Meditating?

[Bcs90]

Does anyone here meditate? I have been looking into it and it seems like it could be helpful but much of it is based on Buddha.. What if one were to follow the same meditating techniques such as mindful meditation but instead of mindful meditating on buddha I were to sit and focus on my breaths and breath as if I were sitting with the Lord?

 

[Aabbie James]

Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

There are several Bible verses about meditating on Gods Word...

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Bcs90]

Nice I will go find a peaceful place outdoors and meditate then. Thanks for the welcome.

 

[zippy2006]

1. I recently wrote a post about some Christian approaches. You can find it here.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

There is an Eastern Orthodox practice called the Jesus prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. We also have knotted prayer ropes as a physical aid.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Does anyone here meditate? I have been looking into it and it seems like it could be helpful but much of it is based on Buddha.. What if one were to follow the same meditating techniques such as mindful meditation but instead of mindful meditating on buddha I were to sit and focus on my breaths and breath as if I were sitting with the Lord?

I recall a breathing technique where you breathe in Yud, breathe out Hay, then breathe in Vud, then breathe out Hay. (YHWH) It's pretty intense.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Does anyone here meditate? I have been looking into it and it seems like it could be helpful but much of it is based on Buddha.. What if one were to follow the same meditating techniques such as mindful meditation but instead of mindful meditating on buddha I were to sit and focus on my breaths and breath as if I were sitting with the Lord?

I find in terms of a point of focus, breathing is good .. you need to breathe, but focusing on the heart beat, blood flow, keeps me grounded. Going into a trance (from breathing meditation) kind of leaves you open.

 

[Dave G.]

It's a little different approach. With Buddha or eastern mediation you empty your mind. This brings a sense of peace but an empty space to be filled. With Christian meditation we want to fill it. In eastern you want to clear out your soul, with Christ fill it with Him. Jesus fills us with His peace and it leaves no room for Satan or his minions, with Buddha you leave an empty space for demons to occupy. Just a thought.

So be careful, especially if you're a new Christian..

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Does anyone here meditate? I have been looking into it and it seems like it could be helpful but much of it is based on Buddha.. What if one were to follow the same meditating techniques such as mindful meditation but instead of mindful meditating on buddha I were to sit and focus on my breaths and breath as if I were sitting with the Lord?

The only form of meditation that is acceptable to the Lord is one that is not repetitive. That pretty much knocks out all forms of Eastern meditation. So that being said, what does meditate mean in scripture? It means to "think" about your God day in and day out. Walk in His Holy Spirit so that you do not fall prey to the flesh.
Blessings

 

[Sketcher]

We do not do Eastern-style meditation. We do meditate on Scripture, but it is more contemplative in nature.

 

[Aabbie James]

Meditation is pondering the Word in our hearts, preaching it to our own souls, and personally applying it to our own lives and circumstances. Pauls tells us in Romans 12 it is how we sanctify our thinking and bring it into submission to Christ by taking every thought captive.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Does anyone here meditate? I have been looking into it and it seems like it could be helpful but much of it is based on Buddha.. What if one were to follow the same meditating techniques such as mindful meditation but instead of mindful meditating on buddha I were to sit and focus on my breaths and breath as if I were sitting with the Lord?

The kind of meditation from other religious traditions, such as from the Dharmic traditions (e.g. Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc) is frowned upon, as there's no reason as Christians to introduce the practices of other religious traditions into our practice.

If by meditation you aren't talking about anything religious or spiritual in nature, but something more mundane and therapeutic--like sitting quietly, taking deep breaths, that sort of thing--then there's certainly nothing problematic there.

But it sounds like what you are looking for is more spiritual in nature, in which case there is plenty of that already within Christianity. It might not be terrible to ask our resident Eastern Orthodox posters about the Orthodox practice of hesychasm, there's a board specifically for asking questions to be answered by Eastern Orthodox members, (link here).

But that might be kind of a major plunge, especially if you are a new Christian and not familiar with different branches of the Christian faith.

You may instead find it more beneficial to look into something like praying the Hours. Christianity, like Judaism before it, has a tradition of marking the daily hours with prayer. Combining praying the Hours with reading and meditating upon the daily readings of Scripture from something like the Breviary or Daily Office can be very helpful in cultivating and facilitating a practice of regular prayer and meditation, as one turns their mind and heart toward the Lord.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

The only form of meditation that is acceptable to the Lord is one that is not repetitive. That pretty much knocks out all forms of Eastern meditation. So that being said, what does meditate mean in scripture? It means to "think" about your God day in and day out. Walk in His Holy Spirit so that you do not fall prey to the flesh.
Blessings

Repetition isn't problematic, it's vain repetition that is specifically criticized. Repetition itself can be very helpful and meaningful, such as with saying the Jesus Prayer.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Dave-W]

Repetition isn't problematic, it's vain repetition that is specifically criticized. Repetition itself can be very helpful and meaningful, such as with saying the Jesus Prayer.

Indeed. the gospels tell us that our Lord was in the habit of being in the Synagogue on the sabbath. The prayers and liturgy are very repetitive; and if He were opposed to repetition in and of itself, He would never have gone there, much less participated.

Luke 4:16
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

 

[RickardoHolmes]

We meditate for Health. We meditate to relax and for the healthy benefits thereof. In meditation we seek self-awareness we seek to clear our minds and focus on personal Improvement and the social Improvement up those around. We can use meditation to purge our thoughts of unhealthy ideas, unhealthy habits and self-destructive Behavior. Meditation can be very useful but it is not a Panacea nor is it beneficial if it reinforces self-defeating Behavior.