Meditation

Buddhism and yoga both advocate meditation. In some books on self-control and well-being, statistics also show that meditation can improve self-control and promote physical and mental health.What interests me  is the basis behind these claims！

Introduction: My Journey From Meditation Confusion to Clarity

I’ve always been interested in meditation. By chance, I came across the book The Science of Meditation on Bilibili. After reading it, I still felt confused, like in a fog. Recently, I read The Molecule of More, which talks about the relationship between dreams and creativity. Suddenly, it clicked—meditation is essentially like being in a dream.

Meditation, or yoga, has always been shrouded in mystery. It’s often described in vague, exaggerated terms, and many people swear by its various benefits, making it a popular practice. I’ve practiced meditation for a long time myself: I did yoga for a year and have been meditating regularly over the past year to relieve anxiety. But I never really understood the "why" behind it—I knew it worked but not how or why.

What Is Meditation, Scientifically? The "Conscious Sleep" Definition

As The Science of Meditation explains, meditation is defined as "conscious sleep": allowing the body to fall asleep while keeping the mind awake. Its purpose is to deactivate the somatic nervous system (responsible for muscle movement) and activate the autonomic nervous system. The key to activating the autonomic nervous system lies in breathing (or breathwork).

Since the somatic nervous system controls muscle activity, deactivating it requires stillness—such as sitting meditation, standing meditation, breathwork, or even walking or practicing Tai Chi (advanced practitioners can enter a meditative state through these activities). Stillness in various forms brings calm and relaxation, which can improve sleep. However, the subsequent "mysterious experiences"—including claims of enhanced brain function—are somewhat questionable. Hu Shi, a renowned Chinese scholar, once criticized Zen Buddhism for lacking logic and evidence, dismissing it as filled with fabrications.

The Inhibitory System: Meditation’s Core Scientific Mechanism

Now I finally understand: the ultimate goal of meditation is to gain inspiration and creativity. The method is to turn off the brain’s inhibitory system and enter a semi-conscious state (between wakefulness and sleep). In this state, thoughts and images combine freely, often sparking inspiration and creativity.

How the Inhibitory System Works in Daily Life

The Molecule of More states that humans have an inhibitory system to cope with daily life and the familiar world around them. This system prioritizes things by importance—all things we do unconsciously are deemed unimportant and suppressed. Only when something unexpected (like a snake suddenly appearing) does the system alert and activate the nervous system, putting the body in a "fight-or-flight" state.

This is a rational, reality-based logic for dealing with the world: it shuts out unimportant things so we can focus our energy on what matters most. For example, a driver’s attention is mainly on the road ahead, road signs, and traffic lights. If their attention is distracted by shop signs or passersby, it will seriously affect their driving.

Inhibitory System: The Difference Between Sleep and Wakefulness

The difference between being asleep and awake is not that the brain shuts down—it remains active. The only difference is that the inhibitory system is turned off during sleep. The senses stop receiving external stimuli, and the dopamine system kicks in, driving the brain to freely combine visual images and create incredible dreams.

Cross-Cultural Links: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Meditation Science

This idea aligns perfectly with Zhuangzi’s concept of "zuowang" (sitting forgetting). In The Greatest Master, he wrote: "Dismember the body, abandon intelligence, leave form and discard knowledge, and unite with the great penetration."

"Dismember the body" means shutting down the sensory system; "abandon intelligence" means turning off rational judgment based on conventional logic. By doing so, one can merge with nature and touch the "Tao" (the way of nature). This "sitting forgetting" is the trance state of meditation, and the so-called "Tao" is actually a flood of innovative ideas and inspiration.

Zhuangzi’s "sitting forgetting," Buddhist meditation, and yoga meditation all sound mystical and questionable. But when we connect them to neuroscience and physiology—specifically the inhibitory system—their link to creativity and the "Tao" becomes much easier to understand.

Travel, Creativity, and Meditation: How the Inhibitory System Connects Them

This principle also explains the meaning of travel. In daily work, life, and study, we are exposed to the same things repeatedly, making them feel ordinary and unexciting. Travel often brings inspiration and a fresh perspective because being in a new environment temporarily disrupts the inhibitory system’s usual pattern.

