--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradhatu@...> wrote: > > > On Mar 14, 2011, at 5:18 PM, wayback71 wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradhatu@> wrote: > >> > >> > >> On Mar 14, 2011, at 4:58 PM, wayback71 wrote: > >> > >>> I received today at work a brochure offering an all day seminar by > >>> Jonathan Jordan, MSW on Mindfulness, brain research on its effects, > >>> basics on brain functioning, and specific habits that help the brain work > >>> optimally: diet, focus (don't multi-task), activity and exercise, sleep, > >>> etc. I am attending. This is the first such presentation I have seen > >>> that offers this type of mindfulness and brain research information to > >>> educators and people working in schools (psychologists, guidance, social > >>> workers). I don't know the presenter, Jordan, but hope he does a good > >>> job of it all. > >> > >> > >> I'd be interested to hear how it goes. Like TM, not all Mindfulness > >> research is robust, but it has steadily improved. > >> > > > > I'll let you know in early May. The workshop is April 29. > > > It's good to keep a critical eye on how these things develop. > > One of the latest Buddhisto-meditation fads is the "change your mind (or > consciousness), change your brain" genre. I say authors because some of these > people are not specialists in the areas they're writing books on. They just > have a sense of what's right, at the right time. But they hit a nerve and > they sell. > > There's always a samsaric side to these things, even if it has a glowing logo > of the beaming Dalai Lama on it (esp. if it has a glowing likeness of the > beaming Dalai Lama on it), be mindful. Anything can devolve to a type of > spiritual materialism. Anything. >
I will keep this in mind. The presenter has been doing some meditation he learned back in Nepal about 40 years ago. But I know that often the people least qualified to do so end up writing and selling the books on a topic - because hey are good at sensing the right time, or got lucky, and they have no qualms about an "expert" after a few lessons. I am guessing this presentation is geared to how the brain works in general, how mindfulness practices change it in a way that helps with ADHD, depression and anxiety in school age children, and then presenting other lifestyle practices taht enhance a healthy brain and learning. So this might be "change your brain and you change your mind and behavior and capacity to learn."
