Editing Meditation (section)

===Scholarly definitions===
In modern [[Psychology|psychological]] research, meditation has been defined and characterized in various ways. Many of these emphasize the role of attention{{sfn|Goleman|1988}}{{sfn|Walsh|Shapiro|2006}}{{sfn|Cahn|Polich|2006}}{{sfn|Jevning|Wallace|Beidebach|1992}} and characterize the practice of meditation as attempts to detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking,"{{refn|group=note|name=shapiro82discursive|An influential definition by {{harvtxt|Shapiro|1982}} states that "''meditation refers to a family of techniques which have in common a conscious attempt to focus attention in a nonanalytical way and an attempt not to dwell on discursive, ruminating thought''" (p. 6, italics in original). The term "discursive thought" has long been used in Western philosophy, and is often viewed as a synonym to logical thought.<ref>{{cite book|title=Reading neoplatonism: Non-discursive thinking in the texts of plotinus, proclus, and damascius|last=Rappe|first=Sara|year=2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge; New York|isbn=978-0-521-65158-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1dNkABrLWkC}}</ref>}} not judging the meditation-process itself ("logical relaxation"),{{refn|group=note|name=bond09logic|{{harvtxt|Bond|Ospina|Hooton|Bialy|2009}} report that 7 expert scholars who had studied different traditions of meditation agreed that an "essential" component of meditation "Involves logic relaxation: not 'to intend' to analyze the possible psychophysical effects, not 'to intend' to judge the possible results, not 'to intend' to create any type of expectation regarding the process" (p. 134, Table 4). In their final consideration, all 7 experts regarded this feature as an "essential" component of meditation; none of them regarded it as merely "important but not essential" (p. 234, Table 4). (This same result is presented in Table B1 in {{harvnb|Ospina|Bond|Karkhaneh|Tjosvold|2007|p=281}}). This does not mean that all meditation seeks to take a person beyond ''all'' thought processes, only those processes that are sometimes referred to as "discursive" or "logical" (see {{harvnb|Shapiro|1982}}/1984; {{harvnb|Bond|Ospina|Hooton|Bialy|2009|p=}}; Appendix B, pp. 279–82 in {{harvtxt|Ospina|Bond|Karkhaneh|Tjosvold|2007}}).}} to achieve a deeper, more devout, or more relaxed state.

Bond et al. (2009) identified criteria for defining a practice as meditation "for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation", using "a 5-round [[Delphi method|Delphi study]] with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research" who were also trained in diverse but empirically highly studied (Eastern-derived or clinical<!---cite review noting almost all research has examined eastern-derived or clinical practices--->) forms of meditation{{refn|group=note|"members were chosen on the basis of their publication record of research on the therapeutic use of meditation, their knowledge of and training in traditional or clinically developed meditation techniques, and their affiliation with universities and research centers. Each member had specific expertise and training in at least one of the following meditation practices: [[kundalini yoga]], [[Transcendental Meditation]], relaxation response, [[mindfulness-based stress reduction]], and [[vipassana]] meditation" ({{harvnb|Bond|Ospina|Hooton|Bialy|2009|p=131}}); their views were combined using "the [[Delphi method|Delphi technique]] ... a method of eliciting and refining group judgments to address complex problems with a high level of uncertainty" ({{harvnb|Bond|Ospina|Hooton|Bialy|2009|p=131}}).}}:

{{blockquote|three main criteria ... as essential to any meditation practice: the use of a defined technique, logic relaxation,{{refn|group=note|name=bond09logic}} and a self-induced state/mode.

Other criteria deemed important <nowiki>[but not essential]</nowiki> involve a state of psychophysical relaxation, the use of a self-focus skill or anchor, the presence of a state of suspension of logical thought processes, a religious/spiritual/philosophical context, or a state of mental silence.{{sfn|Bond|Ospina|Hooton|Bialy|2009|p=135}}

... It is plausible that meditation is best thought of as a natural category of techniques best captured by '[[family resemblance]]s' ... or by the related [[Prototype (linguistics)|'prototype' model of concepts]]."{{sfn|Bond|Ospina|Hooton|Bialy|2009|loc=p. 135: "It is plausible that meditation is best thought of as a natural category of techniques best captured by '[[family resemblance]]s' ([[Ludwig Wittgenstein|Wittgenstein]], 1968) or by the related [[Prototype (linguistics)|'prototype' model of concepts]] ([[Eleanor Rosch|Rosch]], 1973; Rosch & Mervin, 1975)."}} }}

Several other definitions of meditation have been used by influential modern reviews of research on meditation across multiple traditions:<!---INCLUDE ONLY PROMINENT REVIEWS, WHEN IN DOUBT USE TALK PAGE--->{{refn|group=note|Regarding influential reviews encompassing multiple methods of meditation: {{harvtxt|Walsh|Shapiro|2006}}, {{harvtxt|Cahn|Polich|2006}}, and {{harvtxt|Jevning|Wallace|Beidebach|1992}}, are cited >80 times in [[PsycINFO]]. Number of citations in [[PsycINFO]]: 254 for Walsh & Shapiro, 2006 (26 August 2018); 561 for Cahn & Polich, 2006 (26 August 2018); 83 for Jevning et al. (1992) (26 August 2018). Goleman's [[The Varieties of the Meditative Experience|book]] has 33 editions listed in WorldCat: 17 editions as ''The meditative mind: The varieties of meditative experience''<ref>worldcat.org: Daniel Goleman, [https://www.worldcat.org/title/meditative-mind-the-varieties-of-meditative-experience-daniel-goleman/oclc/868744343/editions?editionsView=true The meditative mind: The varieties of meditative experience] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906052535/https://www.worldcat.org/title/meditative-mind-the-varieties-of-meditative-experience-daniel-goleman/oclc/868744343/editions?editionsView=true |date=2018-09-06 }}</ref> and 16 editions as ''The varieties of meditative experience''.<ref>worldcat.org: Daniel Goleman, [https://www.worldcat.org/title/varieties-of-the-meditative-experience/oclc/636007220/editions?editionsView=true The varieties of meditative experience] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906052507/https://www.worldcat.org/title/varieties-of-the-meditative-experience/oclc/636007220/editions?editionsView=true |date=2018-09-06 }}.</ref> 
Citation and edition counts are as of August 2018 and September 2018 respectively.}}
* Walsh & Shapiro (2006): "Meditation refers to a family of self-regulation practices that focus on training attention and awareness in order to bring mental processes under greater voluntary control and thereby foster general mental well-being and development and/or specific capacities such as calm, clarity, and concentration"{{sfn|Walsh|Shapiro|2006|pp=228–229}}
* Cahn & Polich (2006): "''Meditation'' is used to describe practices that self-regulate the body and mind, thereby affecting mental events by engaging a specific attentional set.... regulation of attention is the central commonality across the many divergent methods"{{sfn|Cahn|Polich|2006|p=180}}
* Jevning et al. (1992): "We define meditation... as a stylized mental technique... repetitively practiced for the purpose of attaining a subjective experience that is frequently described as very restful, silent, and of heightened alertness, often characterized as blissful"{{sfn|Jevning|Wallace|Beidebach|1992|p=415}}
* Goleman (1988): "the need for the meditator to retrain his attention, whether through concentration or mindfulness, is the single invariant ingredient in... every meditation system"{{sfn|Goleman|1988|p=107}}