Teaching Meditation to Classes in Philosophy
ABSTRACT: In alignment with the overall theme of the congress, "Philosophy Teaching Humanity," this paper proposes that teachers of philosophy consider instructing their students in simple techniques of meditation. By meditation I mean the practice of mindfulness which typically begins by paying clear, steady, non-reactive attention to the sensations of one's own breathing, and then extending this attention to embrace all bodily sensations, feelings, moods, thoughts, and intentions. I discuss how to integrate meditation practically in the philosophy classroom and then respond to three objections that have been raised to that practice. I then discuss the potential benefits of the practice, arguing first of all that meditation has academic benefits, especially in courses in Asian philosophy. But of much wider application is the wisdom of non-attachment which the mediation naturally evokes primarily through the experience of impermanence. The potential benefits of the paradigm are then briefly indicated as related to our experience of body, mind, society and nature. I conclude by commending the proposal as a small but important practical step philosophy teachers can take to help our fellow humans navigate the challenging transformation of our time.
I. A Proposal: Situating the Need and Proposing a Response
The grand theme of our Congress is "Philosophy Educating Humanity". It is heartening to see philosophers from all over the world pondering how we can be of service to our species; refocusing on the root meaning of "philosophy" as "love of wisdom", we seek to be of real help in a world in the throes of many transformations. Those of us who teach philosophy in formal academic environments are already in a position to make a direct difference in the lives of our students; like it or not, we are at some level opinion leaders in our communities--what we teach and how we teach matters. And so we ask ourselves how can we best use the power that we have?
Clearly we can help our students and fellow human beings by teaching them skills of discursive rationality; when we can define our meanings precisely, use our terms consistently, argue coherently, and adhere to high standards of evidence, then we are better able to avoid dogmatism and bring an effective intelligence to bear on the problems of living that face us. These skills will always be a precious resource philosophy can offer humanity.
And yet there is much more to philosophy than this.
Though occupation usually refers to a job, a person’s occupation is initially determined by what their everyday life consists of. When a person becomes incapable of performing the tasks that they are expected to do in their everyday life due to developmental delays, physical injury, or psychological problems they are often referred to an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists, or OTs, usually have occupational therapy assistants, often called OTAs. The OT gives the OTA a set of objectives to help the patient achieve. Since people go through numerous occupations during the course of their lives, OT’s and OTA’s prov...
Sacket et al, cited in, Duncan, E,A,S, (2006) Foundtions for practice in Occupational Therapy, 4th edition, Elsevier Ltd.
Quiroga, Virginia and Anne Metaxas. Occupational Therapy: The First 30 Years 1900 to 1930. Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association, 1995. Print.
Occupational therapy was based off of psychology; we evolved from treating mentally ill patients with isolation as an efficient treatment plan. We must never forget we are known to be “the art and science of helping people do the day-to-day activities that are important and meaningful to their health and well being through engagement in valued occupations” (Crepeau, Cohn, & Schell, 2008). To other professional disciplines this article explains the difference between each of us, yet can also express our relation to one another. The basic goal of all therapeutic disciplines is to better our clients life, through physical, speech or occupational therapy. Every discipline targets different goals, may it be body mechanics, reducing a stutter or buttoning a shirt, at the end of the day our clients well being may it be through science, art or both is all that matters. To the occupational therapy field this article means progress for what we do. Reading this article today in the year 2015 did not seem like old information to me, it is still relevant, I am proud that our field is not only evolving with contemporary time but it is also maintaining its
Cole, M. B., & Tufano, R. (2008). Applied theories in occupational therapy: A practical approach. Thorofare, New Jersey, United States of America: Slack Inc.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
O’Brien, J. C., & Hussey S. M. (2012). Introductory questions. Introduction to occupational therapy (4-5). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
IPsyc: Question 24 - If you practice one of the conscious-altering techniques we discussed, what does it do for you?
In conclusion, Disney appears to be a very strong company financially. They do not have any major red flags. Their liquidity ratios and other information does not seem to be alarming in any way. They have been around for many years and are extremely successful, so any obstacle in their way will not be an issue. They will be able to work through it and bounce back from it without a problem.
“There is a direct relationship between people’s basic beliefs and how they view such educational components as the nature of the student, the role of the teacher, the best curricular emphasis, the most efficient instructional methods, and the social function of the school (Knight, 2006, p. 41).” Worldviews make up the foundation of human beliefs, and as a result, human action. Our worldview shapes everything that we say and everything that we do. As teachers, it is vitality important that we recognize our deepest philosophical beliefs as they guide how we interact with students, how we interact with our colleagues, what we teach, and how we teach it. We impact our students, not only with what we say or teach, but even more so with how we teach it. Without consciously meaning to, we convey to our students what our educational philosophy is by conveying our values each and every day. Even as a teacher myself, I have been influenced by those who taught me.
Through the ratio analysis, we can conclude that Disney is a stable company, keeping up with industry trends and up to par with industry averages. Although at times it can seem that Disney is a risky and unstable company, those conclusions are false since the unstableness has come through decisions which will better establish Disney’s position on the market. Although Disney’s competition, namely CBS, is on a similar standing as Disney when comparing ratios, Disney will manage to remain the largest media conglomerate in the USA and one of the best corporations in the world.
Daynard.R., (2013). Regulatory Approaches to Ending Cigarette-Caused Death and Disease in the United States. Boston University School of Law; American Journal of Law and Medicine.
Education is an integral part of the success of a society. Consequently, the decision to become an educator takes an extreme commitment, hard work and a concise and firm belief in a specific educational philosophy. As an educator I rely on my personal philosophy of education that all students can learn not only academic standards, but how to be a valued and productive member of society, through the modality that suits them best in an environment where they feel safe to freely express themselves and question their learning. My philosophy is constantly guiding my commitment to students and their learning, my teaching methods, my curriculum decisions and classroom management policies. This philosophy is undoubtedly aligned with the views of Pragmatism.
The brain is a complex machine capable of performing a multitude of tasks. More than that, it is also able to grow and develop. Amongst the many activities that aid in the enhancement of the abilities of the brain, many do not recognize that the effortless act of solemnly focusing on one’s own mind and sensations can actually enhance cognitive function; moreover, it can also boost physical and mental health. Accordingly, meditation has been confirmed to provide a wide range of benefits. By calming your thoughts now and then, you may notice improvements in the way you carry out particular tasks. With regular practice, this act of attaining a certain state of awareness through deep concentration