Meditation is a cross-cultural phenomenon shared by many world cultures. A Jedi must be able to identify the roots of these techniques and ascertain trends within respective traditions for a holistic understanding of the meditative method. Meditation is understood not through intellectual analyses, but through experiential application. A Jedi must not only understand the differences in technique, but recognize the subtle, yet key nuances that are central to the technique. Meditation is not limited to old forms, and is adaptable to time, place, or personage. A Jedi must practice maintaining meditative stability/proficiency in regard to these states. For these assignments, you will research different meditative traditions and techniques, practice them, and write about your experiences in your journal here in the Temple. Complete all of the assignments below.
Part 1: Three Meditative Traditions
Research the following meditative traditions and write a brief summary of their methodologies after putting each to practice. Note that these examinations need not be all-encompassing.
Eastern Traditions
Western Traditions
*Indigenous Traditions
*Some Indigenous meditative traditions include controlled substances which may be illegal in your country or dangerous. The Temple does not explicitly condone or support the use of controlled substances. The purpose of including these traditions in this lesson is purely educational.
Part 2: Three Meditative Approaches
Experiment with one of each of the following applications of meditation (or meditative techniques) and write a 500+ word summary of your experiences in your journal.
Internally-oriented (e.g., emotional regulation, thought-oriented, etc.)
Externally-oriented (e.g., loving-kindness, action-oriented, etc.)
Miscellaneous (e.g., qigong, active imagination, etc.)
Part 3: Cumulative Essay
The importance of meditation to the fictional Jedi cannot be overstated; their required five sessions a day is a testament to this. Why is meditation important to Jedi? Is meditation important to you? Why or Why not?
