What if quieting the mind and filling the well were seen as essential modern practices rather than ancient esoteric activities? And what if a common language helped bring the benefits of meditation to diverse people with different needs?
Developing meditation practices that are generative, rather than adaptive or derivative, can help people incorporate the benefits of meditation into their daily lives, helping them manage stress and feel a sense of belonging in an increasingly complex world. With new approaches, we may discover that practices that are often seen as solitary have limitless potential to bring people together.
That’s the process David Germano, professor of Buddhist studies at the University of Virginia and leader of the Generative Contemplation Initiative, will explore in “The Future of Meditation,” a talk for the Pfaffs & Pints Charlottesville series, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Graduate Hotel.
Anyone else reading this…
“We all know nothing is timeless,” Germano told the Daily Progress. “It’s a cultural tradition and it’s always changing.”
Germano said the exact same meditation instruction can elicit very different responses from a Tibetan Buddhist monk and a student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. At Tuesday’s event, he will share insights about his work with teachers and scholars and explore the roots of what creates and sustains meditation practices.
Finding ways to “demystify meditation,” Germano says, can begin with figuring out how to talk about it effectively. Having a shared vocabulary is a practical starting point.
“As a child, you grow up and you learn vocabulary,” Germano says, “and then you can say all kinds of unprecedented things that you’ve never said before.”
Germano
“What are the rules? What is the grammar of meditation?”
Brainstorming helps you focus broadly on the different needs that need to be met and then narrow the focus to create a prototype. Planning also involves selecting postures, gazes, and other “building blocks” that are appropriate for people with different traditions, cultural expectations, and needs.
“What does a deliberative design process look like?” Germano asked. “This kind of process can help religious people, people who consider themselves secular, and people who are spiritual but not religious.”
Just as language evolves and changes over time, meditation will evolve and one day may emerge as a pain management tool for patients or a coping toolbox for children learning to deal with stress. And having a common language and defined terminology gives you room to “slacken off a little bit,” Germano says.
Instead of being intimidated by rules, Germano says people can think of the meditation process as “experimental, exploratory, playful and individualized.” “Find what works for you.”
“My role is to think about how we act as human beings on issues of common concern,” Germano said. “How can we build a better, stronger, more diverse foundation? How can we build practices that benefit all?”
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and Germano’s talk begins at 6 p.m.
