Yoga and Meditation Techniques in Religion
Q. I often associate yoga and meditation with Transcendental Meditation and the Eastern religions. Why is this?
A. Though yoga and chakra meditation is core to many Eastern Religions it is practiced in many orthodox and mystic western religious traditions as well. Meditation music and meditation DVDs are often available in houses of worship.
Q. Can you give me some examples?
A. Sufi groups in Islam, Kabala and Hassidic groups in Judaism and many mainstream and mystic groups in Christianity integrate meditation into their regular sacred practices. There are many mentions of meditative practices throughout the Jewish Bible and meditation is also mentioned throughout Hassidic, Kabalistic, Hassidic, and Mussar writings. Kabala a mystic teaching in Judaism is inherently a meditative field of study. The Sanskrit words dhyana, samadhi and bhavana all describe meditative types of practice.
Q. How do the different religious traditions view meditation?
A. Each tradition and meditation technique offers its own perspective and approach.
In some traditions the meditator will concentrate on a pre-selected, often sacred object and then think about this object with eyes closed, or stare directly at the chosen object with eyes open. This technique often called "concentrative" meditation may utilize repetition of certain words, prayers or sacred sayings.
Q. What is the purpose of saying these certain words, prayers or sayings?
A. In some traditions certain words are assigned a sacred or spiritual significance. In these traditions those who repeat these words, known, as Mantras will become closer to God, become more spiritual or connect to the sacred in some way that is less likely for those who do not meditate.
Q. How is meditation compatible with traditions within the various orthodox and evangelical Christian demoninations?
A. As I just mentioned an aspect of any meditation technician is focusing on an object, idea or image with laser like intensity. Many Christian practices such as the rosary in Roman Catholicism, the hesycast tradition in Easter Orthodoxy, and the intense prayer known as davening in Judaism all have the ability to bypass the senses, still the mind and open the heart, all qualities associated with meditation.
Q. Can you recommend concepts on meditation a person could explore from a Christian perspective?
A. A good start would be the writings of Thomas Merton and the Benedictine Monk, John Main. Many different Christian groups including the religious society of friends (The Quakers) use communal silent prayer as a meditative practice and is a core element of the Christian faith in focusing on the Inner Light of Christ. This may be interpreted to mean different things to different groups but is nonetheless a form of meditation.
Q. Does meditation exist in Islam?
A. You could say that the five times a day that a Muslim is required to pray and the focus on God that takes place when reciting the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam, is a form of meditation.
Q. Are there any Islamic traditions that make meditation paramount among contemplative practices?
A. Yes. The Sufi traditions place great value on meditation? To learn more about mediation and Islam you may wish to research "Tafakker", "Tadabbur", and Sufism. The Bahá'í Faith, an offshoot of Islam which is neither considered Islamic by Muslims nor Islamic by those in this faith teaches that one cannot achieve spiritual growth without meditation prayer and fasting.
A. Though yoga and chakra meditation is core to many Eastern Religions it is practiced in many orthodox and mystic western religious traditions as well. Meditation music and meditation DVDs are often available in houses of worship.
Q. Can you give me some examples?
A. Sufi groups in Islam, Kabala and Hassidic groups in Judaism and many mainstream and mystic groups in Christianity integrate meditation into their regular sacred practices. There are many mentions of meditative practices throughout the Jewish Bible and meditation is also mentioned throughout Hassidic, Kabalistic, Hassidic, and Mussar writings. Kabala a mystic teaching in Judaism is inherently a meditative field of study. The Sanskrit words dhyana, samadhi and bhavana all describe meditative types of practice.
Q. How do the different religious traditions view meditation?
A. Each tradition and meditation technique offers its own perspective and approach.
In some traditions the meditator will concentrate on a pre-selected, often sacred object and then think about this object with eyes closed, or stare directly at the chosen object with eyes open. This technique often called "concentrative" meditation may utilize repetition of certain words, prayers or sacred sayings.
Q. What is the purpose of saying these certain words, prayers or sayings?
A. In some traditions certain words are assigned a sacred or spiritual significance. In these traditions those who repeat these words, known, as Mantras will become closer to God, become more spiritual or connect to the sacred in some way that is less likely for those who do not meditate.
Q. How is meditation compatible with traditions within the various orthodox and evangelical Christian demoninations?
A. As I just mentioned an aspect of any meditation technician is focusing on an object, idea or image with laser like intensity. Many Christian practices such as the rosary in Roman Catholicism, the hesycast tradition in Easter Orthodoxy, and the intense prayer known as davening in Judaism all have the ability to bypass the senses, still the mind and open the heart, all qualities associated with meditation.
Q. Can you recommend concepts on meditation a person could explore from a Christian perspective?
A. A good start would be the writings of Thomas Merton and the Benedictine Monk, John Main. Many different Christian groups including the religious society of friends (The Quakers) use communal silent prayer as a meditative practice and is a core element of the Christian faith in focusing on the Inner Light of Christ. This may be interpreted to mean different things to different groups but is nonetheless a form of meditation.
Q. Does meditation exist in Islam?
A. You could say that the five times a day that a Muslim is required to pray and the focus on God that takes place when reciting the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam, is a form of meditation.
Q. Are there any Islamic traditions that make meditation paramount among contemplative practices?
A. Yes. The Sufi traditions place great value on meditation? To learn more about mediation and Islam you may wish to research "Tafakker", "Tadabbur", and Sufism. The Bahá'í Faith, an offshoot of Islam which is neither considered Islamic by Muslims nor Islamic by those in this faith teaches that one cannot achieve spiritual growth without meditation prayer and fasting.
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