[russelldjimmy]

> because with meditation there's intent. It's actively calming yourself down.

This really is the Silicon Valley definition of “meditation”. Not what it’s meant to be.

True meditation seems to fit the definition of “niksen” perfectly. “Calming oneself down” is a side-effect of it, not the primary goal. As Alan Watts said (I paraphrase) - meditation has no purpose. You just do it because you’re grooving with the eternal now.

[kranner]

For one, it depends which definition of "true meditation" you're thinking of. Adyashanti has a method he calls "True Meditation", which is in the "do nothing" class of techniques but it has a not-doing kind of focus to it (or "non-interference with the present moment" as he calls it). It's not a low-importance kind of non-doing though, and though it tends to become restful as one progresses, the path to getting there is not necessarily restful. It seems to be similar for other do-nothing methods, such as the Zen practice of Shikantaza.

GP cites watching a movie while one's mind is wandering as an example of Niksen. That doesn't seem to fit any definition of meditation I'm aware of.

[rramadass]

Right. People claim to be studying Yoga/Buddhism and treat "Meditation" as an "activity" to be done with goals/schedules. That is quite the wrong viewpoint. To paraphrase the Bhagavad Gita; "practice motiveless action".

[tuan]

There seems to be many ways to interpret what meditation means across cultures. To me, born and raised in SE Asia, niksen as described in the article is not the same as meditation. There are significant overlaps however. For example: sitting in a train station and __observing__ the train go by - this is a form of meditation and could be a form of niksen. However, as I wash dishes, I can meditate by focusing on every little details of what I'm doing: this is a spoon, I'm cleaning the handle, next is the tip, now I'm cleaning the bowl, etc.. This is not doing nothing. I'm doing something. I'm just very present.

[russelldjimmy]

Yes, I think we are agreeing in different words. Words are a funny thing, no?