冥想很难吗？│破解冥想的七个迷思 7 Meditation Myths

冥想的益处真正体现在没有练习冥想的其他时间里，我们每天的日常生活中。当我们离开冥想的课程，练习中的静谧仍与我们同在，使我们更具创造力、同情心、中正、爱自己和我们遇到的每一个人。...



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在过去的四十年中，冥想进入了西方现代主流文化，医生开出处方，从企业高管、艺术家、科学家到学生、教师、军人和有前景的政客，每个人都在练习。每天早上，俄亥俄州众议员提姆瑞安会冥想，他是正念和冥想的主要倡导者，他在书中描述了一种正念：一个如此简单的练习就可以帮助我们减轻压力，改善表现并重回美国精神。尽管冥想日益普及，关于这个练习仍有普遍的误解，这是一个屏障，阻止许多人尝试冥想和身心灵获得深远的益处。

Myth #1: Meditation is difficult.

迷思#1：冥想是困难的。

Truth: This myth is rooted in the image of meditation as an esoteric practice reserved only for saints, holy men, and spiritual adepts. In reality, when you receive instruction from an experienced, knowledgeable teacher, meditation is easy and fun to learn. The techniques can be as simple as focusing on the breath or silently repeating a mantra. One reason why meditation may seem difficult is that we try too hard to concentrate, we’re overly attached to results, or we’re not sure we are doing it right. In our experience at the Chopra Center, learning meditation from a qualified teacher is the best way to ensure that the process is enjoyable and you get the most from your practice. A teacher will help you understand what you’re experiencing, move past common roadblocks, and create a nourishing daily practice.

真相：这个迷思植根于冥想给大家的印象，觉得这是一个留给圣人、神职人员、灵修者的深奥练习。在现实中，当你接收的指导是从一个经验丰富、知识渊博的老师而来，你会发现冥想学习起来轻松又有趣。这个技巧就像专注呼吸或默默地重复祷语一样简单。原因之一，冥想看起来困难是我们太过于尝试专注，我们过于重视结果，或者我们不确定我们所做的正确与否。在乔普拉中心的体验中，学习冥想的最佳方式是找一个合格的老师，能确保过程是愉快的以及让你在练习中有最大的收获。老师将帮助你理解你从中经历的一切，扫除过往常见的路障，并创造一个收获的日常练习。

Myth #2: You have to quiet your mind in order to have a successful meditation practice.

迷思#2：为了有一个成功的冥想练习，你必须让你的头脑冷静。

Truth: This may be the number one myth about meditation and is the cause of many people giving up in frustration. Meditation isn’t about stopping our thoughts or trying to empty our mind – both of these approaches only create stress and more noisy internal chatter. We can’t stop or control our thoughts, but we can decide how much attention to give them. Although we can’t impose quiet on our mind, through meditation we can find the quiet that already exists in the space between our thoughts. Sometimes referred to as “the gap,” this space between thoughts is pure consciousness, pure silence, and pure peace. When we meditate, we use an object of attention, such as our breath, an image, or a mantra, which allows our mind to relax into this silent stream of awareness. When thoughts arise, as they inevitably will, we don’t need to judge them or try to push them away. Instead, we gently return our attention to our object of attention.In every meditation, there are moments, even if only microseconds, when the mind dips into the gap and experiences the refreshment of pure awareness. As you meditate on a regular basis, you will spend more and more time in this state of expanded awareness and silence.

真相：这可能是关于冥想的头等迷思，也是许多人因为挫折而放弃的原因。冥想不是要阻止我们的思想或试图清空我们的思想——这两种方法只会造成压力和更多内在喋喋不休的噪音。我们无法阻止或控制我们的思想，但我们可以决定有多关注他们。虽然我们不能把安静强加于我们的脑海，但通过冥想，我们可以发现早就存在于我们思想之间的安静。有时被称为“间隙”，这个空间的想法是纯粹的意识，纯粹的沉默和纯粹的和平。当我们冥想时，我们使用一个关注对象，如我们的呼吸，一副图像或一句祷语，它可以让我们的大脑放松，进入这个静静的流意识。想法将不可避免地出现，我们不需要评断它们或者试图推开。相反，我们轻轻地把注意力转移到我们的关注对象上。每一个冥想，有些片刻，即使只有几微秒，思想进入“间隙”和去体验本觉意识的更新。当你定期冥想，你会花越来越多的时间处于扩张意识和沉默的状态。

Be assured that even if it feels like you have been thinking throughout your entire meditation, you are still receiving the benefits of your practice. You haven’t failed or wasted your time. When Chopra Center co-founder Dr. David Simon taught meditation, he would often tell students, “The thought I’m having thoughts may be the most important thought you have ever thought, because before you had that thought, you may not have even known you were having thoughts. You probably thought you were your thoughts.” Simply noticing that you are having thoughts is a breakthrough because it begins to shift your internal reference point from ego mind to witnessing awareness. As you become less identified with your thoughts and stories, you experience greater peace and open to new possibilities.

