General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
Please see below message from Michael Ireland who is a PhD Student at the University of Queensland:
Hello friends
I am very sorry for any cross posting or if you have received this already.
I am currently conducting scientific research at the University of Queensland to validate the beneficial effects of meditation.
However, I need help with completing a simple and confidential online survey. The survey explores meditation, happiness/wellbeing, personality, and psychological development. Participants have found it quite easy and interesting.
The results will be publicly available and have the potential to greatly improve our scientific understanding of meditation, how it works, and its potential benefits.
I also need your help with forwarding this information to anyone else who practices meditation so we can include their input as well. Anyone can participate by clicking on the web address below or by typing it into a internet window/browser address bar.
Thank you very much your help is greatly appreciated.
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
I contacted Michael Ireland and told him I posted his note on ZFI, e-Sangha and Dharma Wheel as well as here. He responded this morning and was very appreciative of the assistance.
Adam
If you've got the time and inclination, I would encourage you to go back and complete the survey. Someone of your experience, with over 3 and a half decades of regular meditative practice, would have some very worthwhile experiences to share. I actually found it really useful exercise as it made me think about what it is and why I am doing what I am doing.
Metta
Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
appicchato wrote:This probably reflects on me more than our friend, but the typo in the very first sentence of the survey doesn't bode well for a PhD candidate...
My father has two phdz and still c'ant spell wright without some kind of spell checker. We've all love him dearly and proofread for him as well as periodically enjoying his creativity. An educated man might pity anyone who only knows one way to spell a word but as you say, expectations can be high in the seats of higher learning. Maybe we can send him a note to amend that error and any others as well. I'll try it, maybe we will learn something.
edit- either fixed already or I'm not sure what typo you mean. Onwards.
But whoever walking, standing, sitting, or lying down overcomes thought, delighting in the stilling of thought: he's capable, a monk like this, of touching superlative self-awakening. § 110. {Iti 4.11; Iti 115}
I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of you guys not making judgements about my fitness to moderate based on my butchering of the Queen's English.
I think I'll just go and sit in the corner and mangle some words!
Anyway, back to topic!
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Interesting.... will do it. Sadly, it seems to me that the Uni of QLD (which happens to be my alma mater) has shut down their Centre for Buddhist Studies. I believe there was a report from 2008 about how staff and students of the centre were feeling discriminated by the uni, which they claimed had a certain bias towards certain dominant religious traditions.
appicchato wrote:This probably reflects on me more than our friend, but the typo in the very first sentence of the survey doesn't bode well for a PhD candidate...
Tell me about it. I once misspelt my own name in a book I wrote ...
appicchato wrote:This probably reflects on me more than our friend, but the typo in the very first sentence of the survey doesn't bode well for a PhD candidate...
ha ha ha! well spotted my friend. it all helps to keep me very humble.
thank you for your eagle-eye!
zavk wrote:Interesting.... will do it. Sadly, it seems to me that the Uni of QLD (which happens to be my alma mater) has shut down their Centre for Buddhist Studies. I believe there was a report from 2008 about how staff and students of the centre were feeling discriminated by the uni, which they claimed had a certain bias towards certain dominant religious traditions.
Yes this is very sad indeed! Within the school of psychology, there are a couple of academics who are either Buddhist or interested in meditation and mindfulness. Otherwise, it certainly is a topic still just outside the mainstream.
Hello Dharma friends
I just wanted to say I am incredibly grateful and indebted to everyone who has given their precious time to help me with this research project.
I wish I could personally thank every one who has contributed.
I very much appreciate your time and effort and your personal contribution has made this research project successful.
Thanks to all your efforts, I now over 505 completed surveys form meditation practitioners and I am well on the way to reaching our goal of 600 with about 6 months to spare.
So if you have any friends or family who also practice meditation please feel free to share the link with them https://surveys.psy.uq.edu.au/wellbeing.survey" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and invite them to have their say also.
If you have any questions or ideas please do not hesitate to email me at mireland NO_SPAM @inbox.com (remove NO_SPAM before sending)
Thank you again
Yours sincerely
Michael Ireland