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Meditation: a Panacea for all Mental and Moral Evils
(Scientific Study of Meditation)
Meditation has been routinely practised in both eastern and western countries throughout all ages. Nevertheless, it was believed to be a highly ritualistic performance practised by specially qualified persons. The purpose of meditation throughout history, appears to have been to attain transcendental experience which coresponded to religion (or philosophy) in which it was rooted, that is, it meant for many people some mystic experience involving theological ritual. Thus, being intimately bound up with non-scientific practices as well as interpretations, it was generally presumed that an objective scientific approach for studying the subject was either impossible or futile. Contrary to this general belief, the subject of meditation can now be studied positively by the method of science.
In the past we have been taught almost entierly, by traditions with their attendant myths, legends and supersititions mostly because of our ignorance in relation to our external and internal environments. And the superstitious beliefs together with the irrational fear of supernatural due to our ignorance resulted in mental condition whereby we believed ourselves to be helpless. Now, the advance of natural sciences has decreased our ignorance as well as fear of supernatural and has armed us with knowledge and to a great extent control in the domain of external environment. And even when we are unable to control some of the causes of our miseries such as floods, earth-quakes we no
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