A piece in my local paper caught my eye this week concerning the introduction of meditation classes in NSW primary schools:
“Students at Mona Vale’s Sacred Heart Primary School have been enlightened by a new program that combines meditation with education. Designed by two of the school’s teachers in line with the NSW syllabus, the program focuses on relaxation techniques for primary students and aims to improve focus in the classroom.”
[url=http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/meditation-a-new-teaching-aid/]http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/meditation-a-new-teaching-aid/[/url]
Should this be setting parents’ alarm bells ringing? Is this an area where concerned parents should be asking for their children to be withdrawn from classes?
There has been widespread debate in the US and UK over the introduction of Transcendental Meditation (TM) classes in US schools, funded by the wealthy Lynch foundation. Criticisms range from distressed parents describing the teaching of TM as “stealth religion”, to medical experts questioning the validity of the research which purports to demonstrate the benefits of teaching TM to children. Developer of the Mona Vale program, teacher Susan Rudd, states simply that for children with anxiety, hyperactivity or ADHD disorders ‘‘It allows them to increase their concentration by focusing on their breathing and finding stillness.’’
Meditation practices are central to Hinduism, and play a major role in other eastern religions including Buddhism, Taoism: they are also found in Theosophy and New Age practices. Additionally there is a long tradition of Christian meditation, which I will refer to below.
The main goal of Eastern forms of meditation is the quieting or emptying of the mind through various relaxation and mind management techniques which include focusing the mind on a word (mantra), object or idea.
Modern psychologies recognise the value of meditation in developing skills of attention, reducing stress and pain, and releasing creativity.
This may sound positive, but being aware of the philosophy behind the type of meditation practices used can assist us in determining whether we would either expose ourselves or our children to them.
TM meditation is steeped in Hindu philosophy: for example, a UK school using TM practices says that “teachers use specific TM techniques to encourage them to appreciate "the harmony underlying the diversity of existence"”. More advanced levels of meditation can result in altered levels of consciousness and psychic experiences and possible occult associations.
On the other hand, Christian meditation is a practice that some would argue we are commanded to participate in: meditating on the law and on God’s word.
One form of Christian meditation arose in the 4th century, known as “lectio divina” or sacred reading. It involves stages of a deliberative reading the Biblical text, meditating upon it, and wrestling with God in prayer followed by a contemplative stage, which is resting in the Lord’s presence. Other forms of contemplative Christian meditation use elements similar to eastern practices such relaxation techniques or focusing on a word or precept (usually Scriptural), but with the goal of communion with the living God, ‘seeking the still small voice of God’ (1Kings 19:12), not the creation of a void in the mind.
Hence, on balance, I would be concerned about a child of mine attending meditation classes, unless I could be absolutely assured that they were limited to teaching simple relaxation and mindfulness techniques which are useful in certain circumstances.
For adults, Christian meditation is a disciplined, deepened and extended form of what many would do in their regular quiet times, deliberately inviting the integration of both left (logical) and right (creative) sides of the brain with the goal of deepening our relationship with God.
