Meditation and Obligations
There was a question posed in an article earlier this year that I found recently. Are we morally obligated to meditate? Meaning, if we believe that meditation makes people less reactive and more compassionate, are we morally obligated to meditate because to not take up this practice means that we are knowingly choosing not to be our most compassionate selves?
Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head.
I mean, yes, meditation benefits the individual, but if it also benefits the community, should we all be meditating? Or, by that reasoning, replace it with anything that has been proven to benefit more than the individual. For instance, are we morally obligated to read because reading makes us more empathetic? I’m sure we could compile a long list of similar activities.
The article gives the short answer of “no,” with a more nuanced answer following that. But I thought the question itself was more interesting than the dissection of it.
I meditate daily, and I have for years, both as a regular practice every morning and as a stress reliever on an as-needed basis. I don’t know if it has changed me because I’ve been doing this form of meditation on-and-off since I was a child and learned it, so while my practice has been more structured vs. less structured at various times in my life, there has never been a time since I was a small child that I haven’t meditated.
But it has never occurred to me to encourage anyone else to meditate except for my kids. I’ve taught other people how to meditate because they asked to learn and I remember how I was taught in such a way that I can pass it along to others. But I’ve never thought to encourage the practice in someone who didn’t ask because I think it’s something they should do. In other words, happy to teach if the person asks me to teach them. But I’ve never thought to offer because I think they should be meditating. Because I’m not sure it is for everyone.
I’d be interested in hearing your opinion. Are we morally obligated to do things that benefit others as much as it benefits ourselves?
7 comments
Coming at it from the scientific point of view… without proof of benefits, there can be no obligation. Meditation is said to make people more compassionate, but what does that even mean? It’s not quantifiable. Some people already theorize that humans should be morally obligated to participate in religion…and of course that always translates into “not just any religion, but MY religion.” (In case you couldn’t tell, I am bit of a moral relativist, and a definite cynic, so I don’t much go in for moral obligations.)
In a practical sense, meditation does not work for everyone in the way that it works for you. What may make you more compassionate may make someone else more ruthlessly focused on their goals. You might say that’s not true meditation, but everything can be twisted to one’s own purpose.
Well, we can’t assume that everyone will have the same benefits; just like medicine doesn’t work the same way for everyone. What cures one person may make the other feel sick.
In a huge believer in CBT which is *not* meditation although they may share some commonality; like mantras can be a component of both. Some might even say meditation is a form of CBT or the other way around. CBT has been very helpful with controlling my insomnia, but meditation makes me jumpy. I had a bad visualization experience on guided meditation when I was in high school and it’s left me tense about meditation ever since.
Point is, I do CBT evangelize a bit while also recognizing that my truth is not the absolutely truth and CBT may not work or may be less effective for other people.
But this question isn’t really, am I obligated to share with other people something that can help them but am I obligated to to do something that makes me my best self? Obligated is a strong word.
If we think of our existence as a spectrum from suicide to celebrating life, and we assume suicide is a sin; then each day we live is doing the bare minimum. Are we obligated to beautify each day or is it sufficient to merely refrain from dying? Honesty, I’d say that depends on the day.
In the USA, at least, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would endorse the idea that any of us is morally obligated to do anything for the benefit of the community, whether it’s meditation or something else. That’s the struggle we are having with many of those who’ve chosen not to mask or physically distance during the pandemic, right? That those Americans believe that their individual rights come before the collective good?
We would have to be living in a society with a completely different philosophy than what we currently have.
I want to say yes. I don’t meditate but in terms of the past 9 months – I feel it is my duty to socially distance and stay home to benefit my fellow humans. But as we have all seen, my view is not shared by everyone. Plenty of people don’t feel they have any moral obligation to anyone else. They want to eat in restaurants! They want hair cuts! So. My question is, even if we technically have that obligation, does it mean anything if so many others disagree?
I like where you’re coming from. A place from which you’re happy to share, but that you’re not evangelizing. I think my answer would be No, because of the reason given in the article. Judgmentalness is something we in the west tend to navigate and also perpetrate.
Instead, maybe the lovingkindess meditation in a form like this: May all beings who would benefit find their own meditation practice.”
A little more to say.
That way you/we are offering services in a very low key and nonjudgmental way.
I would love to know sometime what your practice is like.
I’ve used meditation in precisely the way the article author did. Before receiving visitors, I took some time to meditate, breathe, and calm myself. It definitely helped! And this is a reminder that I should do it more often. It’s not a regular practice for me.
I also know some people who (I think) would benefit from meditation. But I doubt they would hear the suggestion of meditation as a helpful suggestion!
I like the idea of compassion training though. I’m going to read more on that I think. Great article with a lot of food for thought.