The Relationship Between Meditation and Mental and Physical Health

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Rooting back to its’ ancient times, meditation has been around for thousands of years, especially in the Eastern part of the world and has spread to the Western countries in early 1970s.

Contrary to what I initially believe meditation is, prior to taking this course, which is the mental concentration on something, meditation is actually a thoughtless awareness of an individual’s surroundings.

Dhyana, the generic Sanskrit term for meditation is so much more than being alone with one’s thoughts, it is about the state of mind being calm but alert.

Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying said that it is through meditation that you are able to go on a journey to discover yourself, paving the way to enlightenment.1

Why do I want to meditate?

Spiritually, I would like to understand myself better and reach a state of calmness by spending more time with myself. I would also want to feel good about myself and to be more mindful, which is why I want to meditate.

According to Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh2, the body is connected to the mind through our breath and it reconciles them together. When aligned, it could bring peace and calmness during meditation. Buddha has also taught that one should use one’s own breath to achieve concentration in his Sutras in order to maintain mindfulness2.

Besides that, I would want to meditate because of the various benefits that it would bring me as shown in various studies such as an increased focus3.

I believe that this is the most essential benefit to me as an undergraduate student in order for effective revision to take place. It would make me be more aware when my mind drifts away in class or during ...

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...ive Jhana Factors of Concentration/Absorption.” Buddha Dharma Education Association Incorporated. Accessed April 3. http://www.buddhanet.net/mettab3.htm

9. Thera, Nyanaponika. The Power of Mindfulness. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc, 2001. http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/powermindfulness.pdf

10. Analayo. Satipatthana The Direct Path to Realization. Birmingham:Windhorse Publications, 2006. http://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/fileadmin/pdf/analayo/DirectPath.pdf

11. Dhammananda, K Sri. Meditation: The Only Way. Malaysia: Buddhist Missionary Society, 1996. http://www.ksridhammananda.com/pdf/sale/MEDITATION%20THE%20ONLY%20WAY%20-%20edited.pdf

12. Stein, Joel "Just Say O," Time 162, no. 5 (August 4, 2003): 48-56

13. Mazumdar, Sudip. "Nirvana Behind Bars," Newsweek (Atlantic Edition) 136, no. 12 (Sept.18, 2000): 49

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