What do Christians think of Meditation, not Hinduism, Meditation to find inner peace?

[david14433]

What do Christians think of Meditation, not Buddhism, not Hinduism, but Meditation, to find inner calm and peace?

[Edit: Note this poll is only for Christians.]

I know this is a foreign concept to most Christians probably, so please let me explain what I mean. What would you think of just calming the mind everyday in a stressful world, in meditation? The meditation is to calm the mind. Mantra, or no mantra. Whatever it takes to calm the mind and see yourself and your surroundings they way they are.

I am not talking about a religion. You don’t have to believe anything except in yourself. You don't need to belong to any religion to do a meditation technique, nor do you need a philosophy. Meditation is a technique. You can be Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and still calm the mind in meditation through anyone of the basic meditation techniques. There is a science to it that will one day become mainstream when the world is not so stressed out and we have studies to really back it up. IMHO mainstream science is the external science of observing and documenting external things. The external science is the objective science. What I am talking about is the internal science of observing the mind. And then documenting it when needed. This is the subjective science that only the meditator can discover. One only can really start documenting the inner workings of the mind in a deep way through 5,000 hours of meditation at least. So it takes time to really learn something in the internal subjective science of the mind.

You can be Christian or non-Christian. All you need to do is still and calm the mind to find inner peace, love and all good qualities. But in all likelihood along the way you will also find negative things if you keep meditating at first. But you can effectively deal with those negative things much better, since you are deeper inside the mind. Isn't that the ultimate goal of Christianity? Don't we all somehow inherently know that everything we could ever want is deep inside of us. But life is just too busy, to ever calm down and find our inner resources, that we all know that we have. They just seem to become buried from the stress of life. Myself included.

Let me be clear I am mainly talking about silent meditation. Meaning just calming the mind. But one could also use some contemplation meditation too where you think about something. When beginning meditation though they say silent, calming meditation is best.

If you still don’t think it’s possible to find your inner resources doing meditation. Let me say, I think a fetus at 8 months pregnant would naturally meditate and have all the resources it needs, since it’s naturally calm and at peace. That is meditation. To become a child, a baby, simple and pure. I hope that explains what meditation is in a simple way.

So the idea is to focus on yourself. Your generally not suppose to create anything while meditating. It's more of a journey to find inner peace and calm than anything else. In other words it's not imaginative for the most part. So in the end all that is left is yourself, and yourself only, not all the mind chatter.

So is that OK, or is that wrong to meditate? If it's wrong then why is it wrong? Would it be wrong for a Christian calm their mind for an hour or more every day?

[Edit: I realized after I did the poll that the second option is really not even a valid option IMHO. I just covered in this article that meditation is a technique, so why would someone go astray in philosophy or religion. Anyway I hope you all understand what meditation is and where you stand right now with it.]

Thanks Peace!

 

[Girder of Loins]

The only problem I would have with meditation is that one can become addicted to it. By addiction I don't mean a need for it, I mean going to it to calm yourself. I think that as a Christian, our joy and peace should come from the Lord and nothing else. If meditation allows you to do that, then continue. If not, then stop.

 

[david14433]

The only problem I would have with meditation is that one can become addicted to it. By addiction I don't mean a need for it, I mean going to it to calm yourself.

I disagree. Most people that meditate don't get enough of it to get the real benefits. It's hard to find time for it these days.

Peace.

 

[Knee V]

The goal of the Christian life is not to find inner peace or some other self-serving motive. We will not find peace by simply meditating. Rather, we will only find peace by finding Christ Himself more fully, and that comes by denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Him, as well as by prayer and fasting. And finding Christ more fully is precisely what the goal of the Christian life is. If our goal is something else, then we are deceiving ourselves and chasing after an idol, even if that idol is "peace".

 

[Knee V]

But on the other hand, meditation requires and object. If we are to keep our minds on something, then we ought to heed Paul's advice:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Since we're not going to just switch our minds off, and since our minds are going to be doing some thinking, it's better to think about things that are spiritually beneficial than things that are spiritually detrimental.

