Violence better than meditation says Karmapa Lama
Apparently Trinley Dorje, an important Buddhist figure, is a fan of hip-hip and violent war simulation games. In the interview he says that meditation can be replaced with video games for suppressing the natural Buddhist killer instinct.
Kind of a misleading title, no? Simulated violence isn't actual violence, and the title seems to damn the suggestion more than is due.
That said, I get that suppression of violent tendencies is a goal for this guy's sect of Buddhism. But are the methods really important, so long as the goal is reached? I would contend that no, they are not.
Now, I remain skeptical of the ability of video games to accomplish this as efficiently as meditation. But I don't doubt that it can indeed be used to such ends.
Re: Violence better than meditation says Karmapa Lama
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/sunday-toi/all-that-matters/Video-war-games-satiate-my-feelings-of-aggression/articleshow/5032672.cmsApparently Trinley Dorje, an important Buddhist figure, is a fan of hip-hip and violent war simulation games. In the interview he says that meditation can be replaced with video games for suppressing the natural Buddhist killer instinct.
Originally posted by inimalist
in what way would you suggest that either reduce violent tendencies?
Meditation through focused control of emotions. Video games for blowing off steam by releasing anger or aggression in a non-violent way. Now, I don't know what kind of pent-up rage a Buddhist Lama is harboring, which is why the report is rather shocking, but I've seen people I know use video games to similar ends.
The opposite could likely be true of someone who becomes more violent through video games. But like anything else, it depends on the person and their use of them. Any arbitrary tool can be used toward a specific purpose. For a counterpoint, meditation could be used to harness and focus one's anger to destructive ends.
Which is why I don't see this report as terribly ridiculous. A sign of the times, granted, but just someone finding another tool for reaching the same goal that older techniques have yielded.
He even calls video games a "mundane level of emotional therapy". Mundane? I don't think he's trying to replace traditional Buddhist practices. Just stating what works for him every now and then.
Originally posted by Digi
Meditation through focused control of emotions. Video games for blowing off steam by releasing anger or aggression in a non-violent way. Now, I don't know what kind of pent-up rage a Buddhist Lama is harboring, which is why the report is rather shocking, but I've seen people I know use video games to similar ends.
I guess that is sort of the folk psychology out there
I could be convinced, but remain highly skeptical, that such tendencies would be amenable to "top-down" changing through meditation. Possibly when encountering a situation in which you want to be violent, but not outside of that. I'm not going to make myself less violent by trying to "focus my emotions" in situations where I am not violent. Blah, some form of mental imagery where situations are practiced in the mind, maybe, but when does it stop being meditation and start being a distinct cognitive task?
As far as the sort of "cathartic release" is concerned, it has been found to be largely a myth. Again, if you are in a situation where you might be violent, and you can channel that into the game, ok, I might buy that, but that games can just, in general, allow you to vent violence? I doubt it highly.
Originally posted by inimalist
I guess that is sort of the folk psychology out thereI could be convinced, but remain highly skeptical, that such tendencies would be amenable to "top-down" changing through meditation. Possibly when encountering a situation in which you want to be violent, but not outside of that. I'm not going to make myself less violent by trying to "focus my emotions" in situations where I am not violent. Blah, some form of mental imagery where situations are practiced in the mind, maybe, but when does it stop being meditation and start being a distinct cognitive task?
As far as the sort of "cathartic release" is concerned, it has been found to be largely a myth. Again, if you are in a situation where you might be violent, and you can channel that into the game, ok, I might buy that, but that games can just, in general, allow you to vent violence? I doubt it highly.
My sister was always pissed at school during one stretch a number of years ago. She'd come home, smoke some baddies in Goldeneye with no remorse, and feel better. If she didn't get that chance, chances are she'd be much more b*tchy than usual. She wasn't in danger of hurting anyone, but verbal violence is still violence.
So not a psychological treatise, granted. But I can't deny what I saw.
srug
And no, I doubt meditation can simply quell such emotions where you want to be violent. But I see it as more preventative. It's not hard to train your mind to get to a place where violent tendencies don't crop up in the first place. And if you substitute "meditation" with "just change how you approach things" it's not hard to see how such focus can indeed change one's disposition.
Originally posted by Digi
My sister was always pissed at school during one stretch a number of years ago. She'd come home, smoke some baddies in Goldeneye with no remorse, and feel better. If she didn't get that chance, chances are she'd be much more b*tchy than usual. She wasn't in danger of hurting anyone, but verbal violence is still violence.So not a psychological treatise, granted. But I can't deny what I saw.
Originally posted by King Kandy
Didn't you laugh at this kind of anecdotal evidence when someone brought it up to support acupuncture?
You have to look at the context. Certain acupuncture people claim it to be legit medicine. It can be a powerful placebo, yes, but all third-party double-blind medical studies on the matter have debunked it.
In this case, it's also an anecdote, yes. But what is the claim? The claim is that it can calm people down. And it can. I'm not overreaching the boundaries of the story. I'm not claiming medicinal benefit to video games, for example. It would be like claiming that acupuncture can be relaxing. That is a defensible claim. And this is the same thing.