrayana Buddhism. In essence, it refers to the view of certain systems of Buddhist thought that we are currently in an era in which the Buddhist (and spiritual teachings more generally) are degenerating. More specifically, it refers to the fact that not all individuals who are currently teaching mindfulness, meditation and Buddhism have the ‘right intention’. When people with a selfish intent and who are without authentic spiritual realisation choose to teach meditation or Buddhism, it can result in negative consequences.

It could be argued that by writing a spiritual song such as the below, we are being judgemental. However, we wouldn’t agree with this because it is not judgemental to call a spade a spade. If things aren’t right, sometimes we need to speak up and raise awareness about the issue.

In the below vajragiti, the term ‘two accumulations’ refers to the Buddhist view that spiritual practitioners need to accumulate both spiritual merit and wisdom. Spiritual merit is accumulated by engaging in acts of generosity, patience, loving-kindness and compassion. Wisdom is accumulated by practising meditation, especially insight meditation. Spiritual merit and wisdom are necessary if we want to overcome the tendency of making our lives all about the ‘me’, the ‘mine’ and the ‘I’. Living a life that is always centred upon the ‘me’, ‘mine’ and ‘I’ is what is meant by the term ‘self-grasping’.

‘True renunciation’ means that we are no longer interested in mundane pursuits such as accumulating wealth or status. It means that we are aware that death is a reality that we will have to face, sooner or later. When we cultivate true spiritual renunciation, it is a liberating experience. However, it is important to remember that spiritual renunciation doesn’t mean that we turn our back on the world. Rather, it means that because we are free of selfish intentions, we can fully taste, enjoy and engage with the world.

In some Buddhist sutras, the Dharma is sometimes referred to as the ‘Law’. Therefore, the term ‘Law Holder’ means an authentic spiritual practitioner – somebody who has transcended the ego and given rise to a high level of spiritual awakening. A Law Holder could be a fully enlightened Buddha, or it could be somebody who is well on the way to attaining Buddhahood. A person who holds the Law of Dharma embodies and emanates spiritual awareness. They are not necessarily a Buddhist scholar.

In the context referred to in the vajragiti, our use of the term ‘Mara’ invokes the connotations that this term has with the notion of the Devil in Christianity. However, the term ‘Mara’ has several different meanings in Buddhism, which include negativity in its broadest sense. The ‘lower realms’ refer to realms of existence in which there are high levels of ignorance and suffering. The animal world is an example of a lower realm (i.e. when compared with the human realm), but Buddhism asserts that there are realms of existence that are lower than the animal realm (e.g. the hell realms).

The terms ‘View’, ‘Meditation’ and ‘Action’ in the final verse refer to the three components that comprise an authentic Buddhist spiritual path. For example, in the Noble Eightfold Path referred to previously on this blog, each of the eight individual components of the path are understood to be primarily concerned with the cultivation of either: (i) wisdom or a ‘view’ that transcends the notion of self and other, (ii) meditation, or (iii) ethical ‘action’. If each of these three aspects (i.e. wisdom/view, ethics/action and meditation) are present, then a particular Buddhist path can be considered whole and complete. The three path elements of wisdom, ethics and meditation are known in Sanskrit as ‘trishiksha’, which means the ‘three trainings’.

The term ‘three doors’ refers to the three ‘doors’ through which we interact with the world: (i) body (i.e. actions), (ii) speech (i.e. words), and (iii) mind (i.e. thoughts). Finally, the term ‘Mind as all’ refers to a view amongst certain Buddhist schools that existence unfolds within the expanse of mind. According to this view, waking reality is no more ‘real’ than what we experience while dreaming.

Hearken to the Dharma

All you great teachers and meditators,
Who mistake self-grasping and pride for the two accumulations,
In whom true renunciation and devotion never arise,
You, pleasure seekers, hearken to the Dharma that keeps death in mind.

Proudly claiming to be great Buddhists,
Judging others as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’,
Spreading doubt and disparaging the Law Holders,
You, Dharma destroyers, hearken to the Dharma beyond all concepts.

Practicing sophistry you deceive the foolish,
Competing for renown like Mara princes,
Dragging your followers to the miserable realms,
You, evil doers, hearken to the Dharma of karmic cause and effect.

For View you delight in ‘self’ and ‘other’,
For Meditation you indulge in scheming thoughts,
For Action you mindlessly vomit through your three doors,
You, delusion revellers, hearken to the Dharma that knows Mind as all.

Ven Edo Shonin & Ven William Van Gordon

Does Mindfulness Have a Role in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

Does Mindfulness Have a Role in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a poorly understood chronic pain disorder. An estimated 3% of adults are reported to suffer from fibromyalgia, with higher levels of occurrence in females compared to males. The main symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome are all-over body pain, tiredness, difficulty in sleeping, and cognitive dysfunction such as memory impairment. There is also a high level of association between fibromyalgia syndrome and poor quality of life, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and unemployment.

