Eastern Spirituality and the Western Mind

In this video snippet, Marjorie Wollacott talks about the 25-year disconnect between her life as a neuroscientist and academic and that of a spiritual seeker and meditator.

Many of us Westerners who embrace Eastern spiritual traditions might relate to the bifurcated reality she describes. We might even experience this separation within ourselves.

There are some good reasons for the internal conflict that arises from the contrast between our inner and outer worlds.

Our rational mind struggles to accept what can’t be seen and measured, yet the subtle experiences we might have in meditation or yoga feel undeniably real, even if they can’t be explained intellectually.

Furthermore, we live in a culture that rewards productivity, often at the expense of emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Centuries of industrialization have conditioned us to devalue, ignore, or neglect our interior life.

What’s a seeker to do?

We are fortunate to live in an era where many people are waking up to the possibility that spirituality and science – and by extension, our mystical and rational sides – need not be at odds. In fact, they can complement and enrich each other.

Scientific understanding of what’s happening in the brain during meditation helps us trust and make sense of our inner experiences.

The presence of mind and equanimity you cultivate in meditation can make you more focused, patient, and better able to handle stress, enhancing your effectiveness at work and in daily life.

By integrating our inner experiences with our outer lives, we also reframe what spiritual attainment looks like. Instead of seeking an “up and out” type of transcendence from our practices, we cultivate an expanded awareness that we bring to our daily lives.

The result? Meditation becomes less about escaping from the world, and more about operating more effectively in it.