ABSTRACT
Meditation involves the practice of enhancing the quality of inner peace, through what may be termed ‘alert relaxation’. It is a key practice in the Zen sects, and in Raja Yoga. It seems clear, then, that meditation itself is a mental process not necessarily bound to any particular religious or mystical school. Experiments have been conducted in Japan and in the United States to identify which of the brain wave patterns occurred during meditation. Biofeedback has become especially popular in the United States, where it has been hailed in some circles as a ‘short cut to mystical enlightenment’. Through EEG recordings the authors can tell how deep a state of contemplation is, and through biofeedback, ordinary urban people, who may not have had the opportunity of joining a Zen monastery can now regulate their meditative development by means of an indicator machine.
