One of my favorite authors commented on scientific attempts to understand meditation and its effect, saying it is not to be expected that scientists will leave their purely intellectual understanding behind. Repeated meditation brings the fact that one's thoughts are indeed thoughts to awareness more easily. Not that they are not of worth, as they often are accurate representations of the world or helpful guides or amusing insights but they do come from the mind and are part of the mind.
Meditation improves awareness of one's emotions as well. It gives one a little distance from feelings and reactions, providing a chance to choose to harbor feelings or to discard them. Karen Maezen Miller's "Momma Zen" and "Hand Wash Cold" are excellent guides to using everyday tasks and ordinary feelings such as elation or boredom or worry as opportunities to observe oneself wrestling with the ups and downs of life as well as the ups and downs of one's reactions. Enough observation and a person can become favorably impressed with the smoothness of one's emotional swells and troughs, seeing a pretty good sailor negotiating the seas.
There may come a moment after a busy day when sitting by yourself and allowing the day and your feelings about it to pass across your mental screen is more enjoyable that a movie or book.
Evidence continues to accumulate that meditative practice assists with many aspects of thought and emotions, as with this article. I am impressed with aspects of thought and observation that deal with humor, such as this interesting article on what sorts of jokes toddlers make and this writing by the witty and balanced Loretta Laroche.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