放心，即使你一直在思考你的整个冥想，你仍然从你的练习中受益。你没有失败或浪费你的时间。当乔普拉中心的创始人戴维西蒙博士教导冥想时，他常常告诉学生，“有些十分重要的想法可能是你从未想过的，其实你以前就有了，但你可能都没有察觉。你认为这可能是你的想法，也可能不是你的。“显而易见，你有一个突破的想法，因为它开始从小我意识向旁观意识转变你的内在标准。当你越少地察觉你的想法和故事，你会经历更大的平静和对新的可能性敞开心胸。

Myth #3: It takes years of dedicated practice to receive any benefits from meditation.

迷思#3：需要多年的潜心练习才能从冥想中获益。

Truth: The benefits of meditation are both immediate and long-term. You can begin to experience benefits the first time you sit down to meditate and in the first few days of daily practice. Many scientific studies provide evidence that meditation has profound effects on the mind-body physiology within just weeks of practice. For example, a landmark study led by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people experience decreased anxiety and greater feelings of calm; it also produced growth in the areas of the brain associated with memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress regulation. At the Chopra Center, we commonly hear from new meditators who are able to sleep soundly for the first time in years after just a few days of daily meditation practice. Other common benefits of meditation include improved concentration, decreased blood pressure, and enhanced immune function.

真相：冥想的益处是直接和长期的。你第一次坐下来冥想和数天后的日常练习，就开始体验到益处。许多科学研究提供的证据表明，仅仅是几周的冥想练习就可以对身心产生深远的影响。例如，由哈佛大学和马萨诸塞州总医院所领导的一个具有里程碑意义的研究表明，短短八周的冥想不仅帮助人们体验到降低焦虑和更大的平静；它也产生大脑与记忆、移情、自我意识和压力调节相关领域的增长。在乔普拉中心，我们经常听到新的冥想者经过几天的日常冥想练习，多年来第一次熟睡。冥想其他常见的益处包括改善注意力、降低血压和增强免疫功能。

迷思

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4：冥想是逃避现实。

Truth: The real purpose of meditation isn’t to tune out and get away from it all but to tune in and get in touch with your true Self – that eternal aspect of yourself that goes beyond all the ever-changing, external circumstances of your life. In meditation you dive below the mind’s churning surface, which tends to be filled with repetitive thoughts about the past and worries about the future, into the still point of pure consciousness. In this state of transcendent awareness, you let go of all the stories you’ve been telling yourself about who you are, what is limiting you, and where you fall short – and you experience the truth that your deepest Self is infinite and unbounded. As you practice on a regular basis, you cleanse the windows of perception and your clarity expands. While some people do try to use meditation as a form of escape – as a way to bypass unresolved emotional issues – this approach runs counter to all of the wisdom teachings about meditation and mindfulness. In fact, there are a variety ofmeditation techniques specifically developed to identify, mobilize and release stored emotional toxicity. If you are coping with emotional upset or trauma, we recommend that you work with a therapist who can help you safely explore and heal the pain of the past, allowing you to return to your natural state of wholeness and love.

真相：冥想的真正目的不是为了关闭和摆脱这一切，而是去打开与真我的连接——自我永恒的那面，超越所有变化和外部生活环境。进入冥想，你潜入脑海中，穿过那些被过去和未来反复忧虑所填满的想法，平静地进入纯粹意识。在超越意识的状态，你放下所有你告诉自己关于你是谁的故事，什么限制你，你哪里不足——然后你经历的真相是你最深处的自我，那是无限和自由的。当你定期练习，可以净化觉知的管道，清晰的意识扩张。而有些人试图用冥想作为一种逃避——就像绕开未解决的情绪问题——这种做法违背所有关于冥想和正念的智慧教导。事实上，有各种各样的冥想技术专门为了发展如何识别、调动和释放积压的情绪毒素。如果你应对情绪不安或创伤，我们建议你与治疗师一起合作，帮助你安全地探索和疗愈过去的痛苦，让你回到完整与爱的自然状态。

Myth #5: I don’t have enough time to meditate.