 

[david14433]

The goal of the Christian life is not to find inner peace or some other self-serving motive. We will not find peace by simply meditating. Rather, we will only find peace by finding Christ Himself more fully, and that comes by denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Him, as well as by prayer and fasting. And finding Christ more fully is precisely what the goal of the Christian life is. If our goal is something else, then we are deceiving ourselves and chasing after an idol, even if that idol is "peace".

I must strongly disagree. You obviously don't know what meditation is yet. Meditation is far from self-serving. It is the opposite. It is suppose to be humility to the core, since you give up your own worldly desires to seek that which is in the present reality in the now. Nothing more, nothing less. You don't create anything. It can't be self serving. You are not doing meditation if you feel you are doing something per sa. The ultimate goal is to do nothing and see yourself and reality the way it really is in the present, which brings the calm and peace.

Peace.

 

[david14433]

<staff edit>

Since we're not going to just switch our minds off, and since our minds are going to be doing some thinking, it's better to think about things that are spiritually beneficial than things that are spiritually detrimental.

You don't turn your mind off in meditation. But you do the opposite by becoming more conscious and aware of the present moment by being clam. Can you elaborate on that "spiritually detrimental" part. I don't understand.

Peace.

 

[joey_downunder]

RE spiritually detrimental side to "meditation": it creates a passive mind that the undiscerning person may "listen" to thoughts or impressions they would not be deceived by when more alert.
From classic book :Passivity and Its Dangers - Watchman Nee

From ex New Ager: Sola Sisters: What Is Mysticism?

 

[Gottservant]

Through meditation it is possible to realize every single truth Christ spoke, as a spiritual insight:

The tower you count the cost of building is your ego

The war you wait to wage, is your "detachment"

If you do not toil or spin, as Solomon, you reach the lotus of insight

If your "yes" is "yes" and your "no" is "no", you reach oneness

If you accept that as all sinners you must repent, you develop compassion for mankind

If you buy the field to obtain the treasure, you obtain enlightenment
If you sell everything to buy the pearl, you obtain greater enlightenment
If you sell everything to give to the poor and follow Jesus, doing as he asks, you obtain greatest enlightenment

There is no duality here, I have tested dozens of His truths and been rewarded by every single one

Are you aware of the dream written by someone on these forums: "I said to Buddha "What is truth?" and he walked over to Jesus, sitting beneath a tree, and he said "The truth"? Are you aware of it?

If a man speaks what he thinks when he waits, does he say anything? Did Jesus say anything, on the cross?

And you still do not see the connection? Not even with Jesus' statement "By patience possess your souls"?

A fool would accept a tenth as much evidence.

 

[joey_downunder]

If a man speaks what he thinks when he waits, does he say anything? Did Jesus say anything, on the cross?

How about you check the 4 gospels to find the answer to that question? Many online bible websites out there.....

 

[Knee V]

I must strongly disagree. You obviously don't know what meditation is yet. Meditation is far from self-serving. It is the opposite. It is suppose to be humility to the core, since you give up your own worldly desires to seek that which is in the present reality in the now. Nothing more, nothing less. You don't create anything. It can't be self serving. You are not doing meditation if you feel you are doing something per sa. The ultimate goal is to do nothing and see yourself and reality the way it really is in the present, which brings the calm and peace.

Peace.

And that, my friend, is inherently self-serving. There is nothing humble about that.

 

[Knee V]

Can you elaborate on that "spiritually detrimental" part. I don't understand.

Peace.

Sure.

If we're going to be thinking about something, we ought to think about things that are Christ-like. There are many things that we can focus on that will cause us to lose focus on Christ and inflame our sinful passions, be it anger, sexual lust, vanity, etc. So if I saw an attractive woman and want to keep my thoughts on her and other things along that line, then that would be very harmful to my soul and would serve as a barrier to knowing Christ more deeply. But I can choose to ask for God's grace to fight against that and instead focus on perhaps a Psalm, or on what Christ has done, or some various scripture passages.