Some of the reasons why fibromyalgia syndrome is believed to be a controversial illness are as follows:

1. Individuals with fibromyalgia are reported to exert a higher burden upon healthcare resources when compared with individuals diagnosed with other chronic illnesses.

2. Research has shown that individuals with fibromyalgia often experience difficulty in having their illness diagnosed, and often feel that their needs and symptoms are poorly understood by the medical profession.

3. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia is primarily based upon the exclusion of other illnesses, the patient’s medical history, and their reaction to pressure being gently applied to ‘tender points’. In other words, there isn’t a reliable laboratory test for fibromyalgia syndrome (e.g., blood test, x-ray) and this means that it is difficult to be 100% certain that a given individual is genuinely suffering from the illness.

The current treatment-of-choice for fibromyalgia syndrome is the use of psychopharmacology (principally antidepressants) coupled with non-pharmacological approaches such as physical exercise, cognitive-behavioural therapy, self-help, and/or psycho-education. However, pharmacological treatments for fibromyalgia have shown only a limited degree of effectiveness, and many patients withdraw from treatment due to the side-effects of antidepressants as well as low levels of symptom reduction.

The lack of convincing treatment efficacy outcomes for existing pharmacological and non-pharmacological fibromyalgia interventions has led to the empirical evaluation of alternative treatment approaches. Since there exists evidence (which varies in quality and quantity) supporting the use of mindfulness in treating each of the individual symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (e.g., chronic pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction), mindfulness-based interventions have been an obvious candidate in terms of investigating their effectiveness for treating the illness.

A systematic review and meta-analysis comprising six randomised and non-randomised controlled trials of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for individuals with fibromyalgia (674 participants in total) found that individuals receiving MBSR experienced significant short-term improvements in quality of life and pain compared to individuals in the non-meditating control groups. A further systematic review (incorporating a range of intervention study designs) examined the findings from ten studies of mindfulness meditation (702 participants in total). The review concluded that mindfulness led to significant improvements in both physical symptoms (e.g., pain, sleep quality, functionality) and psychological symptoms (e.g. depression, anxiety, perceived helplessness).

In terms of the possible mechanisms by which mindfulness helps to alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome, the most widely proposed explanation is that mindfulness helps to increase perceptual distance from somatic pain and distressing psychological stimuli. By mindfully observing painful bodily sensations, it appears that individuals suffering from fibromyalgia (and other pain disorders) can begin to objectify and almost distance themselves from their pain. The same applies to feelings of psychological distress and fatigue that are often associated with musculoskeletal pain. Mindfully observing feelings of distress, frustration and low mood appears to weaken the intensity of such feelings, and to help create the ‘psychological space’ necessary for other – more psychologically adaptive – feelings and thought processes to arise.

Based on findings from a randomised controlled trial of an online mindfulness-based intervention, it has been suggested that stronger treatment outcomes can actually be achieved by using mindfulness not just as a means of improving patient’s ability to cope with pain and psychological distress, but as a means of helping improve patients’ ability to engage in effective social and interpersonal interactions. In other words, given the complexity of fibromyalgia syndrome, it appears that in order to maximise treatment effectiveness, mindfulness interventions targeting fibromyalgia should be purpose-designed and encourage participants to draw on both psychological and social resources.

In terms of other potential mechanisms of action, there is evidence to suggest that mindfulness leads to changes in neurological pain pathways, reduced levels of ruminative thinking and self-preoccupation, and improvements in spirituality. This latter potential mechanism is important because cross-sectional studies involving individuals with fibromyalgia have specifically identified a positive correlation between spirituality and positive affect (i.e., as levels of spirituality increase so do positive mood states), and a negative association between spirituality and symptoms of depression and anxiety (i.e., as levels of spirituality increase in individuals with fibromyalgia, their levels of depression and anxiety decrease).

Findings indicate that purpose-designed mindfulness-based interventions may have a role to play in the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome. However, at present the overall quality of the evidence is weak and there is a need to replicate and consolidate findings using methodologically robust randomised controlled trials.

Ven Edo Shonin and Ven William Van Gordon

 

Further Reading

Branco, J. C., Bannwarth, B., Failde, I., Abello Carbonell, J., Blotman, F., Spaeth, M., … Matucci-Cerinic, M. (2010). Prevalence of fibromyalgia: a survey in five European countries. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, 39, 448-55.

Cramer, H., Haller, H., Lauche, R., & Dobos, G. (2012). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for low back pain. A systematic review. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12, 162.

