Vulcan Mind: Mastering Meditation Logic

Vulcans are renowned for their ability to suppress their emotions and appear almost robotic. However, this is not the purpose of Vulcan meditation. Instead, the ancient Vulcan techniques, known as Wh'ltri, are designed to help a Vulcan control their feelings and the entropy that emotions can create, and to help clarify rational thought.

The Pacification of Emotion meditation (P.E.M.) is a popular method used by Vulcans to achieve this. The purpose of P.E.M. is not to make a Vulcan emotionless, but to enable them to control their feelings and achieve peace of mind. This is achieved through a process of mindfulness and concentration, with a focus on breathing.

The Vulcan meditation process is a discipline that Vulcans train for from a very young age. It is a way to calm their tumultuous minds and approach thoughts, problems, and life through a logical manner.

Find a quiet place

To meditate like a Vulcan, the first step is to find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for a period of time. This is important because correct posture will improve the success of your meditation.

You should aim for 20 to 35 minutes of meditation, in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. This can be done at home, but also in everyday life. You can sit in the cross-legged "loshiraq" (equivalent to the Zen lotus position), the semi-cross-legged "losherok" (half lotus) position, or the "leshriq" (seiza) position. If you are unable to sit in any of these positions, then any other comfortable position will do, as long as your spine is held straight, allowing air to pass freely, and you are not slouching.

Once you are seated, remain still and try not to fidget. Focus your concentration on one-point mindedness (ri'agra) towards awareness and mindfulness. This is like a dilithium crystal—an intense focusing of energy, intelligence, and sensitivity.

Breathe deeply and concentrate on your breath. Your breathing should slow down and become abdominal from within the "k'rawl" (Zen tanden-hara) region. Let other thoughts slip away, and if external thoughts enter your mind, do not suppress them. Instead, let them flow away, arising and disappearing. Do not concentrate on these thoughts, or indulge in them, but observe them without emotions and evaluation. Label them gently, and cut off associative chains, returning your mind to one-point mindedness and breathing.

In the end, you should be able to just sit, letting go of everything. Your mind will be clear, rested, and ready.

Adopt a comfortable position

To meditate like a Vulcan, it is important to adopt a comfortable position. This is an important part of the meditation process, as correct posture will improve the success of the meditation.

The traditional Vulcan meditation positions are the cross-legged "loshiraq" (equivalent to the Zen lotus position), the semi-cross-legged "losherok" (half-lotus) position, or the kneeling "leshriq" (seiza) position. If you are unable to sit in any of these positions, then any other comfortable position will do, as long as it is not slouching, and your spine is held straight, allowing air to pass freely.

Once you have found your position, remain still and do not fidget. Place your hands together, palm to palm, and then slightly separate them, while still allowing all the fingertips to touch. Next, let the pinkie finger and thumb of the left hand reach towards each other and touch, to form a ring. Then, let the pinkie finger and thumb of the right hand reach through the ring formed by your left hand, and touch, forming another ring. You should now have two interlocking rings formed by the pinkie finger and thumb of each hand.

Now, breathe deeply and concentrate on your breath. Your breathing should slow down and become abdominal. Let other thoughts slip away, and if external thoughts enter your mind, do not suppress them. Instead, let them flow away, arising and disappearing. Do not concentrate on these thoughts, or indulge in them. Simply observe them, without emotions and evaluation. Label them gently, and cut off associative chains, returning your mind to one-pointedness... breathing.

In the end, you should be able to just sit, letting go of everything. Your mind should now be clear, rested, and ready.

Focus on your breath

To meditate like a Vulcan, you must first find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for 20 to 35 minutes. You can sit in the cross-legged "loshiraq" (equivalent to the Zen lotus position), the semi-cross-legged "losherok" (half lotus) position, or the kneeling "leshriq" (seiza) position. If you are unable to sit in any of these positions, then any other comfortable position will do, as long as your spine is held straight and you are not slouching.

