Christian Meditation

Zen came from Buddhism and it has spawned Taoism, Confucianism, and Indian spiritualism. Taoism basically means the way. It began as a philosophy but ended up as a religion. Taoist meditation concentrates on stopping outward sensory information from coming into your mind. It utilizes breathing techniques. It has ideas that are like those of Hindu and Buddhist kinds of meditative thought. But it isn't abstract like those types of meditation. The Confucian form of meditation is aimed at realizing virtue and it is meant to prevent disease and encourage health. Indian spiritualism involves yoga and

According to Thomas Keating, “Contemplative prayer is a conversation initiated by God and leading, if we consent to a divine union. It is the way to pure faith.” Unlike with vocal prayers, in which we call out to God asking for things we need, with contemplative prayer our role is to allow God to be God. In other words, God directs Contemplative prayer, His grace opens our hearts and minds to the His presence inside us. Consequently, contemplative prayer begins with a centering prayer, which is a silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer. Keating noted that, “Centering prayer is an effort to renew the teaching of the Christian tradition of contemplative prayer.” Similar to other methods of prayer, the foundation of centering prayer is the Triune God. Keating noted that, “The practice is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.” The scripture reads, “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you” (Matt. 6:6). Practicing contemplative prayer will strengthen our spiritual commitment and enrich our personal lives. I will discuss the origin, methods and benefits of contemplative prayer.

This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was

<p align=justify>Samatha meditation is the development of mental tranquillity with concentration, and is accompanied by three

In (Matthew 6:6 NIV), Jesus explains the merits of praying to the lord God and the reward of inner peace, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret: and your father who sees in secret will reward you.” It is through this conversation with God that Christians pursue peace in their lives. Prayer can either be private or communal, spontaneous prayer is one way that charismatic communities can come closer to God. The act of prayer allows believers to have a personal conversation with God; it alleviates stress attributed to the monotony of everyday life. Besides prayer, meditation is another way of attaining inner peace, it is an ancient practice within the Christian tradition, which has undertaken a recent revival, a global group that reaffirms the concept of praying and meditating for inner peace is Taizé. Not as popular as prayer and meditation, Lectio Divina, generally known as bible studies is a way for Christians to feel connected to God and to finally attain inner peace. The studying of the sacred scriptures on a day to day basis and reflecting on prayers also maintain a continual connection with God. It is vital to maintain equilibrium between prayer and service, whereby an individual fathoms the notion ‘ora et labora’, in order to equally partake in both prayer, and the concept of action whereby ora develops inner peace, which is mirrored through the

Mindfulness is another way of meditation. Meditation was used to seek to improve one’s psychological or physical health, or spiritual growth. (Brantley, 2007). The history of Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and his search for enlightenment and a foundation of the four noble truths. The Buddha teaching focus on the four noble truths which consist of knowing suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering, there is cessation of suffering and there is a path that leads to the cessation of suffering. (Van Gordon, 2015). The four noble truths were not only there to represent the Buddha’s experiential understanding of suffering, but also to express the truth (Van Gordon, 2015). Studies of Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths teach us that there is always going to be suffering in our life but to find ways to overcome suffering (Tsering, 2005).

Study: is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality the mind is enabled to move in a certain direction. When this is done with concentration, perception, and repetition, ingrained habits of thought are formed. The purpose of this instruction is to direct the mind repeatedly and regularly toward certain modes of thought about God and human relationships. It is a means of knowing God and learning His truths and priorities through the study of Scripture.

The differences the personal shared with me; was the belief between the Christianity and Buddhism in provision of medial care lie in practices of yoga and mediation by Buddha. The Buddha practices yoga to attain self confidence and the optimism that enables the patient to reduce suffering which he is undergoing. In Christianity on the other hand yoga is not practiced.

“Meditation is a means of transforming the mind” (The Buddhist Centre 2015). Buddhists practice and teach meditation to help enhance the concentration, clarity, positivity, and find a calming sense of the mind (The Buddhist Centre 2015). Buddhists believe that we have full control and power over our minds meaning that we have the power to change how we think and feel during situations through meditation. (ReligionFacts 2015). Buddhist’s believe dedicated meditation can encourage people to have a clearer, more positive, and peaceful world view. Buddhist’s believe people can alter negative perceptions of themselves and turn it into something positive through meditation/ (The Buddhist Centre 2015).

The second chapter of Celebration of Discipline is on the Discipline of Meditation. Foster explains that this discipline is not like the meditation of Eastern Religions because it is not about emptying the mind, but it is about filling the mind with the things of Christ. The point of meditation is to grow in your relationship with Christ. Foster tells us that meditation is not the end goal, but a means of practice so that this nature of peace and focus on God becomes a constant part of our lives. It is a time to set aside everything except for setting your eyes on God. He mentions four ways of meditation: meditation on scripture, becoming still, contemplative prayer, and meditation on current events.

The different contemplation hones draw in the psyche in various ways. Vipassna, likewise regularly (and maybe inexactly) known as care reflection, underlines impartial perception and, in its more philosophical structure, the examination of impermanence, some of the time concentrating on the interconnection amongst psyche and body. Zen Buddhist practices are prone to utilize fixation, whether coordinated at one's breath or at attempting to get a handle on a Zen koan. The Transcendental Meditation procedure utilizes easy regard for experience inconspicuous conditions of thought and "rise above" by utilization of a particular mantra. Christian Centering Prayer utilizes an expression of love to animate openness to God. What's more, this is just a little inspecting of the assortment of practices regularly lumped together as

Meditation is a huge aspect of the Buddhist way of life because meditation allows one to become connected with their inner self. It was believed that Buddha had become awakened through his meditation and realization of what causes his suffering and happiness which led to what is known as the Four Noble Truths. The meditation sessions take place on Saturdays and does not consist of one class where everything is learned, but instead several different classes where things are learned over a period of time. He had said that the first session was just to get to clear your mind and learn the way you think. This is a significant part of the buddhist beliefs because Buddhist adherents believe happiness comes from within, and in order to release all negativity, one must first connect with their innermost thoughts and

Anyone can be practiced meditation. It's easy and cheap and does not require any special equipment.

Instead of seeing a "soul" or a "mind" as the seat of personal identity, in Buddhism, the self is to be found in processes. Meditation, then, has the therapeutic effect of disengaging the practitioner from self-consciousness, freeing the mind. The view of the world without the construct of a permanent essence enables one to "experience reality as it really is" (3). It is important to note that Buddhism does not distinguish mental processes from other senses. Just as seeing takes a visual object, the mind takes a mental object (1). Just as the eye is free to take in different visual objects, the mind is free, as well. While meditation aims to develop "single-pointedness of mind," it is ultimately to free it from external objects. The focus is on the process of breathing, in Zen, and, eventually, one can reach a state where one is not considering anything (2). Zen considers the "blank-mind" stage to be a higher form of consciousness because it is free from attachments.

Having been a Christian for many years I thought that I had a fair knowledge of what it meant to pray. I was amazed and humbled by the idea that through Jesus’ restorative act on the cross I am able to come into God’s presence - and not only come but be welcomed and even longed for. I believed that prayer is a powerful tool to petition God , a vehicle to praise Him , and an instrument to increase our intimacy with Him . I understood that people pray in a variety of ways, based on the teaching they have received, their experience, and even their personality. Most commonly, I engaged in prayer as a conversation with God.