Unable to quickly judge what’s important, we enter a state of chaos and excitement—the perfect condition for creativity to bloom. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the hit American hip-hop musical Hamilton, got the inspiration for the show while traveling. He blended hip-hop, jazz, and other styles into a Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers. The show became a global sensation.

The Inhibitory System’s Dual Role: Madness, Genius, and Dreams

Research shows that the mental state of people with schizophrenia (commonly referred to as "madness") is similar to that of dreaming. Their problem lies in a malfunctioning inhibitory system: trivial things become extremely important, leaving their brains unable to rest or focus. They are constantly bombarded by stimuli that keep their brains overactive and excited.

People with schizophrenia often say they have too much information in their heads, making it impossible to concentrate, work, or sleep. However, the flip side is that highly creative people often have brains in a similar state—this is why Nietzsche was both a genius and mentally unstable. Arthur Schopenhauer once said: "A dream is a short-lived madness, and madness is a long-lasting dream." The common thread between madness, genius, and dreams is the shutdown or malfunction of the inhibitory system.

What Meditation Really Is: Not "Emptying the Mind," But Freeing Thought

Understanding the inhibitory system helps us see that meditation is not about "doing nothing" or completely emptying the mind. Instead, it turns off the inhibitory system, abandoning daily judgments of importance and allowing thoughts to drift freely.

When we talk about creative thinking, we often say we need to "break free from the chains of conventional thinking"—and conventional thinking is precisely the standard of the inhibitory system. This inhibitory system is what Nietzsche called "forgetfulness": inhibition shuts out secondary stimuli in space, while forgetfulness releases the burden of the past and anxiety about the future in time.

Both mechanisms serve the same purpose: to keep us focused on the present. Those without inhibition feel overwhelmed by intense stimuli every moment, unable to rest their minds. Those who cannot forget constantly ruminate on the past, eventually leading to insomnia and mental illness. Hence Nietzsche’s words: "Whoever cannot forget will never be happy." Why are animals and children never anxious and always happy? Because they live in the present, without the burden of the past or worries about the future.

Meditation’s True Goal: Plato’s "Divine Madness" and Creativity

Getting back to the point: the true purpose of meditation is to enter a semi-conscious state, allowing thoughts to break free from daily constraints and combine freely to generate genuine creativity—or the "Tao." This state is what Plato called "divine madness":

"When a person is possessed by this madness, seeing earthly beauty, they recall the true beauty of the upper world, thus regaining their wings and growing new ones. Eager to soar high, yet unable to do so, they gaze upward like a bird, ignoring everything below, and are therefore regarded as mad."

Practical Meditation Tips: Easy Methods From Geniuses

What was the secret behind surrealist painter Salvador Dalí’s highly creative works? He would sit in a chair with his eyes closed, thinking about his problem, while holding a bunch of keys. When he fell asleep, the keys would drop to the ground, waking him up. He would then immediately record the thoughts in his mind. It’s said that Thomas Edison used the same method.

So meditation is actually very simple—you don’t need to practice sitting meditation for 1,000 hours to benefit. The reason for aiming for a semi-conscious state is that dreams during deep sleep are easily forgotten. Another effective method is to think about a problem before going to bed, fall asleep with it in mind, and immediately write down the dream once you wake up. Practicing this for about a week will often bring inspiration or clues to solve your problems, even if you don’t get a complete creative idea.

Key Notes for Clarity

1. Somatic Nervous System: The part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement (e.g., walking, lifting objects).

2. Autonomic Nervous System: The part of the nervous system that controls involuntary functions (e.g., breathing, heart rate), responsible for the "rest-and-digest" state.

3. Zuowang (Sitting Forgetting): A Taoist meditation practice focused on letting go of physical and mental attachments to achieve unity with nature.

4. Tao: A core concept in Taoism, referring to the fundamental principle or force that governs the universe.

5. Divine Madness (Plato): A state of inspired trance where one transcends ordinary thinking to access higher truths or creativity.

The last：

Once you’ve found your ideal practice method, consider adding an extra layer of support to your mindfulness journey—a meticulously painted Thangka.

As a perfect choice for creating a dedicated meditation space, the sacred symbols and serene colors of a Thangka help calm your mind, enhance focus, and make every breathing exercise easier to sink into the present moment.

With the dual alignment of vision and spirit, you’ll reach your inner “other shore” more effortlessly.