There seems to be many ways to interpret what meditation means across cultures. To me, born and raised in SE Asia, niksen as described in the article is not the same as meditation. There are significant overlaps however. For example: sitting in a train station and __observing__ the train go by - this is a form of meditation and could be a form of niksen. However, as I wash dishes, I can meditate by focusing on every little details of what I'm doing: this is a spoon, I'm cleaning the handle, next is the tip, now I'm cleaning the bowl, etc.. This is not doing nothing. I'm doing something. I'm just very present.