#Mettavalokanaya_International_Buddhist_Magazine_November_2021

Can we act upon aging of
the brain and fight against
cognitive decline the same
way we can act upon aging on
the body itself? Over the last decades,
scientific studies have looked into
the consequences of mind-training
practices – meditation – on both body
and spirit.
Thanks to a number of studies, we
know that the practice of meditation
has an immediate impact on cerebral
activity and, in the long term, on the
very structure of the brain. We have
the ability to transform ourselves on
our own thanks to neuroplasticity -
the mechanisms by which the brain
can modify itself. This occurs through
neurogenesis processes, from the
embryo stage or during training, and
manifests itself by the brain’s ability
to create, undo or reorganize neural
networks and their connections.
Neuroplasticity happens throughout
life time. But what impact does the
practice of meditation have on the
brain of the elderly, particularly prone
to cognitive decline?
This decline occurs frequently
towards the end of life; it is a natural
process. After the age of 40, our brain
starts to slowly lose certain abilities
and ages structurally. These changes
may be hastened by our living
conditions, which may be linked to
how others perceive us, our selfimage,
or by the fact that we become
more exposed to the deaths of loved
ones and to loneliness. And sleep
disorders increase exponentially,
affecting 50% of those above 65, as
do neurodegenerative illnesses such
as Alzheimer’s.
These pathological processes
causing stress and anxiety have a
significant detrimental impact on the
quality of life and the health of the
elderly; prone to mental ruminations,
they are often victims of depressive
syndromes When we observe the
process of rumination, it is easy to
see the extent to which it constitutes
a factor of disturbance. So, we must
free ourselves from these mental
chain reactions we maintain through
rumination. We need to learn to let
thoughts arise and dissipate as they
occur, instead of letting them take
over our mind.
Like skills and knowledge, this
ability to let « thoughts arise and
dissipate as they occur, instead of
letting them take over our mind”
can be developed through training.
Impact of
Meditation
& Brain….
“The
Practice of
Meditation”
By practicing mindfulness, we can
emancipate ourselves from certain
chains linked to cognitive aging
and help prevent or slow down agerelated
degenerative illnesses.
Far from preconceived ideas,
meditation is a conscious and active
practice. Over time, through exercises
and perseverance, meditation shapes
our mind and develops our capacity
for control, discernment and clear
mindedness. We spend a lot of time
improving the external conditions of
our lives, but in the end it is always the
mind which creates our experience of
the world and translates it into wellbeing
or suffering. Being able to act
consciously on the way we perceive
things is being able to transform
our quality of life. It is this type of
transformation which is brought
about by mind training, what we call
meditation, a practice not limited to
attention or what is generally referred
to as « mindfulness.
“Most of our innate abilities lay
dormant unless we do something,
such as mind training, to bring them
to their optimal functioning state.
Through an empirical approach and a
well-trained mind, the contemplatives
have found efficient methods for
gradually transforming emotions,
moods and character traits, as well
as for eroding deeply rooted atavistic
tendencies that stand in the way of an
optimal mode of being. Accomplishing
this changes the quality of our lives
at every moment by reinforcing
fundamental human characteristics
such as kindness, freedom, peace and
inner strength.
Developing our mind’s potential
with practice and throughout life
significantly improves both physical
and cognitive health. Scientific
studies have shown that practicing
meditation can increase mental
health and well-being in the aging
population. A recent study by Dr.
Gaëlle Chételat at INSERM (the
French national institute of health
Most Venerable
Matthieu Ricard Thero
The World’s Famous French
Buddhist Monk, Humanitarian,
Author, Founding Director and
President of Karuna Shechen
and medical research) evaluates –
with still preliminary results - the
impact of meditative practice on
preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Using medical imaging, Gaëlle
Chételat analyzes the brain of 259
seniors3 : 67 of them have never
practiced meditation while 6 have
undertaken between 15,000 and
30,000 hours of meditation on
attention, benevolence and other
qualities. Looking at the volume of
gray matter in the patients’ brain, the
greatest amount is found in the 6 who
meditate regularly. More specifically,
the cerebral areas dedicated to
attention and the regulation of
emotions present a much greater
metabolism than those of other
subjects. Though the scientists
prefer not to make too general an
affirmation, it seems that the brain of
long-term practitioners is on average
structurally and metabolically 10 to
15 years younger than those of same
age subjects.
Meditation thus opens up a way
to work against cellular aging and
prevent cognitive deterioration. Just
as we maintain our physical abilities
through exercise, the mind also must
continuously be trained by cultivating
an attentive and kind presence to
the world. When properly done, the
practice of meditation unites body
and mind through a discipline that
fosters a feeling of plenitude and
promotes health.
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54 l Mettavalokanaya l November l 2021 2021 l November l Mettavalokanaya l 55