Practical Intelligence: The Art and Science of Common Sense

Appendix E. LEARN TO MEDITATE IN "ONE" LESSON: The Harvard Mantra

MEDITATION IS A SPECIAL KIND OF MENTAL EXPERIENCE that can help you gain easy access to the "alpha zone," and to the states of resourcefulness that can make your mindmovies more effective. The most basic form of meditation, sometimes called "mantra meditation," is a procedure that's easy to learn, pleasant to experience, and beneficial to mental and physical health. There are lots of good reasons to do it on a regular basis, and almost no reasons not to. So if you don't yet know how, it's probably time to learn.

Skilled meditators and practitioners of esoteric mental disciplines use various advanced techniques, but ordinary civilians like us can easily pick up the basic "mantra" ...