Davis, M. C., & Zautra, A. J. (2013). An online mindfulness intervention targeting socioemotional regulation in fibromyalgia: results of a randomized controlled trial. Annals of Behavioural Medicine, 46, 273-284.

Dennis, N. L., Larkin, M., & Derbyshire, S. W. G. (2013). ‘A giant mess’ – making sense of complexity in the accounts of people with fibromyalgia. British Journal of Health Psychology, 18, 763-781.

Häuser, W., Wolfe, F., Tölle, T., Üçeyler, N., & Sommer, C. (2012). The role of antidepressants in the management of fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. CNS Drugs, 26, 297-307.

Henke, M., & Chur-Hansen, A. (2014). The effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs on physical symptoms and psychological distress in patients with fibromyalgia: a systematic review. International Journal of Wellbeing, 4, 28-45.

Hickie, I., Pols, R. G., Koschera, A., & Davenport, T. (2004). Why are Somatoform Disorders so Poorly Recognized and Treated? In: G. Andrews & Henderson S. (Eds). Unmet Need in Psychiatry: Problems, Resources, Responses (pp. 309-323). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hughes, G., Martinez, C., Myon, E., Taïeb, C., & Wessely, S. (2005). The impact of a diagnosis of fibromyalgia on health care resource use by primary care patients in the UK: an observational study based on clinical practice. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 54, 177-183.

Jones, K. D., Sherman, C. A., Mist, S. D., Carson, J. W., Bennett, R. M., & Li, F. (2012). A randomized controlled trial of 8-form Tai chi improves symptoms and functional mobility in fibromyalgia patients. Clinical Rheumatology, 31, 1205-1214.

Langhorst, J., Klose, P., Dobos, G. J., Bernardy, K, & Häuser, W. (2013). Efficacy and safety of meditative movement therapies in fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Rheumatology International, 33, 193-207.

Lauche, R., Cramer, H., Dobos, G., Langhorst, J., & Schmidt, S. (2013). A systematic review and meta-analysis of mindfulness-based stress reduction for the fibromyalgia syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 75, 500-510.

Moreira-Almeida, A., & Koenig, H. G. (2008). Religiousness and spirituality in fibromyalgia and chronic pain patients. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 12, 327-332.

Nüesch, E., Häuser, W., Bernardy, K., Barth, J., & Jüni, P. (2013). Comparative efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in fibromyalgia syndrome: network meta-analysis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 72, 955-962.

Peterson, E. L. (2007). Fibromyalgia – Management of a misunderstood disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 19, 341-348.

Rimes, K. A., & Wingrove, J. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for people with chronic fatigue syndrome still experiencing excessive fatigue after cognitive behaviour therapy: a pilot randomized study. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 20, 107-117.

Scott, M., & Jones, K. (2014). Mindfulness in a fibromyalgia population. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20, A94-A95.

Sicras-Mainar, A., Rejas, J., Navarro, R., Blanca, M., Morcillo, A., Larios, R., … Villarroya, C. (2009). Treating patients with fibromyalgia in primary care settings under routine medical practice: a claim database cost and burden of illness study. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 11, R54. DOI:10.1186/ar2673.

Wolfe, F., Brähler, E., Hinz, A., & Häuser, W. (2013). Fibromyalgia prevalence, somatic symptom reporting, and the dimensionality of polysymptomatic distress: results from a survey of the general population. Arthritis Care and Research, 65, 777-785.

Wolfe, F. (2009). Fibromyalgia wars. Journal of Rheumatology, 36, 671-678.

Wolfe, F., Anderson, J., Harkness, D., Bennett, R. M., Caro, X. J., Goldenberg, D. L., … Yunus, M. B. (1997a). A prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study of service utilization and costs in fibromyalgia. Arthritis and Rheumatology, 40, 1560-1570.

Wolfe, F., Anderson, J., Harkness, D., Bennett, R. M., Caro, X. J., Goldenberg, D. L., … Yunus, M. B. (1997b). Work and disability status of persons with fibromyalgia. The Journal of Rheumatology, 24, 1171-1178.

Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2013). Searching for the present moment, Mindfulness, 5, 105-107.

Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Compare, A., Zangeneh, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Buddhist-derived loving-kindness and compassion meditation for the treatment of psychopathology: A systematic review. Mindfulness, 6, 1161-1180.

Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Griffiths, M. (2015). Towards a second-generation of mindfulness-based interventions. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 591-591.

Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Meditation as medication: Are attitudes changing? British Journal of General Practice, 63, 654.

Shonin, E., & Van Gordon, W. (2015). The lineage of mindfulness. Mindfulness, 6, 141-145.