Research Paper on:
Ritual: Meditation For Healing

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
One well accepted theoretical principle in spiritually advanced communities is the ritual of meditation, a fundamental basis towards reducing stress and encouraging healing. According to Kabat-Zinn (1995), meditation  is instrumental in producing a state of mindfulness, which thereby instills a strong sense of being rather than doing, helping one to focus upon the here and now without being  interrupted by thoughts of the past or future. Kabat-Zinn (1995) proclaims meditation to be the one ritual where people can go within themselves and find their spiritual entity, while  at the same time escape the abundant intrusions of contemporary existence. Wherever You Go, There You Are : Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life offers a collection of techniques for the  meditation ritual, which the author performs everyday during his own life as a means by which to rid his body and mind of harmful stress, illness and negative influences.  What Kabat-Zinn (1995) asserts in this book are the benefits of meditation ritual as a means by which to keep psychological complications from arising in the first place, as well  as to quickly expedite the bodys healing process when harm does come about. According to the author, keeping the mind free of clutter and entanglements with regular meditation is  one of the most effective ways to maintain a healthy existence. "The basis of mind-body healing is the belief that health can be enhanced by aligning a persons mind  with their diet and physiology" (Mason, 1992, p. 100). While mainstream meditation is instrumental in overall mental health, the level of meditation Kabat-Zinn  (1995) instructs in this particular book is not so much "to relax, to experience a special state, to become a better person, to reduce some stress or pain, to break