Meditation in legal education

Abstract

As a contemplative practice, meditation takes different forms. A dictionary definition of the verb to ‘meditate’ states that it is ‘to focus your mind and free it of uncontrolled thoughts’ (Waite & Sara Hawker: 599). Practices with a global following include transcendental meditation, lovingkindness meditation, vipassana meditation, mindfulness meditation, and heartfulness meditation. Given the differences that exist between systems of meditation, there is no single comprehensive definition to cover all. According to Goleman and Davidson (2017: 9), ‘Meditation is a catch-all word for myriad varieties of contemplative practice, just as sports refers to a wide range of athletic activities.’ This presentation will consider the potential value that meditation adds to legal education. It will explore the introduction of meditation in law schools and review the rationale for its use in this context. The presentation will also consider the findings of a number of clinically orientated studies highlighting the significance of meditation for the development of student resilience (including Holly Rogers’ (2013) work on mindfulness meditation and Seppala et al.’s (2014) research on loving-kindness meditation). In light of the beneficial effects for resilience and the enhancement of well-being more generally, the possibilities for further research on the efficacy of meditation will be explored.