#4 Brain and Wellbeing: is you family living in the present enough?

During the summer I obtained a copy of Altered Traits; Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body. It is certainly a good book for those who want to discover more about the science behind mindfulness and meditation as this review from PenguinRandom House explains:

"In the last twenty years, meditation and mindfulness have gone from being kind of cool to becoming an omnipresent Band-Aid for fixing everything from your weight to your relationship to your achievement level. Unveiling here the kind of cutting-edge research that has made them giants in their fields, Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson show us the truth about what meditation can really do for us, as well as exactly how to get the most out of it.

Sweeping away common misconceptions and neuromythology to open readers’ eyes to the ways data has been distorted to sell mind-training methods, the authors demonstrate that beyond the pleasant states mental exercises can produce, the real payoffs are the lasting personality traits that can result. But short daily doses will not get us to the highest level of lasting positive change—even if we continue for years—without specific additions. More than sheer hours, we need smart practice, including crucial ingredients such as targeted feedback from a master teacher and a more spacious, less attached view of the self, of which are missing in widespread versions of mind training. The authors also reveal the latest data from Davidson’s own lab that point to a new methodology for developing a broader array of mind-training methods with larger implications for how we can derive the greatest benefits from the practice."

In these two 25 minute talks (not TED) Daniel Goleman and then Richard Davidson talk about their background in studying meditation, levels of study, how we all benefit regardless of our different levels of mindfulness experience, data on student benefits and how it can impact our desire to take action to help others. Goleman summarizes the key content of the 6,000 peer-reviewed research papers that show the changes that mindfulness practice can bring to us.

This article from Tricycle links with the above works and reinforces how consistent practice, as we have been told many times, is needed to develop altered traits. The article identifies traits that may also occur beyond those associated with a well being focussed approach to meditative practice.

The sense of a life mission centered on practice numbers among those elements so often left behind in Asia, but that may matter greatly. Among others that might, in fact, be crucial for cultivating altered traits:

• An ethical stance, a set of moral guidelines that facilitate the inner changes on the path. Many traditions urge such an inner compass, lest any abilities developed be used for personal gain.
• Altruistic intention, where the practitioner invokes the strong motivation to practice for the benefit all others, not just oneself.
• Grounded faith, the mindset that a particular path has value and will lead you to the transformation you seek. Some texts warn against blind faith and urge students to do what we call today “due diligence” in finding a teacher.
• Personalized guidance, a knowledgeable teacher who coaches you on the path, giving you the advice you need to go the next step.
• Devotion, a deep appreciation for all the people, principles, and such that make practice possible. Devotion can also be to the qualities of a divine figure, a teacher, or the teacher’s altered traits or quality of mind.
• Community, a supportive circle of friends on the path who are themselves dedicated to practice.
• A supportive culture, traditional Asian cultures have long recognized the value of people who devote their life to transforming themselves to embody virtues of attention, patience, compassion, and so on. Those who work and have families willingly support those who dedicate themselves to deep practice by giving the money, feeding them, and otherwise making life easier. This is often not the case in modern societies.
• Potential for altered traits, the very idea that these practices can lead to a liberation from our ordinary mind states—not self-improvement—has always framed these practices, fostering respect or reverence for the path and those on it."