[FairfieldLife] Re: TM and DMN!

[dhamiltony...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]]

 

 Archer Angel writing: then my mind has undergone a lot transformations in the 
last few years or so.
 ..the main difference now is the mind is far more silent even in activity so I 
can just sit and be silent even without meditating. 


 

 You hear this more commonly in meditating Fairfield. But then once you get 
good at meditating like this, the geography of the silence becomes more 
familiar in meditation and then what you can do/intent with it inside the human 
makeup of the larger spiritual system. Beyond just awakening this would be the 
cultivation of where the larger Fairfield meditating community has gone on with 
their Being. 
 

Being with the experience of, no-mantra-no-thought, Giovanni, propose a third: 
Effortless Presence.
with focus attention and open-monitoring meditating.  
 

 Or, as Karunamayi urges people on, "..even the enlightened continue to 
meditate"
 

 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :

 Giovanni writes saying, "..and I’m not here to create controversy." !
 

 cardemaister:

 Quote:
 "Is it for me? Personally I don’t feel comfortable advising anyone to try 
Transcendental Meditation anymore, especially if you are looking to go deep 
into meditation. To know more, check out this answer I wrote in Quora 
https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-impression-of-transcendental-meditation/answer/Giovanni-Dienstmann.
 If you wish to try something similar, for a fraction of the cost or for free, 
have a look at NSR (above), or Mantra Meditation."

 

 23 Types of Meditation - Find The Best Techniques For You 
http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation 
 
 http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
 
 23 Types of Meditation - Find The Best Techniques For Yo... 
http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation Learn several types of meditation, 
from Buddhism, Vedic, Christian and Chinese traditions. Read on different 
meditation techniques. Find the best for you.


 
 View on liveanddare.com http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
 Preview by Yahoo 
 

  


 

 Archer Angel writing:A sample of scientific research on mindfulness 
meditation, which is actually researched more than TM. The proprietary nature 
of TM teaching seems to restrict the possibilities of more directly comparative 
studies. The studies on TM are also mentioned.
 

 76 Scientific Benefits of Meditation | Live and Dare 
http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/ 
 
 http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/
 
 76 Scientific Benefits of Meditation | Live and Dare 
http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/ Summary of the main scientific 
research on the benefits of meditation, covering the different types of 
meditation (Vipassana, TM, Yoga, Mindfulness, etc).


 
 View on liveanddare.com http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/
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 Archer Angel writing:An interesting article comparing mantra-based meditation 
with mindfulness meditation. Note the final paragraph.
 

 Mantra Practice vs. Mindfulness http://shinzen.org/Articles/artMantra.htm 
 
 Mantra Practice vs. Mindfulness http://shinzen.org/Articles/artMantra.htm Many 
people in the West get their first exposure to meditation through what is know 
as TM or Transcendental Meditation.


 
 View on shinzen.org http://shinzen.org/Articles/artMantra.htm
 Preview by Yahoo 
 

  


 

 Archer Angel writing:

 That is rather interesting. It confirms my experience with TM versus other 
types when I started. 
 

 More recently however the experience is they are all similar but then my mind 
has undergone a lot transformations in the last few years or so. 
 

 The main difference now is the mind is far more silent even in activity so I 
can just sit and be silent even without meditating. 
 

 Basically as time goes on the contrasts of experience that a non-meditator or 
a new meditator experiences become less and less, although I think the time 
interval for this to occur varies a lot among individuals.
 

 My experience with the movement is they are not keen on making comprehensive 
comparisons with other meditations.
 

 From a scientific point of view, enlightenment is kind of undefined, 
consciousness is undefined, so designing an experiment that investigates what 
meditation is supposed to accomplish is currently impossible.
 

 So the tests are more superficial, such as levels of rest, or mental focus and 
some chemical changes in the blood.
 

 It is clear these other meditations do sometimes have a profound effect and 
result in enlightenment and that some take to them more easily than TM, but I 
do not think this is the majority case.
 

 I recall a newspaper article long ago where the author mentioned that people 
practicing TM found more success than with other types they tried. That was the 
case for me.

 
yifuxero writes:Thx....his phrase "all other types of meditation" only applies 
to the limited sample of the control group types, not literally "all types". No 
mention of Mindfulness.. No mention of Oxytocin levels which correlate to the 
feeling of compassionate awareness that could go farther toward a more complete 
description of meditative states than the Default mode. The default mode is 
limited in scope, since it doesn't involve activation of the polyvagal system. 
That's where compassion comes in.
 
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :

 ..activity in the "default mode network" (DMN), which is a large-scale brain 
network involving areas in the front and back of the brain that are active when 
one's eyes are closed and one is following internal thoughts.
 

 perhaps reflecting..
 

 This could indicate..
 

 assertions. 

---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <he...@hotmail.com> wrote :

 

 

 New Research Validates Hallmark of Transcendental Meditation — Effortlessness
 A new study on MUM students by Fred Travis shows EEG patterns of the 
Transcendental Meditation® technique that distinguish it from other approaches 
to meditation and that validate the assertion that it's an effortless practice.
 "Transcendental Meditation uses a mantra, and for this reason some researchers 
maintain that it involves focused attention and controlling the mind," Dr. 
Travis said. "This study supports the experience of people who practice 
Transcendental Meditation that it's easy to learn and effortless to practice."
 There were two key findings that suggest the technique is effortless and 
natural. First, the students who had been meditating for a month reported the 
same frequency of experiences of Transcendental Consciousness as those who had 
been meditating for five years.
 "This supports the understanding that Transcendental Meditation uses the 
natural tendency of the mind to transcend — to move from active thinking to 
deep, inner silence," Dr. Travis said. "Extensive practice doesn't make a 
natural process go any better."
 The second finding deals with activity in the "default mode network" (DMN), 
which is a large-scale brain network involving areas in the front and back of 
the brain that are active when one's eyes are closed and one is following 
internal thoughts. DMN activity is high when a person just sits with his or her 
eyes closed, and low when one opens one's eyes and interacts with the world.
 The study reports that activity in the DMN remained high during Transcendental 
Meditation practice. In contrast, it decreases in all other types of meditation 
— since they involve focus and control of the mind. Indeed, the study found 
that the default mode network was as high during Transcendental Meditation 
practice as during eyes-closed rest, which is used as the benchmark for default 
mode network activity.
 However, Dr. Travis found two important differences between Transcendental 
Meditation and eyes-closed rest. Eyes-closed rest had more beta brain waves in 
areas of the brain associated with memory and motor aspects of speech 
production, perhaps reflecting the mental chatter that goes on when one's eyes 
are closed, Dr. Travis said.
 Transcendental Meditation had more theta brain waves in orbitofrontal areas 
associated with reward anticipation.
 "This could indicate the movement of the mind to more charming levels of 
thought during transcending," Dr. Travis said. "The meditators' attention was 
absorbed in the inner march of the mind, attracted by the increasing charm of 
finer levels of mental functioning."
 

 Works cited:
 

 The Review, Vol 32, #6