Could be. Nathaniel Branden did say, "I am no longer prepared, as she was, to say that if anyone describes himself or herself as a 'mystic,' he or she is automatically to be dismissed as a crackpot or a charlatan." From The Benefits and Hazards

But a true commitment to knowledge means adhering to evidence and logic, not a gut reaction like "Looks too much like mysticism." Yes, a lot that goes under the label "meditation" is hocum. But we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water!

Interesting story! Franklin is one of my heroes! There's always a danger that introspection without the proper discipline will become a kind of laziness that keeps one from action rather than prepares one for action. Glad that wasn't a problem for Ben!

A sound analysis. I prefer jogging myself, which really clears my head, though haven't been doing it much of late!

Right. It's just a matter of mind and body control.

Perhaps not meditation as such, but I once read that Benjamin Franklin would would sit in his rocking chair with a stone in his hand over a metal bucket. When he dosed off, the stone would fall from his hand into the bucket and awaken him. He would then immediately put pen to paper and write down whatever was in his mind at that exact moment. I understand that he credited several inventions and new lines of thought to this method of introspection.

Thanks much for the keirsey,com. First time viewer
and already hooked.

LOL!!

Right. Back in the early 70's Joe Lewis (the karate guy, not the boxer) recommended a relaxation and meditation tape that I bought. It was excellent and there was no mysticism about it.

Mysticism is characterized by self-delusion and this is of course diametrically opposed to Ayn's philosophy. Meditation focuses on an inner world of heightened consciousness that can be intensely captivating to some. Since Ayn's philosophy focuses on rational individualism she no doubt would support the enhancement of consciousness but probably prefer a walk in the woods or maybe just taking a smoke break to accomplish it.

So what other experiences do concentration and attitude lend themselves to having by the devout accomplished practitioner of the art?

There's no magic, mysticism, or religious spirituality involved with meditation, unless one brings them to the practice one's self. It is no more than a form of mental exercise and discipline at it's simplest level and the development of mental acuity, extreme awareness of surroundings, and conscious control of mental activities and otherwise autonomous physical functions in more advanced practices.

All the other nonsense associated with the practices by those that prefer ignorance over knowledge, mysticism over reality, and the supernatural over the actuality of man is no different than that put forth by all the anti-humanists and anti-individualists based on beliefs rather than the factual world. Any accomplishment of the individual that separates one from the crowd, the normal man, the collective must be associated with something abnormal--or perverted by the new man, by the expert to support that belief system of users of others and enviers.

I suspect that in AR's case, her mental discipline and exercise was expressed in what she might have termed as contemplation and thought experiment and writing. I think she would have looked at other's meditations based on that person's happiness in life and accomplishments and would have recognized the non-mystical and non-religious in it.

Txs for the post.

Actually, jogging was always best for me!

Absolutely positive. I'm not an expert, but just as one cannot do physical labor without rest, I think the same principle applies to the mind.

And while just taking a break from, say, intense studying, reading is a break, I see meditation as actually exercising the mind in it's primary task, which is to focus. Meditation is to physical exercise as physical rest is to taking a break by reading. One restores that which is already there, the other improves it.

Absolutely - I get the same result with a good long
hike with my Puli.....that's all I need. Me and my beloved Hungarian sheep-dog.....

"Physically aware and engaged at all times".....perfect...love it!

During the 70s me dino interviewed a teacher of transcendental meditation, wrote the newspaper story and then decided to try it out.
Later told a guy I knew there were times when I felt sluggish and that practicing TM cleared my head.
Guy said it sounded like all I needed was a nap.
Without writing a story, I decided to try that out.
The first thing me dino noticed was that lying down with a comfy pillow felt better than sitting up in a chair with my chin on my chest.
Second thing me dino noticed was that felt just as revived and rested if not better at the conclusion of my nap.
Me dino decided I like short naps better with an alarm clock set so I didn't overdo it.
I do practice TM from time to time.
The last time was last month sitting in the chair of a little room where I waited 45 too long minutes for my chiropractor to walk in.
My shoulder was also aching too too long enough but the TM helped me cope a little better.

I recall from some of Branden's writings that he found meditation, without the religious clap-trap, a useful tool in his work as a clinical psychologist.

I have been practicing meditation for many years. I used to call it self hypnosis. I have practiced it so long that I can drop into it immediately without doing any relaxation exercises. It was taught to me by, of all people, Nathaniel Branden. It is a great stress elimination technique and I also use it to put myself to sleep on those nights when my mind is on a merry-go-round.

The Buddhist Monks use meditation to "Be One with everything", ignoring consciousness and individuality.
I think this practice is harmful to the individual and takes us away from the creation of values that have yet to exist.

However, for some, like bloodtype A and B it might be useful to calm the voices, the worries and reduce stress from the body. Don't know about AB's but perhaps a mix of A/B.

For us O's...I know, like Dr Ed, I need to be physically aware and engaged at all times...floating over a pillow, cross legged is not my thing and I certainly do not want to be one with anything, except with my lady during intercourse.

Hopping is for rabbits. Or, occasionally, for startled cats. I'm particularly impressed by the armadillo jump. :-] 😼

the best course i ever took in high school and college was "debate"...it taught me to "listen" and see the truth and weakness of each side of an topic...

i had the best life experience as "judge" in the weekend debates that my children participated in in their high school years...i would constantly challenge both students in the debate to continue to explore logic, reason, and the emotional "appeal" that their argument would have to an audience...

there are many sides to the "total" person and the well-rounded individual...

She would likely regard it as a fraud. Meditation sounds too much like mysticism--a pretention to secret knowledge. (From the Greek mysterion, meaning "a secret.") Branden ("The Benefits and Hazards...") recorded that she didn't like hypnosis, either--so Branden didn't share with her any of his own research in that line.

" Now meditation, or quiet contemplation used to clear and focus the mind without the mystic mumbo-jumbo sounds like a good thing. "

Hell, I can accomplish that with a good long tramp in the mountains.

Ergo my comment that "Let’s grant that there is still a lot of psycho-babble and mystic mumbo-jumbo that gets in the way." I'm always hoping that Objectivists will practice the highest virtue, rationality, and attend to the evidence in any case!