迷思#5：我没有足够的时间冥想。

Truth: There are busy, productive executives who have not missed a meditation in twenty-five years, and if you make meditation a priority, you will do it. If you feel like your schedule is too full, remember that even just a few minutes of meditation is better than none. We encourage you not to talk yourself out of meditating just because it’s a bit late or you feel too sleepy.

真相：有一些忙碌且卓越的高管在二十五年中，没有错过一次冥想，如果你把冥想看做很重要的事，你会做的。如果你觉得你的计划太满了，记住，即使只是几分钟的冥想也比没有强。我们鼓励你说服自己，不要因为有一点晚或者你觉得困就放弃冥想。

In life’s paradoxical way, when we spend time meditating on a regular basis, we actually have more time. When we meditate, we dip in and out of the timeless, spaceless realm of consciousness . . . the state of pure awareness that is the source of everything that manifests in the universe. Our breathing and heart rate slow down, our blood pressure lowers, and our body decreases the production of stress hormones and other chemicals that speed up the aging process and give us the subjective feeling that we are “running out of time.” In meditation, we are in a state of restful alertness that is extremely refreshing for the body and mind. As people stick with their meditation ritual, they notice that they are able to accomplish more while doing less. Instead of struggling so hard to achieve goals, they spend more and more time “in the flow” – aligned with universal intelligence that orchestrates everything.

生活的吊诡之处是，当我们定期花时间冥想，其实我们将拥有更多的时间。冥想时，我们进入永恒的、无限的意识……这种纯意识的状态，是万物之源，显化在宇宙中。我们的呼吸和心率减慢，血压降低，减少身体中使我们快速老化的应激激素和其他化学物质，让我们主观地感受“时间不够了”。在冥想中，我们处于一个平静的警觉中，这绝对会让身心充电。当人们坚持他们的冥想习惯，他们注意到，有能力完成更多任务，但做的事变少了。不再是苦苦挣扎地去完成目标，他们花更多的时间“在流动中”——坚持用宇宙的智慧协调一切。

Myth #6: Meditation is a spiritual or religious practice.

Truth: Meditation is a practice that takes us beyond the noisy chatter of the mind into a place of stillness and silence. It doesn’t require a specific spiritual belief, and many people of many different religions practice meditation without any conflict with their current religious beliefs. Some meditators have no particular religious beliefs or are atheist or agnostic. They meditate in order to experience inner quiet and the numerous physical and mental health benefits of the practice – including lowered blood pressure, stress reduction, and restful sleep. The original reason that Deepak Chopra
began meditating was to help him stop smoking. Meditation helps us to enrich our lives. It enables us to enjoy whatever we do in our lives more fully and happily – whether that is playing sports, taking care of our children, or advancing in our career.

真相：冥想是一种练习，带领我们超越嘈杂的心灵进入一个静谧的领域。它并不需要一个特定的精神信仰，许多不同宗教的人练习冥想，这与他们目前的宗教信仰没有任何冲突。有些冥想者没有特别的宗教信仰，有些是无神论者或是不可知论者。他们冥想是为了体验内心的安静和获得无数身心健康的益处——包括降低血压、减少压力和安稳的睡眠。乔普拉
开始冥想的最初原因是帮助他戒烟。冥想可以帮助丰富我们的生活。无论我们在生活中做什么，它都可以使我们更充分和快乐地享受这一切——可能是运动、照顾我们的孩子或是推进我们的事业。

Myth #7: I’m supposed to have transcendent experiences in meditation.

Truth: Some people are disappointed when they don’t experience visions, see colors, levitate, hear a choir of angels, or glimpse enlightenment when they meditate. Although we can have a variety of wonderful experiences when we meditate, including feelings of bliss and oneness, these aren’t the purpose of the practice. The real benefits of meditation are what happens in the other hours of the day when we’re going about our daily lives. When we emerge from our meditation session, we carry some of the stillness and silence of our practice with us, allowing us to be more creative, compassionate, centered, and loving to ourselves and everyone we encounter.

真相：在冥想中，当他们没有体验到异象，看见颜色，漂浮在空中，听到唱诗班天使或者窥见开悟，那些人失望了。虽然我们可以有各种美好的体验，包括幸福和合一的感受，但这些不是练习的目的。冥想的益处真正体现在没有练习冥想的其他时间里，我们每天的日常生活中。当我们离开冥想的课程，练习中的静谧仍与我们同在，使我们更具创造力、同情心、中正、爱自己和我们遇到的每一个人。

原文：Chopra Wellbeing

翻译&编辑：Joanna

图片：网络

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