(posted also in Singles)
Do any of you practice meditation? What are your thoughts on it? How does it differ from deep concentration? If you have practiced it - to what end, and has it helped you in any way?
I've tried it a few times and have found that even light meditation can help in areas where I am struggling. There are a number of habits I want to rid myself of and I hate to say it, but prayer hasn't helped much.
Thoughts?
Meditation is fantastic. It helps me become centered and grounded in day to day life, especially when things seem to be spiraling out of control. It's taking the time out of your day to put the world aside and simply
be.
As for prayer not helping your issues, I think a fundamental issue comes about when people think prayer
should help your issues. For me, prayer is a communication (request, statement, etc), and meditation is a tool or even a means. Why would I do one without the other? Very rarely would I pray without meditating on the prayer, on God, and on myself to figure out what my next step would be. How else would I know the answers to my prayers if I didn't sit quietly, center myself, focus, and
listen? How would I figure out my next step without stopping to meditate on it? Otherwise I'd just go around
guessing, never taking the proper time out to really reflect.
People who do what I call "pray-and-run" are beyond my comprehension.. I could never have a prayer life like that. Just sit here at my desk and rattle off some random prayer to God and then go back to my work day without a second thought.. or pray before going to sleep and then hopping into bed and being out like a light in two seconds flat. These instances would do absolutely nothing for me. It's one reason I hate the "I'll pray for you" culture of today.. people don't pray for each other, they rattle off a few words and go back to their day without actually taking the time to
really put any mental/spiritual effort into it. What an empty event that then becomes.
Anyway, I'm rambling...
Meditation is a fantastic tool for your life. Some different religions in the world use meditation for their own spiritual purposes and that should not put off Christians who want to try it because meditation is not
linked to any one religion. You can use it for your own spiritual purposes, or you can use it with no spiritual purpose whatsoever. It is a tool in the preparation of a relaxing psychological state in which you are able to recuperate, reflect, and grow on a psychological/mental/emotional/and sometimes even physical level.
