Meditation
Meditation describes a state of concentrated
attention on some object of thought or awareness.
It usually involves turning the attention inward
to the mind itself. Meditation is often recognized
as a component of Eastern religions, having
originated in Vedic Hinduism. It has also become
mainstream in Western culture. It encompasses
any of a wide variety of spiritual practices
which emphasize mental activity or quiescence.
Meditation can be used for personal development,
or to focus the mind on God (or an aspect of
God). Many practice meditation in order to achieve
peace, while others practice certain physical
yogas in order to become healthier.
meditation comes from the Latin meditatio, which
originally indicated every type of physical
or intellectual exercise, then later evolved
into the more specific meaning "contemplation."
The use of the word meditation in the western
Christian tradition has referred generally to
a more active practise of reflection on some
particular theme such as "meditation on
the sufferings of Christ". Similarly in
Western philosophy, one finds, for example,
Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy,
a set of six mental exercises which systematically
analyze the nature of reality.
Overview
"Meditation" in its modern sense,
however, more generally refers to what in Christian
monasticism is called contemplation. Here, awareness
is brought to bear on the reality of the present
moment without deliberately encouraging conceptual
thought or imagination. A meditative state is
the state of mind that someone is in during
meditation. It is usually a state of relaxation.
In the late nineteenth century, Theosophists
adopted the word "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, and can be used to translate words
such as the Sanskrit dhyana, samadhi and bhavana.
Meditation is usually defined as
one of the following:
* a state of relaxed concentration on the
reality of the present moment
* a state that is experienced when the mind
dissolves and is free of all thoughts
* "concentration in which the attention
has been liberated from restlessness and is
focused on God."
* 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).
Its ritual and contemplative qualities are
similar to prayer in Western religions, but
prayer emphasizes communication with a higher
being, whereas meditation focuses on developing
oneself.
Meditation may be for a religious purpose,
but even before being brought to the West
it was used in secular contexts, such as the
martial arts. Beginning with the Theosophists,
though, meditation has been employed by a
number of religious and spiritual movements,
such as Yoga and the New Age movement, as
well as limited use in Christianity. It has
been suggested that the recent popularity
of "meditation" as a religious practice
in the West signals some discomfort with more
traditional Christian and Jewish practices
such as prayer[citation needed]. 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.
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