I used to be first launched to meditation through popular culture. Particularly, I used to be a ten yr outdated taking part in the arcade recreation Avenue Fighter 2 once I learn a quote from a personality known as Dhalsim. The quote learn, “I’ll meditate after which destroy you.” And sure, that could be a stupidly assbackwards quote. It completely misrepresented what meditation is.
Popular culture usually does completely lie about meditation. Nevertheless, should you look intently, you’ll additionally discover some really nice representations of meditation in popular culture too. Let’s have a look.
Greatest Ever Representations of Meditation in Pop Tradition
Star Wars [1977 to Present]
Star Wars is completely loaded with references to meditation. In all probability the obvious instance of that is in The Phantom Menace, through which we see Jedi Grasp Yoda meditating. And the portrayal of meditation could be very actual, even when it’s being carried out by a tiny inexperienced alien.
Past this, Star Wars was closely impressed by Buddhsm, the religious dwelling of meditation. In The Empire Strikes Again, as an illustration, when Luke is speaking to Yoda on Degobah, Yoda references every little thing from nondualism to mindfulness, core themes of Buddhism.
We will even discover meditation in Star Wars video video games. As an illustration, within the recreation Jedi Fallen Order, the protagonist Kal meditates with a view to entry the talent tree and to avoid wasting.
As an enormous Star Wars fan I’ve at all times been impressed by the religious points of the film. Certainly, do you know you’ll be able to even do Star Wars meditations in real life?!?!
The Karate Child: “Wax On Wax Off” [1984]
The Karate Child was one of many very first films I noticed that features meditation.
Within the film, Daniel Russo [Ralph Macchio] needs to win the native Karate match, so he turns into a pupil of Karate grasp Mr Miyagi [Pat Morita].
Probably the most necessary expertise that Mr Miyagi teaches Daniel “Son” is to decelerate and to be conscious. Certainly, mindfulness is the entire level to the well-known “Wax on, wax off” scene, through which Mr Miyagi teaches Daniel to be conscious by having him clear his automobile slowly and consciously. Watching this scene jogs my memory of “soji”, through which Buddhists full chores mindfully as a type of meditation.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 5 Episode 5 [2000]
I’ve at all times been an enormous Buffy fan. However I wasn’t anticipating the “Slayer” to point out up on this record. That was till I remembered Season 5 episode 5 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: “No Place Like Dwelling”.
On this episode, the Sarah Michelle Gellar character meets a monk who tells her to meditate. And so she does, in a really practical depiction of meditation.
As she meditates, Buffy positive aspects perception into actuality and learns that Daybreak [Michelle Trachtenberg] shouldn’t be actually her sister. That is primarily meditation resulting in perception.
There’s additionally this cool scene of Angel and Buffy doing Tai Chi.
The Matrix [1999]
Though meditation itself shouldn’t be proven in any of The Matrix movies, administrators Lana and Lilly Wachowski had been clearly influenced by Buddhism and Taoism (two religious houses of meditation).
Nowhere is that this extra evident than within the scene through which Neo (Keanu Reeves) is “killed” by Agent Smith [Hugo Weaving]. Neo is seemingly resurrected as “The One”, a personality who can see via the delusions of the Matrix to see actuality. This was additionally closely influenced by the concept of Brahman (true actuality) in Hinduism.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meditation Scene
I positively didn’t anticipate to incorporate Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo on this record. However then I recalled an superior scene from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film [1990].
The Turtles are despondent as a result of Shredder has taken Splinter hostage. Collectively, the ninjas sit round a campire, holding arms and meditating. As they quieten their minds, Splinter seems earlier than them. Splinter says, “Final mastery comes not of the physique however of the thoughts.” Right here, he mimics numerous religious gurus equivalent to Buddha and Lao Tzu.
Someway, a film about 4 ninja turtles gave us among the best meditation scenes in any film.
Shoutouts to The Beatles
Above we checked out a number of the finest moments of meditation in popular culture. However arguably none of this might ever have occurred with out The Beatles.
Meditation was hardly even heard of within the West earlier than The Beatles traveled to India in 1968. There, in Rishikesh, they met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founding father of Transcendental Meditation and one of the famous meditation teachers.
Due to the gargantuan reputation of The Beatles, thousands and thousands of individuals within the West began to get into meditation.
Since then, numerous celebrities have been meditating, and this has helped meditation to grow to be extremely well-liked.
And naturally, right this moment, issues have gone a bit mad
Lastly, right this moment, in 2022, meditation is now an integral half of popular culture, and there are tons of various meditation games and meditation apps.
Paul Harrison is a passionate meditation instructor who believes in real, genuine meditation. He has greater than 15 years expertise in meditation and mindfulness. He studied meditation in stunning Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his diploma at Staffordshire College.
“My objective is to supply essentially the most genuine meditation periods so you’ll be able to harness the facility of your individual thoughts for private transformation” – Paul Harrison
