Letters: Aug. 25, 2003

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The Science of Meditation

Thank you for the cover story on meditation [HEALTH, Aug. 4]. As a 28-year-old practitioner of both yoga and meditation, I was reassured to learn that other Americans have incorporated traditional Eastern philosophical methods into their lives as a way of coping with everyday rigors. The rat race needs to slow down for a soul-cleansing pit stop. MOLLY WRIGHT Chicago

We hear so much about violence and war that it was refreshing to be reminded that people have the power to bring themselves peace. Perhaps, years from now, our children will be able to control their anger, and our leaders will learn to promote peace through mindfulness. SOHEILA VOJOUDI Westmount, Que.

I fear that by bringing attention to meditation, your story might be taken by hard-driving overachievers as a more spiritually correct way to acquire fame, fortune and real estate--or just another fad to talk about over cocktails. HARVEY B. USSACH New Bedford, Mass.

In our fast-lane urban life, people pay too little attention to such conditions as stress and depression. Spending a few minutes a day meditating can really improve our body dynamics. I hope more people realize its power so they can experience more tranquillity. SIVA PRASAD Hyderabad, India

Stress reduction, life extension and transitory states of bliss are worthy pursuits but not the true, historical purpose of meditation. In Zen Buddhist parlance, it is a way to resolve the "great matter" of birth and death, by allowing the practitioner to bear witness to the indestructible, birthless, deathless self-nature that lies at the heart of all existence and then to live in accordance with this insight. HOAG HOLMGREN Nederland, Colo.

With proof of its healing powers increasing, meditation in its different forms is catching the attention of people around the world. But there is at least one form of meditation whose benefits, though undocumented, are hard to beat. It is the stroll in the neighborhood park on a sunny afternoon, with toddler in tow. Indeed, there are few things more effective in focusing the mind on the eternal present, to the exclusion of everything else. The only downside is that kids grow up and move out one day. M. VENKATA KRISHNAN Chennai, India

>> Many readers felt that writer Joel Stein's antic skepticism was ill suited to the subject of meditation. "He would not have used such a flip, disrespectful tone in an article on Christian or Jewish ritual," wrote a religion professor from Georgia. Asked a minister from Maine: "Why the sarcasm? What was Stein afraid of?" And a New Yorker offered a brief, blunt primer on meditation: "The goal is to calm the mind enough that you don't need to make really lame jokes."

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