Got myself into a street debate today, debunking claim after claim. "Meditation can heal the body" - Horseshit. "Medi, Medicine, Meditation have the same roots." Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ....Not even close. It comes from the Latin word Meditatum - to ponder. There is no Latin word Medi. I learned this when I was doing Zen and the Buddhists cited Medi and meaning the "Middle Way." This idea came from the Latin word medius.
Basically there is a Korean cult of Jung-san-do and they practice a form of mantra meditation. While doing so they claim all sorts of health benefits. You gotta see this commercial.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV4p1Y8AGZA
So I basically cut down 3 Korean men and a very cute little girl as they tried to convince me that I had a spirit and meditation was good for it. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ..... Between the three of them, they "OBVIOUSLY" could not define spirit and ended up having no evidence at all for their claims. Finding roots???? I had to point to FERAL kids and the root of human nature - obviously ANIMAL. LOL
They got frustrated and asked for a card so their superhuman guru could talk to me. I delightfully handed one over. I had a great day!
Please feel free to comment! Unless you are a theist and plan on quoting some inane scripture.
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This is a useful side benefit to skepticism, of which frequently go hand in hand with how atheist become well.. atheist.
By simply demanding real, actionable evidence, and perhaps even doing a bit of studying on a subject we can learn not only it is all bullshit, but exactly why their already useless non evidenced arguments/points/claims are also obviously wrong.
I am for meditation, and I understand some of its useful traits, but I remain skeptical that I can somehow "heal myself" from all sorts of crazy maladies by simply "mediating." That are clearly not properly evidenced. Additionally I can google in 2 seconds useful tips on how to self meditate, and gain most all of the useful traits of mediation, without paying anyone anything or joining any sort of group.
Additionally "group meditation" to me seems beyond silly. You are supposed to go inwards and relax, clear your mind of noise, fears, etc, not socialize or be near other people, it is far easier to meditate by yourself, in the comfort and safety of your own home.
No cult joining for "meditation" is necessary, or even advised (at least by me.) Due to the horrible track record of special mediation groups.
@Big agrees form Cog. My Japanese martial arts background and an early interest in the mystical gave me a solid foundation in meditation which I have continued throughout my life. I don't do it for anything. Having a goal defeats the purpose of being now. Trying to be now, defeats the purpose of being now. There is nothing to do, no place to go, nothing to focus on and nothing to do the focusing.