Q: What Is Meditation?
Meditation is an umbrella term that includes many techniques and procedures aimed at utilizing our attention regulation ability to make mind focused and let brain function accordingly. There are equal number of definitions of meditations as number of meditation procedures, different groups of techniques that might exert diverse effects (Matko K and Sedlmeier P, 2019). Such a diversity also makes it difficult to define meditation (Schmidt, 2014).
Q: Then is it not a hindrance to scientific research on Meditation?
Yes, certainly. Not only that many meditation research and training are done by non-psychologists too. It is like a counter salesman treating a fever patient with his experience or a commerce student trained in certain smaller hospitals as nurse and performing her nursing duty. First of all, an Operational definition (not just definition) is required that will give clarity of meditation and also would help prevent amateurism in the field of intervention meditation research.
Q: Is there any “Operational Definition of Meditation” available by Professionals ?
Yes. Ramesh Kumar G S (2022) has given an ‘Operational Definition of Meditation’ that can fit universally any meditation already being practiced or may be systematized in future too.
Ramesh Kumar G S (2022) has operationally defined Meditation as “the behaviour, of wilful direction of voluntary attention – a psychological independent variable (as against involuntary and habitual attention) toward a preselected single internal static or unchanged stimulus or single external static or unchanged stimulus, such a stimulus in either case be selected and defined by the meditation expert, such a behaviour at any instance continue till attaining a short positive goal or benefit / positive alteration on the duo of cognitive arousal and emotional arousal (internal benefits) distinctively perceived by meditating individual”.
Explanation for the definition:
Meditation is operationally defined as ‘a behaviour’ and not technique. This is because ‘meditation’ is an act common to any form or technique or variation of meditating – be it so called, eastern, or western or mantra used or Breath focusing or any other existing or may be developed in future. It is a behaviour and is qualified for meditation whether does once or repeated periodically or at different intervals – the difference in frequency to reflect on result rather than meditating behaviour itself.
Meditation as behaviour of wilful direction of voluntary attention. Meditation is not to be confused with the involuntary attention or habitual attention, but it is only voluntary attention being directed and is directed wilfully but not unwillingly.
Meditation as a behaviour of wilful direction of voluntary attention is directed toward a preselected Single stimulus. That toward which meditation is done fixed before initiating the behaviour of meditating and cannot be changed after initiation of meditating, and in such a case it will qualify for probably a variant of relaxation technique and not meditation; that, the selected stimulus for meditating is single at any given point of time and not in plural.
Meditating behaviour is directed toward static / unchanged. The stimulus selected for meditating before initiating meditation is to be static one and unchanging. That is, when any distraction occurs during the meditating behaviour, then such distraction or change in preselected stimulus cannot be included as part of the meditating behaviour. Consider two instances – a continuous focus on static stimulus for two minutes, and in another instance sits in the meditation position for ten minutes, but focus on the preselected static stimulus was only for around two seconds and intermittently for about five times. In first case, the meditation duration to be considered as two minutes and in second instance, it is only 10 seconds, though he / she was in the position for ten minutes – in this second case, meditating did not occur for 10 minutes but it was only the duration of ‘maintaining’ the position.
Meditating be directed toward either internal or external stimulus. The meditating behaviour could be either directed toward internal stimuli such as thought, image, mantra chanting, breathing, feel, feeling (internal emotion), past or future situation (but static image / thought). On the other hand, meditating can be directed toward external also such as God’s image or meditation designs etc but static and preselected. Thus, meditating done either in eyes open condition or closed condition as defined by the meditation expert / Guru.
Such a meditating preselected stimulus be defined by meditation expert / Meditation Guru who is being qualified or trained on the specific stimulus meditating and technique. The stimulus is not preselected by the meditation learner or client. The stimulus is also part of the technique and the client is only a learner in it. In case, the client needs to have a choice then, the stimulus needs to be predefined by the expert. In research, the stimulus compatibility will remain an interfering variable. The meditation expert is not an expert in every technique or every variant of same technique for which he has not specifically be qualified, for ethical reasons.
A meditating instance is at least till attaining a short positive goal or benefit / positive alteration on the duo of cognitive arousal and emotional arousal (internal benefits) distinctively perceived by meditating individual. The duration is differing by individuals, needs and conveniences. However, any meditating behaviour is qualified for meditation if only continued as to attain at least a short positive goal or benefit / positive alteration on the duo of cognitive arousal and emotional arousal (internal benefits) distinctively perceived by meditating individual – as the resultant positive change in the cognitive and emotional due perceived as distinguished from how it was before initiating meditating behaviour.
Q: Why only Qualified Psychologists should be the Meditation Expert / Guru ?
Traditionally, meditation has been followed in a casual way like a tonic. But now much of research findings are out and Ramesh Kumar G S (2022) has also systematized an INTERVENTION MEDITATION. This is the only technique for the first time given in an individualized way (no group session, not even commonly for two persons together) with preselected Goals for each individual. No other technique so far, is practiced in this manner as all other techniques used so far all for group purposes (may be given individually also). Hence, no preselected measurable goal based technique so far, while it is made easy with only New Intervention Meditation by Ramesh Kumar G S (2022).
Also much concepts are involved in the New Meditation of G S Ramesh Kumar. These concepts are core neuropsychological and this technique is also entirely different from all other technique in vogue.
If you want to learn meditation in a casual way then many can help you. But if you want it for achieving certain definite goals in a measurable manner and in a scientific way then you require Qualified and Experienced Psychologists. As you undergo experience you will realize this condition, as many have realized after they started undergoing this technique (beside, they used to attend other meditation techniques in the past from few weeks to even many years, say 10 years).
It all depends on the net profit you want to get for your life in a measurable and systematic manner.
Reference:
Matko K and Sedlmeier P (2019): What Is Meditation? Proposing an Empirically Derived Classification System. Front. Psychol. 10:2276. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02276
Schmidt, S. (2014). “Opening up meditation for science: the development of a meditation classification system,” in Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications. Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality, eds S. Schmidt, & H. Walach (Cham: Springer), 137–152. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-01634-4_8
Ramesh Kumar G S (2022): “New Intervention Meditation Combining Heritage and Psychology”, International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, Vol.9, Issue 4, page no.g72-g79, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6497610