First you try to meditate and after
a while you become meditative. –J. Kleykamp
I’m thinking that if you
ask five people what meditation is, you’ll get at least three different
answers.
The word meditation is
derived from two Latin words: meditari (to think, to dwell upon, to
exercise the mind) and mederi (to
heal). Its Sanskrit derivation, medha, means wisdom.
Usually when I talk to
someone about meditation, they respond by saying: “Yes, I meditate. I meditate while I’m gardening or
fishing.” What they are really doing is dwelling on something. I guess you can consider that mediation,
according to the origins of the word. While
this brings them some sense of peace and joy and, maybe, fulfillment to some
extent, it is still material. It comes
and it goes.
Meditation is painful in the
beginning but it bestows immortal Bliss and supreme joy in the end. –Swami Sivananda
There is an old saying,
“What you think about, you bring about.”
In other words, you might just manifest what you focus on. So it’s not a bad thing to meditate and
experience peace, joy and fulfillment, right?
There is also meditation
where one brings themselves back into alignment with their true Self and The
Divine. This alignment brings about
wisdom and healing that does not go away. It is eternal. In all the scriptures, whether eastern or
western, this is more associated with the real meaning of meditation.
Practice meditation regularly.
Meditation leads to eternal bliss. Therefore meditate, meditate. –Swami Sivananda
Breathing deeply in an
upsetting moment will bring more oxygen to your brain and calm you down. Some folks consider this meditation and it
helps on some level, but it is temporary.
Focusing on joyful things and pleasant experiences during a hectic
situation can be considered calming and meditative, but it is also
temporary. Likewise, repeating an
affirmation can help restore your confidence, but, again, the result is
temporary.
If I want something that
will bring me a happiness that will not go away, a healing that will stay with
me forever and a peace that will surround me even in troubled times, then I
need to go beyond temporary.
Over the next few weeks,
I plan to talk about spiritual meditations that are permanent, rather than
temporary physical or metaphysical meditations.
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