People’s Egos Get Bigger After Meditation and Yoga, Says a New Study

A study found that meditation doesn't necessarily reduce ego. (Form via Unsplash)

BY Olivia Goldhill

According to Buddhist teaching, the self is an illusion. The religion preaches a fundamentally selfless worldview, encouraging followers to renounce individual desires and distance themselves from self-concern. To advance this perspective, millions of people around the world practice yoga and meditation.

But a recently published psychological study directly contradicts that approach, finding that contemporary meditation and yoga practices can actually inflate your ego.

In the paper, published online by University of Southampton and due to be published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers note that Buddhism’s teachings that a meditation practice helps overcome the ego conflicts with US psychologist William James’s argument that practicing any skill breeds a sense of self-enhancement (the psychological term for inflated self-regard.)

There was already a fair bit of evidence supporting William James’s theory, broadly speaking, but a team of researchers from University Mannheim in Germany decided to test it specifically in the context of yoga and meditation.

They recruited yoga 93 students and, over a period of 15 weeks, regularly evaluated their sense of self-enhancement. They used several measures to do this. First, they assessed participants’ level of self-enhancement by asking how they compared to the average yoga student in their class. (Comparisons to the average is the standard way of measuring self-enhancement.) Second, they had participants complete an inventory that assesses narcissistic tendencies, which asked participants to rate how deeply phrases like “I will be well-known for the good deeds I will have done” applied to them. And finally, they administered a self-esteem scale asking participants whether they agreed with statements like, “At the moment, I have high self-esteem.”

When students were evaluated in the hour after their yoga class, they showed significantly higher self-enhancement, according to all three measures, than when they hadn’t done yoga in the previous 24 hours.

A second study of 162 people who practiced meditation, recruited through Facebook groups devoted to meditation, found that the practice had similar impacts on self-enhancement as yoga. In this study, participants were asked to evaluate themselves based on statements like, “In comparison to the average participant of this study, I am free from bias.” The study found that participants had higher self-enhancement in the hour following meditation, than when they hadn’t meditated for 24 hours.

Researchers also evaluated participants’ well-being using two measures, the satisfaction with life scale and the eudemonic well-being measure, which evaluates satisfaction with autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. They found that well-being increased along with self-enhancement, suggesting that self-enhancement is linked with the increased sense of well-being that many get from meditation.

These findings suggest that spiritual Buddhist practices like yoga and meditation may not do what proponents typically say they do, according to the study authors. “Ego-quieting is a central element of yoga philosophy and Buddhism alike. That element, and its presumed implications, require serious rethinking,” they write. “Moreover, ego-quieting is often called upon to explain mind-body practices’ well-being benefits. In contrast, we observed that mind-body practices boost self-enhancement and this boost—in turn—elevates well-being.”

There is an alternative explanation, though. It’s possible the study participants were doing meditation and yoga wrong. All of the participants were based in Germany, and various academics have theorized that western practitioners of Buddhism fail to practice with an eye towards the selflessness that should characterize the goals of these efforts. Though yoga and meditation were originally intended as ways to calm the ego, many non-Buddhist practitioners do these activities with an eye to self-improvement or calming personal anxieties.

Meditation can indeed be narcissistic, notes Buddhist writer Lewis Richmond in The Huffington Post. “The act of sitting in silence, eyes closed or facing a wall, attention focused on the inner landscape of breath, body, and mental activity, could at least be characterized as self-absorbed,” he says. Those who practice meditation with a self-centered perspective will likely become more self-interested, not less.

The notion that yoga can feed rather than diminish the ego won’t be surprising to those who’ve met holier-than-thou yoga devotees clad in designer athlesiure. But the psychological study didn’t examine whether Buddhist teachings themselves influenced this ego boost. Yoga alone may not be enough to dissolve the ego, but one psychological study does not invalidate thousands of years of Buddhist teaching and practice.

Entire Mexican City Police Force Arrested After Politician's Killing

Corruption is Everywhere - and a way of life (and death) in Mexico

By Ed Adamczyk

The entire police force in Ocampo, Mexico, were arrested by federal agents Sunday, on suspicion they were involved in the murder of a mayoral candidate. File Photo by Frontpage/Shutterstock/UPI

UPI -- The entire police force in Ocampo, Mexico, was arrested by federal forces after the murder last week of a mayoral candidate.

Fernando Angeles Juarez, a businessman with little political experience, was killed outside his home by unknown gunmen on Thursday -- one of over 100 politicians killed in Mexico prior to general elections on July 1.

He was the third politician in just over a week in Michoacán state to be killed.

The police force and Oscar Gonzalez Garcia, public security secretary and supervisor, were detained by federal agents Sunday. When the agents arrived in Ocampo, they were stopped by local police officers.

The agents returned with reinforcements and detained the 27-person police force on suspicion of involvement in a murder.

The police officers were handcuffed and taken to Morelia, the state capital, where they were remanded to the custody of the internal affairs unit of Mexico's state security secretariat.

Prosecutors accuse Gonzalez and the police of links to organized crime.

Members of the Mexican army were called in to guard Angeles' funeral.

Over 3,000 elected positions are at stake in next week's vote, including those of president, senators, Chamber of Deputies posts and regional and local positions.

And drug cartels will make sure that all those elected are under their control.

10 Suspected Far-Right Extremists Arrested in France over Planned Attack on Muslims

Islamization  Backlash - Far-Right Extremists in France

FILE PHOTO. © Benoit Tessier / Reuters

French counter-terrorism forces have detained a group of suspected far-right radicals who were plotting an attack on “people of Muslim faith.” Firearms as well as homemade explosives were found during the raid.

Ten people suspected of having links to a far-right movement have been detained in a large-scale security operation late on Sunday, June 24, the French media reported on Monday. The arrests were made by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) as part of a counter-terrorism investigation into a planned attack on Muslims.

The raids were conducted in the Paris region, the western regions of Haute-Vienne and Charente-Maritime as well as on the island of Corsica. The suspects, aged between 32 and 69, had an “ill-defined plan to commit a violent act targeting people of the Muslim faith,” a source close to the investigation told AFP.

Another source told the French media that the group planned to attack those they considered to be “targets linked to radical Islam,” including hate preachers and radical imams, Islamist prisoners once they are released, as well as veiled women chosen at random. So far it is unclear how close the group was to implementing its plot.

The suspects were allegedly seeking to acquire firearms. Some were found during the raids of the suspects’ property. Security forces also found grenades and homemade explosives, which were apparently produced by the suspects.

A retired policeman identified only as Guy S. was among those arrested, Le Parisien reported. The man, 65, is suspected of leading the Action of the Operational Forces movement (AFO), a far-right group, which all those arrested allegedly belonged to. The clandestine organization allegedly sought to avenge the victims of Islamist attacks that have hit France in recent years.

The members of the group claimed they wanted to counter “the threat of radical Islam” in France, LCI said, adding that the suspects regularly trained in shooting clubs as they apparently prepared to carry out their attacks. They also reportedly prepared caches of weapons, ammunition, and food for their families in case of a “major crisis,” the broadcaster added. None of the suspects were apparently known to police or security forces before.

It is the second major far-right conspiracy thwarted by the French security forces in less than a year. In October 2017, counter-terrorism police arrested 10 people in the Paris and Marseille areas over a suspected plot to attack mosques, migrants, and even former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Answering terrorism with terrorism is not the way combat the Islamization of France or anywhere else. But the lack of action, and even concern, of left leaning governments to the cultural suicides of France and other European countries, is creating a feeling of helplessness and frustration that feeds anti-Islamic violence. 

If EU governments don't stop the Islamization of Europe, these kinds of groups will be popping up everywhere and eventually there will be civil war all across the continent. That's not a threat; it's an observation.

‘We don’t need the West’: Assad to Ban Foreign Money from Syria Reconstruction

"The West is not honest at all, they don’t give, they only take."

Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks to Russian NTV channel © Reuters

Syria will not allow Western investors to step into the rebuilding of war-damaged country as they only come to “take” from foreign economies, Syria’s Bashar Assad told Russian media, adding he will seek friendly aid instead.

Friendly aid would mean Iran and Russia, for the most part, and possibly a small Gulf State or two. They are going to need a ton of money as most of the country is completely destroyed and may regret closing the door, especially if the west tightens the screws on Iran again.

And Assad surely knows that if Iran is spending kazillions of dollars in Syria it is going to want stuff in return. It has already opened schools in Syria and are teaching children Iran's toxic version of Islam.

The US and its Western allies have been actively engaged in the seven-year long war in Syria, including the illegal stationing of troops in the country and backing anti-government militants such as Free Syrian Army (FSA) and “moderate” Islamist groups. The war has dealt billions in damage to the country, but President Assad is determined to rebuild without a single penny from the “dishonest” West. 

“They [the West] won’t be part of reconstruction in Syria, because very simply we won’t allow them to be part of it… we don’t need the West. The West is not honest at all, they don’t give, they only take,” the Syrian leader told Russian NTV channel on Sunday. 

The country was historically built without external help, the Syrian president stressed, adding that any loans would be allowed only from “friends.” On the other hand, European investors, who have been privately contacting the Syrian authorities on the matter, will be banned from Syrian markets. Assad says that Europe has eyes for Syria just to save its own “dire” economies.

“They need this market, they are in a very dire situation economically since 2008, most of the European countries. They need many markets, Syria is one of them, and we are not going to allow them to be part of this market, very simply,” he said.

During the interview, Assad lashed out at Western powers, which he believes are controlled by Washington and only have “the substitute of statesmen” and “fake politics.” He said this approach needed “fake stories,” including the alleged use of chemical weapons, which Assad was repeatedly accused of despite Damascus destroying the stockpile in 2013.

The Syrian leader also said that negotiating with US President Donald Trump would be fruitless as Washington always comes up short on its promises and things only get worse when it’s involved.

“The problem with the American presidents is that they are hostages to their lobbies, to the mainstream media, to the huge corporations, financial, oil, armaments, etc.,” Assad said. He described President Trump as a “very stark example” of American approach in politics – always saying “what you want to hear,” but doing the opposite, get things “worse and worse.”

“So, talking and discussing with the Americans now for no reason, without achieving anything, is just a waste of time,” the Syrian leader said, adding that Damascus is ready for productive dialogue, but it is unlikely to have it with Washington “in the foreseeable future.”

So, it would seem, the door is closed, but not necessarily locked.

Sultan Erdogan One Step Closer to Becoming Caliph of Turkey

Erdogan wins 1st term as president ‘under new system’

As I mentioned yesterday in Nil Köksal's piece, I don't believe Erdogan would leave anything to chance, so this win was to be expected. We can also expect him to use his executive authority to eliminate any meaningful opposition, that would mostly mean non-Muslim hardliners, that might remain after having incarcerated most of them. 

Once he's consolidated himself as de facto Caliph of Turkey, will he turn his attention to reviving the Ottoman Empire?

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan leaves the voting booth at a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey on June 24, 2018.

© Umit Bektas / Reuters

Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the majority of votes, the head of the electoral board said. This would mark the second consecutive term for Erdogan, but the first one under “a new system.”

With over 97.2 percent of votes counted, the head of Turkey's High Electoral Board (YSK) says Erdogan has secured more than 50 percent of the votes needed for the victory.

In the parliamentary election, his AK Party is also in first place with over 45 percent. The pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) will also enter the parliament after passing the 10 percent threshold, according the board's head, Sadi Guven. Turnout was at 87 percent for both polls, preliminary data shows.

Erdogan’s closest competitor, Muharrem Ince, has secured over 29 percent of the vote. His Republican People’s Party (CHP) placed second with nearly 21 percent.

"The Turkish people have elected Erdogan as Turkey's first president/executive president under the new system,” Turkish government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said.

While delivering a statement on his own, Erdogan also said that the preliminary results clearly indicated his victory, as over 95 percent of votes were counted. He called for leaving aside the “tensions" of the election period and promised there will be no back paddling on the “success” he achieved. The Turkish opposition, meanwhile, claimed that there will likely be a second round of elections.

Today’s polls are the first since Turkey switched to a presidential system of governance after the April 2017 constitutional referendum. The plebiscite effectively split Turkish society in half, as the amendment package passed by a close margin, securing 52 percent of the vote.

The victory allows Erdogan to further consolidate political power and implement the constitutional reforms. The powers in question include the abilities to pick cabinet ministers from outside of the legislature, pass laws by decree, single-handedly declare a state of emergency and launch extraordinary elections. The post of the prime minister is also set to be abolished.

The Turkish opposition, however, sees such changes as a power grab, which effectively destroys the country’s century-old parliamentary democracy. Erdogan’s closest competitor, Ince, vowed that he would lift the state of emergency within 48 hours if elected president and reverse all the constitutional reforms afterward.

Erdogan counters that view, saying “Turkey is staging a democratic revolution.” 

“With the presidential system, Turkey is seriously raising the bar, rising above the level of contemporary civilizations.”

Drastic changes in Turkey’s political system followed a botched coup attempt in July 2016. Erdogan accused his late ally and now nemesis, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, of masterminding the coup. The cleric has firmly rejected the accusations.

Following the failed coup, Turkey has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years and has seen a widespread crackdown on alleged supporters of Gulen. Around 160,000 people have been detained, and thousands of public servants and soldiers have been fired.

France has been 'Colonized' by US, Brussels & Migrants – MP & Ex-Presidential Candidate

Abandoned tents are pictured after police evacuate migrants living in a makeshift camp in Paris on May 30, 2018.

© Benoit Tessier / Reuters

France has been “colonized” by migrants, as well as by the US, China, Germany, and the European Union, a French euroskeptic politician has warned, stating that he doesn't want his country to "disappear."

"I think that our country is colonized...economically by the Americans and the Chinese, politically by Brussels, the European Union and Germany," Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said during an interview on France's 'On the Couch' program.

Dupont-Aignan, a euroskeptic who founded his party France Arise, could have been right-wing leader Marine Le Pen's pick for prime minister if she had made it far enough in last year's presidential election. He also participated in the 2012 presidential elections. The politician has long been a critic of France's immigration policies and strategy to combat terrorism, stating in 2016 that Paris can't defeat terrorism if it stays "obedient" to Berlin and Washington.

He went on to make a rather controversial statement about migrants, saying they are "religiously" colonizing the country.

Islam is growing; mosques are increasing in number and visibility; Christianity and Judaism are under attack; Jews are leaving France because of growing safety concerns. I would say he has a point.

They are also culturalizing the country. Actually, France is committing cultural suicide as traditional French values are becoming less and less acceptable to the growing ratio of Muslims. With their increasing influence in politics they will slowly dismantle all the freedoms the French have fought for for the past 200+ years.

The remark comes at a time when France is in a row with Italy over how to handle migrants pouring into Europe. On Saturday, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio warned that "arrogant" Macron risks becoming Italy's top "enemy" on the topic of migration, noting that France is pushing back migrants at the French-Italian border near Ventimiglia. 

The comment came amid strained relations between the two countries over the past few weeks, following Rome's decision to close its ports to the migrant rescue ship ‘Aquarius,’ which had 629 people on board.

France has long struggled to handle migrants in the country, and it has often been criticized for its actions related to the situation. Paris ordered the dismantling of the notorious 'Jungle' migrant camp in Calais in 2016, which led to an influx of migrants in other parts of the country, including Paris.

Authorities in the French capital later came under fire after a report emerged that officers had been taking the blankets of migrants in below freezing temperatures. In November, a French policeman received a six-month jail sentence for slapping a migrant near Calais. 

AntiSemitism and Fake News Run Concurrent on BBC

BBC finds Andrew Marr guilty of rules breach over a 'misleading' claim that Israel killed 'lots of Palestinian kids'

By CHRIS HASTINGS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

BBC bosses have found Andrew Marr guilty of breaching editorial guidelines with a ‘misleading’ claim that Israel had killed ‘lots of Palestinian kids’.

The Corporation’s extraordinary ruling against one of its most senior personalities is almost unprecedented.

It follows a complaint about comments made by the presenter on his flagship Sunday news programme.

During the April 8 edition, Marr concluded a discussion of the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons attack on civilians by saying: ‘And the Middle East is aflame again.

‘I mean there’s lots of Palestinian kids being killed further south as well by Israeli forces.’ His comments were a reference to clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Gaza.

Anti-semitism campaigner Jonathan Sacerdoti complained, writing: ‘When talking about a story on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Andrew Marr for some reason decided to talk about Israel (which was unrelated anyway). He stated there’s a lot of Palestinian kids being killed further south by Israeli forces.

‘This is completely incorrect and is made up. This was irrelevant to the conversation on Syria… and also actually completely false.’

IE, fake news and antisemitic!

BBC producers initially tried to defend Marr’s comments by pointing to the fact that five ‘younger people’ had been killed between the beginning of the year and the date of the programme.

They also said several Palestinian children and younger people were killed in the week following the broadcast, but Mr Sacerdoti argued that later events could not be used to justify Mr Marr’s comments.

People carry an injured Palestinian after Israeli security forces' intervention during a protest held in Gaza City, Gaza, on June 22

In the image above the caption reads 'Israeli security forces intervention...' This makes it sound like the Palestinians were having a peaceful demonstration, minding their own business, when the IDF showed up and started shooting people. This is not what happened! The IDF only shoot at people who rush the border and threaten to compromise it. 

The fact that Mail on Sunday wrote that caption reveals their own bias and antisemitism. They may be enjoying trashing the BBC over its fake news, but their own racism appears to be no better.

His complaint has been upheld.

Fraser Steel, head of executive complaints at the BBC, wrote to Mr Sacerdoti saying: ‘The BBC’s guidelines require that output is “well sourced” and “based on sound evidence”.

‘In the absence of any evidence to support the reference to “lots” of children being killed at the time of transmission, it seems to us to have risked misleading audiences on a material point.

Who needs evidence anymore? There is no evidence that Russia was responsible for the Skripal's poisoning, or that Syria was responsible for chemical attacks in the past few years. Yet these are reported as facts by MainStream Media. MSM is no longer reporting news, they are processing propaganda.

‘We therefore propose to uphold this part of your complaint.'