Meditation practices can lead to permanent changes in awareness of the self and the transcendence of the ego. Shinzen Young is an ordained Buddhist Monk and scholar of Buddhism. After about a year of meditative practice, he says, one establishes open access to a realm of altered states of awareness. When practicing in a disciplined [...]

According to Buddhist philosophy, compulsive and addictive behavior is common to all “normal” individuals. Shinzen Young is a Buddhist monk and director of the Community Meditation Center of Los Angeles. Through meditation, says Young, one learns to recognize the root cause of addiction as a lack of mindfulness. Gradually, through increased awareness, the compulsive impulse [...]