Re: Meditation
My experience is that there is also significant variation in the introductory meditation practices taught in differing Zen lineages, some of which are more prescriptive than Mary's replies suggest. This is less a disagreement than a basis for my observation that I would extend her well-taken remarks about the variety of practices subsumed under the generic label "meditation" across multiple traditions to intra-tradition variants as well.
It may not be a bad thing to ponder the possibility that the primary benefits any individual seeks when embarking on the practice of any particular type of meditation may be distinct from the primary function of the type of meditation within its own tradition, even if the hoped-for benefits are achieved as a result of the practice.....
|