[Buddha-l] Mirror neurons, anyone?

[Katherine Masis]

Steve wrote:
“It also raises an interesting question: what is it about certain  
meditation techniques that they do not cultivate this ability to  
repair attunement? Is it because of an institutional deficit, i.e.  
environmentally cued or is it part of the meditation technique itself  
(or both)? Are all meditation techniques created equal? Are some  
meditation methods ultimately egocentric and others allocentric?”

Steve Feite
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Hi, Steve
No, not all meditation techniques are created equal, and not all meditation milieus are created equal.  A few months ago, several of us on Buddha-L confessed our prior involvement with Transcendental Meditation.  Nine years of TM did little to de-stress me and often I felt that my angst and neurosis were at their very worst during those years.  I think that part of the problem was that the “technique” was divorced from its social, cultural, liturgical and ethical context, so it became just one more tool to put in one’s bag of tricks.  TM aside, people will be people and there are those who turn to Buddhist meditation in precisely that vein—as one more tool.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, as there are different levels of practice for different levels of needs.  On the other hand, the milieu in which meditation is practiced will greatly influence how the method is used.  Is the sangha or community healthy and supportive, or
 is there a subtle competition going on?  Is the teacher genuinely interested in his or her students as people, or merely using them to feed his or her own power trip?  In my opinion, social attunement is socially modeled and socially fostered.  No matter how valuable the meditation method, if an abusive teacher and a dysfunctional sangha take over, it is highly unlikely the method will yield good fruit.
Katherine