The Divide Between Science And Mindfulness

The scientific method is a useful tool to explain cause and effect. We can look at a problem, take a guess, run some tests, come up with an explanation and recommend a solution.

Many people, myself included, rely on the scientific method (through research and studies) to make decisions and choices. What food should I eat? How should I work out? All of these choices could be made through examining the research conducted using the scientific method.

But sometimes we take our reliance on the scientific mindset too far. Take the act of mindful meditation. There are scientific benefits to mediation, but that’s not that I’m talking about. I’m talking about the experience of mindfulness. In that moment of pure clarity, there’s no need to explain anything.

In the face of meditation, the scientific method becomes utterly useless. Science is a finger pointing to the moon; mindfulness is the moon itself.