Once you are seated, remain still and focus your attention on your breath. Breathe deeply and slowly, and let other thoughts slip away. If external thoughts enter your mind, do not suppress or indulge in them. Simply observe them without emotions and evaluation, and gently return your focus to your breath.

Breathing in this way will help to sharpen your mind, concentration, and awareness. It will also help you to gain self-control and to react to danger before any emotion is observed.

Observe your thoughts

Observing your thoughts is a key part of Vulcan meditation. The ancient Vulcan meditation techniques, known as Wh'ltri, are taught to Vulcans from a young age and have been adapted for the human mind. The Pacification of Emotion meditation (P.E.M.) is a popular method, which aims to enable a person to control their feelings and the entropy that emotions can create, and to help clarify rational thought.

The purpose of P.E.M. is not to make a person emotionless, but to ensure that emotions do not control thoughts. It is about coming to terms with emotions and overcoming them. This method takes time and will not be easy, but it is about perseverance.

To begin, find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for 20-35 minutes. Sit in a comfortable position, such as cross-legged, semi-cross-legged, or kneeling, ensuring your spine is straight. Place your hands in your lap and remain still.

Now, concentrate on your breath. Breathe slowly and deeply, and let other thoughts slip away. If external thoughts enter your mind, do not suppress them, but observe them without emotions and evaluation. Label them gently and then return your focus to your breath.

Once you have mastered this, you can begin to apply this technique to everyday life. When you feel an emotion, such as anger, ask yourself why you are angry. Will acting on this emotion benefit anyone or anything? Will it cause a negative reaction? As you ask yourself these questions, start your breathing and clear your mind. If possible, let the emotion flow away through you and out into the universe.

Start with small emotions and insignificant occurrences, such as when you are watching something on TV that makes you feel sad or angry. Do not be disheartened if it does not work straight away. The fact that you paused to think about your emotions will have made a difference and provided a little more clarity.

Apply meditation to everyday life

Meditation is a key part of Vulcan life, and it can be a key part of your life, too. The ancient Vulcan meditation techniques, known as Wh'ltri, are taught to Vulcans from a young age. They can be adapted for human physiology and minds, too.

The Pacification of Emotion meditation (P.E.M.) is a popular method. It's important to note that the purpose of this method is not to make a person emotionless, but to enable them to control their feelings and the entropy that emotions can create. It's about thought controlling emotions, rather than the other way around.

• Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed for 20-35 minutes.
• Sit in a comfortable position, with correct posture. You can sit cross-legged, semi-cross-legged, or kneeling. If you can't do any of these, any other comfortable position will do, as long as you're not slouching and your spine is straight.
• Focus on your breath. Breathe slowly and deeply, and let other thoughts slip away. If external thoughts enter your mind, don't suppress or indulge in them. Simply observe them without emotions and evaluation, and then gently return your focus to your breath.
• Practice this meditation regularly, ideally daily. It will take time to master, and you will often fail, but don't despair! Keep trying and you will succeed.
• Once you've mastered the technique, you can start to apply it to everyday life. This is the difficult part. You'll need to constantly remind yourself of what you want to achieve: control, clarity of thought, and harmony.
• When you feel an emotion like anger, don't act on it (unless absolutely necessary). Instead, ask yourself why you're angry. Will being angry benefit anyone or anything? Will acting on your anger cause a negative reaction? As you ask yourself these questions, start your breathing and clear your mind. If possible, let the emotion flow away through you and out into the universe.
• Start with small emotions and insignificant occurrences. For example, you could apply the technique while watching something on TV that makes you sad or angry.
• Don't be disillusioned if it doesn't work straight away. Even thinking about applying Vulcan meditation to your everyday life will make a difference and provide a little less entropy in the universe.

Remember, Vulcans are emotional beings, even more so than humans. Through meditation and Surak's teachings, they learn to calm their tumultuous minds and approach life through a logical manner. You, too, can achieve this state of mind.

Frequently asked questions