Do you think you have never meditated before?
You will be surprised to know that you have. If you don't believe me read the following.
Before I elaborate on this let us see what the word meditation means.
1. Noun: continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature; "the habit of meditation is the basis for all real knowledge"
2. The act of meditating; close or continued thought; the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious contemplation; reflection; musing.
3. Contemplation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects)
4. Synonyms: concentration, deep thought, introspection, pondering, quiet time, reflection, rumination, self-examination
Now let us see if you have ever meditated before.
Have you ever gone shopping? I am sure you have. Before you go out you choose the clothes you will wear. Next you might think about how much money you will need to shop. You will have to think (meditate) about the mode of transportation you will take to your shopping destination, car, subway, walking to the corner grocery store or a cab.
All the above are a form of meditation called analytical meditation. Only thing is that you are not aware that you are meditating.
So you are no stranger to meditation. All that we are trying to do here is enhance your awareness and focus on specific topics when you meditate.
Let me define meditation we are trying to focus on.
Meditation or contemplation involves focusing the mind upon a sound, phrase, prayer, object, visualized image, the breath, ritualized movements, or consciousness in order to increase awareness of the present moment, promote relaxation, reduce stress, and enhance personal or spiritual growth.
Meditation is a discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace, as in the contemplation by mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining conscious union with the divine, e.g., through visualization of a deity or inward repetition of a prayer or mantra (sacred sound). Some forms of meditation involve putting the body in a special position, such as the seated, cross-legged lotus position, and using special breathing practices.
Employed since ancient times in various forms by all religions, the practice gained greater notice in the postwar United States as interest in Zen Buddhism rose. In the 1960s and 70s the Indian Maharishi Mahesh Yogi popularized a mantra system known as Transcendental Meditation. Meditation is now used by many nonreligious adherents as a method of stress reduction; it is known to lessen levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress. The practice has been shown to enhance recuperation and improve the body's resistance to disease.
Source: Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia
Lets talk about two basic forms of meditation.
1. Analytical meditation:
In this form of meditation, as you must have guessed from the example given above about shopping trip, we analyze an idea, thought or subject and by analyzing the meditation objects we try to understand and perceive it directly.
2. Single pointed concentration meditation:
The focus of your mind and meditation is on a single topic or object to the exclusion of everything else. For example in breath meditation the focus is entirely on the flow of your breath. This helps us to focus with greater depth with the very core of an idea.
We will deal with the above types of meditation in more detail as we progress. Idea is to keep it simple and not to confuse yourself with the jargon.
You will be surprised to know that you have. If you don't believe me read the following.
Before I elaborate on this let us see what the word meditation means.
1. Noun: continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature; "the habit of meditation is the basis for all real knowledge"
2. The act of meditating; close or continued thought; the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious contemplation; reflection; musing.
3. Contemplation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects)
4. Synonyms: concentration, deep thought, introspection, pondering, quiet time, reflection, rumination, self-examination
Now let us see if you have ever meditated before.
Have you ever gone shopping? I am sure you have. Before you go out you choose the clothes you will wear. Next you might think about how much money you will need to shop. You will have to think (meditate) about the mode of transportation you will take to your shopping destination, car, subway, walking to the corner grocery store or a cab.
All the above are a form of meditation called analytical meditation. Only thing is that you are not aware that you are meditating.
So you are no stranger to meditation. All that we are trying to do here is enhance your awareness and focus on specific topics when you meditate.
Let me define meditation we are trying to focus on.
Meditation or contemplation involves focusing the mind upon a sound, phrase, prayer, object, visualized image, the breath, ritualized movements, or consciousness in order to increase awareness of the present moment, promote relaxation, reduce stress, and enhance personal or spiritual growth.
Meditation is a discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace, as in the contemplation by mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining conscious union with the divine, e.g., through visualization of a deity or inward repetition of a prayer or mantra (sacred sound). Some forms of meditation involve putting the body in a special position, such as the seated, cross-legged lotus position, and using special breathing practices.
Employed since ancient times in various forms by all religions, the practice gained greater notice in the postwar United States as interest in Zen Buddhism rose. In the 1960s and 70s the Indian Maharishi Mahesh Yogi popularized a mantra system known as Transcendental Meditation. Meditation is now used by many nonreligious adherents as a method of stress reduction; it is known to lessen levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress. The practice has been shown to enhance recuperation and improve the body's resistance to disease.
Source: Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia
Lets talk about two basic forms of meditation.
1. Analytical meditation:
In this form of meditation, as you must have guessed from the example given above about shopping trip, we analyze an idea, thought or subject and by analyzing the meditation objects we try to understand and perceive it directly.
2. Single pointed concentration meditation:
The focus of your mind and meditation is on a single topic or object to the exclusion of everything else. For example in breath meditation the focus is entirely on the flow of your breath. This helps us to focus with greater depth with the very core of an idea.
We will deal with the above types of meditation in more detail as we progress. Idea is to keep it simple and not to confuse yourself with the jargon.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment