Last Updated on February 7, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org
The Dalai Lama asked Richard Davidson to test the Tibetan Meditation practice with modern scientific methods, and if he can find that it is effective, to spread it widely. This project has not been finished and is not realized, and we do not know of any ongoing research of Richard Davidson concerning this topic.
Did the wish of the Dalai Lama originate from Dilgo Kihenze Rhinpoche, who spend 13 years in solitary retreat, until he had the wish to stay in solitary retreat for the rest of his life? Unfortunately Dilgo was not allowed to follow his wish. Dilgo Kihenze Rhinpoche was the main Guru of the Dalai Lama 14, the main teacher who brought the Dalai Lama from darkness to light.
The research project initiated by the Dalai Lama has not yet been finished to this date. If we meditate daily for 20 minutes as Richard Davidson does it, and some of his followers, we might eventually see some changes with an fMRI scanner in our brains. But will experience what Dilgo Kihenze Rhinpoche experienced? We don t believe so.
It is interesting to have reports as those from Dilgo Kihenze Rhinpoche, to know, that 13 years of solitary retreat are necessary to have the break-through Dilgo had. We dare to call it enlightenment. But it eventually takes 13 years of solitary retreat for this. For some, it might take a bit longer, for others it might go faster. But unfortunately, we do not have any scientific data from meditators as Dilgo. We only have his profound advice after 20 years in solitary retreat: