Why Traditional Meditation Is Holding You Back
Meditation has been practised for thousands of years across different cultures, religions, and traditions. For many people, traditional meditation provides a valuable framework for developing mindfulness, concentration, self-awareness, and inner calm. However, following a ‘traditional’ meditation approach does not necessarily mean it is the best approach for everyone.
As a psychotherapist, author, and meditation teacher, I consider how traditional meditation practices can sometimes become restrictive when we focus too heavily on rules, techniques, or ideas about how meditation is supposed to be done. Drawing from my own meditation practice, I like to consider whether holding too tightly to tradition can actually prevent us from discovering what works best for us.
In this article, I will explore what traditional meditation is, why traditions can be valuable, how rigid approaches may sometimes hold back your meditation practice; and how spiritual materialism can be an issue.
- A chapter from the book Mindfulness, A Guidebook to the Present Moment -
‘Tradition implies authority, conformity, imitation, following.’ - Jiddu Krishnamurti
What Is Traditional Meditation?
Traditional meditation refers to meditation practices that have been passed down through established spiritual, religious, or cultural traditions. These practices often have specific techniques, teachings, rituals, postures, objects of focus, or guidelines that practitioners are encouraged to follow.
Examples include Buddhist meditation practices such as mindfulness and insight meditation, Hindu meditation traditions, Christian contemplative prayer, and various forms of traditional meditation that have developed within different spiritual lineages. Traditional meditation can provide structure and guidance, particularly for people who are new to meditation and want a clear framework to follow, and are an excellent place to start your exploration.
However, tradition does not automatically make a particular technique suitable for every person. Meditation is ultimately a personal practice, and different people may respond differently to particular methods. While traditional meditation approaches can provide valuable wisdom and a foundation for practice, it can also be useful to remain curious and recognize that meditation does not have to look exactly the same for everyone.
Traditional Meditation May Not Be Your Thing
I am not a traditionalist, but I have studied and tried traditional meditation over the years, of course I have. But I believe in doing what works, not what has always been done for its own sake, and sometimes traditional meditation works for you, and sometimes you have to trial and error a few different ways to meditate before you find what works for you.
Humans have a way of ritualizing behaviors that produce positive outcomes. We find something that works, then dogmatically stick to that approach out of fear of failure. The problem with that approach of only using traditional meditation is that it may both lock in superfluous practices, but also discourages experimentation and innovation. The following two anecdotes highlight the potential risks surrounding unquestioning obedience to tradition and traditional meditation.
1. A young girl was eagerly watching her mother cook a pot roast. One day she asked her, ‘why did you chop the end off the roast before putting it into the pot?’. The mum was unsure, but told her daughter that her mum, the girl’s grandma, had taught her to do it that way. Later that night, the mum called her mother and asked her why she always cut the ends off her meat when making a pot roast. The grandma reported that the oven they had growing up was too small to fit the entire piece of meat whole, so she chopped the ends off to make it fit.
2. A travelling monk took refuge at a meditation center and was invited to join in with a session. As he took his seat, he noticed something peculiar, the head monk was dragging a cat and placing it into a cage at the side of the hall, where it remained for the duration of the session. Curious, the traveling monk inquired about the cat, but was simply told that at this temple we have always placed a cat inside the cage before we meditate. Later that night the travelling monk found a dusty hundred-year-old chronical of the temple. This tome outlined the original founders who had long since passed. In the margin on one of the pages, someone had written a complaint that a local cat was disturbing the meditation sessions by climbing all over the monks. Given their vows to never harm a living creature, they were forced to put the offending cat in a cage while they meditated, and then release it after each session.
While a bit contrived, both stories highlight the issues with tradition and only using traditional meditation. I am sure you will see some parallels in the various organizations, schools, businesses, and religions that you are familiar with. There are some practices that simply do not make sense, given our modern context, and contemporary understanding of science and human nature.
