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Meditation - Overview

Meditation - Overview: Encyclopedia II - Meditation - Overview

In the late nineteenth century, Theosophists adopted "meditation" to refer to various spiritual practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern religions. Thus the English word "meditation" does not exclusively translate any single term or concept from the sacred languages of Asia, such as the Sanskrit dhyana, samadhi, or pranayama. (Note that whereas in Eastern religions meditation is often a central part of religious or spirtual practice, in Christianity it tends to be a ...

Meditation: Encyclopedia II - Meditation - Overview

Meditation - Overview

In the late nineteenth century, Theosophists adopted "meditation" to refer to various spiritual practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern religions. Thus the English word "meditation" does not exclusively translate any single term or concept from the sacred languages of Asia, such as the Sanskrit dhyana, samadhi, or pranayama. (Note that whereas in Eastern religions meditation is often a central part of religious or spirtual practice, in Christianity it tends to be a fringe activity, if practised at all).

The following are some fundamental definitions of "Meditation:"

a state that is experienced when the mind dissolves and is free of all thoughts
focusing the mind on a single object (such as a religious statue, or one's breath, or a mantra)
a mental "opening up" to the divine, invoking the guidance of a higher power
reasoned analysis of religious teachings (such as impermanence for Buddhists).

These practices are found within Eastern religions as well as some secular contexts, such as the martial arts. It has been suggested that the recent popularity of "meditation" in the West (for example, in the New Age movement) signals some discomfort with more traditional Western religious practices, such as prayer. Others see meditation and prayer as harmonious: Edgar Cayce taught that "Through prayer we speak to God. In meditation, God speaks to us."

From the point of view of psychology, meditation can induce an altered state of consciousness. However, many religious people would challenge the assumption that such mental states (or any other visible result) are the "goal" of meditation. The goals of meditation are varied, and range from spiritual enlightenment, to the transformation of attitudes, to better cardiovascular health.

It is easy to observe that our minds are continually thinking about the past (memories) and the future (expectations). With intention it is possible to slow down the mind. We are able to observe a mental silence, also called experience of the present moment. This is a subjective sense of being connected with the universality of being. Meditation is the method one may follow to verify this experience. It is an experiential means of separating thoughts from the part of our consciousness which perceives the thoughts, the observer. By disengaging our mind we are able to observe the more subtle details and gain better control over what we give attention to. The experience of thoughts winding down and stopping is also known as timeless awareness.