That's just one example. There are many ways our thoughts can be occupied that can bring us down spiritually. When we focus on things arouse our sinful passions and our selfishness, then we become more and more blinded. Christ taught us in (as recorded in Matthew 5), "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." The more we shovel filth onto our hearts the less we are able to perceive Christ for who He truly is, and the less we are able to let Him live through us.

 

[david14433]

And that, my friend, is inherently self-serving. There is nothing humble about that.

Are you saying it's self serving to want peace and clam. This is absurd. This is a fundamental human right. What kind of person or God would not want that for everyone. What the heck are you talking about?

Just because someone that meditates does not find clam and peace your way does not make it wrong.

If we're going to be thinking about something, we ought to think about things that are Christ-like.

You don't get it. In meditation you don't think. Or you slowly try to move away from thinking. Not that thinking is bad. There is a time and a place for it. Just not all of the time. In contemplation meditation you can certainly think. But ultimately you want to clam and tame the mind first.

There are many ways our thoughts can be occupied that can bring us down spiritually. When we focus on things arouse our sinful passions and our selfishness, then we become more and more blinded.

I agree we must not focus on our own passions and desires. We don't have conflict there. In meditation you don't focus on your passions and selflessness. You need to read more about what meditation is before you start ridiculing it like this. You focus on what really is here in the now. Which you need to humble yourself to do this. It's not easy. The mind needs to be tamed and by meditating, you tame the mind in meditation in ways being a Christian or Muslim will never give you.

The more we shovel filth onto our hearts the less we are able to perceive Christ for who He truly is, and the less we are able to let Him live through us.

What are you talking about. Have you learned anything about what meditation is. You don't put anything into your heart or mind. No filth goes into the heart while meditating, you just are as you are. Why don't you understand what I am saying meditation is and what it's not? If anything, it's more about letting go of inner filth and cleaning your inner self. If one is to clean the inner parts of the mind, then one must empty out first, and then one can add nice and beautiful things as needed.

You act as if the only way to find clam and peace is through Jesus. Sorry but that is not the case. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

I hope you understand what meditation is now. I don't want to hear you talking about passions, filth, and desires and whatever else you want to conjure up, since meditation is none of those things.

Peace.

 

[Forge3]

It is a way of finding deeper communion with God.

 

[david14433]

It is a way of finding deeper communion with God.

Yes, it can be. Thank you for that.

 

[Forge3]

Yes, it can be. Thank you for that.

You can pray for deep contemplation in which the Lord suspends the soul in stillness and silence. And you can speak your own words from your heart like a child and then 'listen'. A great part of meditation is being aware and listening.

 

[david14433]

One more thing knee-v, in meditation your don't seek or desire peace and clam but they naturally arise in you as a positive side effect of just being naturally clam and peaceful in your meditation. So it's not self-serving. It can't be. It's impossible. If anything it's just neutral. As a matter of fact they say that when positive or negative feelings arise in ones mind and body it's best to be just neutral. Thus one trains the mind to see life and reality the way they are and not trained. So in this respect it's neutral more than anything.

 

[david14433]

You can pray for deep contemplation in which the Lord suspends the soul in stillness and silence. And you can speak your own words from your heart like a child and then 'listen'. A great part of meditation is being aware and listening.

Most people don't know that early Christians use to meditate. A few of these meditations are called "centering prayer" and the more general meditation "contemplative prayer". But the Roman Catholics came along and said no this is the only way to seek God and believe. Thus to this day Christians are still in the dark as to the real power of meditation.

Peace.

 

[drjean]

MOD HAT ON

This thread is OT (off topic) to this forum and is being moved to
EC (Exploring Christianity).

Mod Hat Off

​

 

[GrizzlyMonKeH]

Meditation is equivalent to innocent relaxation. And I doubt any of you would claim that relaxation, or sleep, is a sin. Sure, you can have too much of it, just as you can have too much of anything. But in moderation, I see nothing wrong with using simple meditation techniques.