I share this with you to highlight the fact that some of the instructions that you will come across in traditional meditation will be outdated, incorrect or just simply inappropriate for you personally. This is why I approach my practice widely, taking the best parts from multiple sources and discarding the rest. Of course, like everyone, I began my mindfulness journey as a complete layman. But over time, through trial and error, as well as comparison of multiple sources, I was able to find what works for me. Will what work for me be the same as what works for you? Likely not. However, it is probable that the underlying principles of mindfulness will remain constant, despite the wording, analogies and nuances of the practice being unique to each of us. Our results and general experience of meditation and the mindfulness state will be equivalent.
The specific way you sit when meditating seems less important than how you address distracting thoughts. What you choose as a meditation object does not seem to matter anywhere near as much as how consistent you are. The way you troubleshoot your practice matters far more than whether you start counting on the in breath or out breath. I think you get the point about traditional meditation. I am weary about any instruction, meditation or otherwise, that is dogmatic, traditional, or ritualistic. If such an approach works for you, great. If not, that is okay also.
Find what works for you and do not be afraid to change approaches, ask questions, and try something new. This is your practice after all.
Spiritual Materialism and Ego Traps
‘The ego knows itself by comparison’ – Richard Rohr
Like all pursuits, there are aspects of ego, hierarchy, projection, and posturing surrounding the meditation community. With spiritual materialism, people will humble brag about the hours spent on the mat, and how they gritted their teeth through the pain. They will compare how much they have piously given up and how many hours they have spent on retreat. They will wear the beads, crystals, and handmade hippy pants, and light incense everywhere they go. They will make comments about how they are eating ethically and turning their household green.
In short, they are using meditation to acquire social status (which is called spiritual materialism).
Do not get me wrong, it is more than okay to do some or all of the above things, but it is the intent behind it that matters. What is more important, to be known as someone who meditates, or to be someone who lives in a state of mindfulness? Be careful not to let meditative and spiritual materialism and competition sour your practice. If going on retreats and wearing beads helps you, then do it. But just keep 1% of your attention scanning for your intentions and the impact of your words, social media posts, and actions relating to the community aspect of mindfulness meditation. If you notice that you are getting annoyed at someone, or think you are a better meditator than them, or that you ‘get it’ and they do not, investigate your feelings. You may find jealousy, resentment, fear, or confusion hiding just under the surface.
I am fully aware of the irony of this kind of talk within a book that purports to teach mindfulness meditation, but it is a necessary component to highlight. And no, I am in no way immune to these kinds of thoughts. At times I will catch myself judging others for not meditating, or if they do, for not meditating as much as I do or in the way that I do. When I realize I am having these thoughts that seem like spiritual materialism, I investigate them and use them as yet another form of self-inquiry, as well as a learning opportunity, ‘Why doesn’t that person meditate? How do they manage their mental state? What can they teach me about meditation and the mind?’.
If I am closed off, or think myself superior, I am basically saying that I know all and need not bother with any further learning. This of course, will never be true.
Really, the amount of time we spend meditating is irrelevant. It is our ability to attain and stay mindful that matters. If you need one minute or 100 a day, that is fine. If you need more or less than another person, that is fine. Our practice is personal and unique to us, and it is ever changing and evolving. Comparisons and spiritual materialism will only result in a reduction of mindfulness, and thus should be avoided as much as possible.
Finally, the act of meditation does not itself make one moral or ethical. In fact, unless meditation changes behavior off the mat, it could even be viewed as passively immoral, as that same time could be otherwise spent doing a social good. A lot of good people meditate, but you do not need to meditate to be good, and just because someone meditates, does not mean they are inherently or automatically a good person.
What you do matters. Good or bad, your actions will impact the world. So, meditate, pray and be spiritual, but if you want to make a true difference in the world, make sure that you do more than just sit in silence. Encourage others to meditate with you, and then to act mindfully in the world.
