Madelyn's Mediation Practicum
Madelyn's exploration of peace through meditation
Blue Sky with Clouds. Photograph by Madelyn Swelstad.
Purpose
Life is suffering. This statement is one of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and a statement that I have certainly found to be true at points in my life. I spend a lot of my time trying to manage, fix, and avoid the pains of life. Western society tells us that we just need to work harder, do more, be more, and have more. And eventually, once we have all of these things, we will finally be happy. Some of us see this lie for what it is and some of us seek to find an antidote. Meditation acknowledges the ugly truth of life—that it is often brimming with discomfort and suffering—and provides a way, not to avoid it, but to find peace with it. In the last few decades, many studies have shown that meditation indeed has many potential benefits for depression, anxiety, chronic pain, improving sleep, as well as improving general quality of life (Ricard et al.). As someone who finds herself often stuck in the cycle of wishing away the present in hope of a future that never arrives, I would like to learn the tools of meditation for staying in the painful present to ease its suffering.​​​
​​
While meditation begins with the self, it is a practice that seeps into the way you treat those around you. By easing your own suffering, you can begin to eliminate the ways in which you cause others suffering. By decreasing your own neediness, you open your eyes to see the needs of others more readily. Through this experience, I will learn how to engage in life such that I experience more peace and am able to extend that peace to others.
Meditating by Water. Photograph by Madelyn Swelstad.
Learning Objectives and Assignments
In order to facilitate progress towards my goals in this project, I have created objectives and assignments to better aid and document my progress. They are listed below with links to each assignment at the bottom of the section.
What does peer reviewed research say about meditation’s impact on the brain? What are the different ways meditation is practiced and what goals do these methods seek to achieve?
Assignment: Research and write an essay about the context of meditation. Explain an overview of how meditation changes the neurological structure of the mind. Explain the techniques and rationale behind multiple methods of meditation including: mindfulness, mantra, focused, loving kindness, death, zen, and insight meditation.
View the Before Assignment
How can I see my place in the world through a more grounded and peaceful lens?
Assignment: The during assignment will be comprised of three phases. First, I will engage in the various types of meditation studied in the before assignment for an hour each day by myself. Next, I will attend a few different meditation centers in these styles. Finally, I will attend a ten day meditation retreat in Thailand. I will document my emotional and mental experience every night in a journal. I will discuss my experience of each day’s meditation as well as any effects the meditation may have on the rest of my day.
View the During Assignment