Exercise: Meditation 3min
Start this exercise by immediately turning off all distractions (TV, music, etc.) and find a comfortable position for three minutes of meditation. It's OK if you've never practiced meditation before, just do what you think you should, but close your eyes and remain quiet for the full three minutes.
What did you do? What did you think about? Was there anything in particular that you focused on? A word, your breath, prayer?
Jesus and Meditation
What are some of your preconceptions of the act of meditation? Many Christians (and Westerners in general) view the act of meditation as an Eastern religion practice (be Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.).
The word "meditation" is an umbrella term and to many people prayer falls under the term - which, of course, followers of Christ are encouraged to do. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, many theologians suggest that much of that time was meditation - there certainly was a lot of prayer involved.
Types of Meditation
As mentioned before, there are many different types of meditation so here is a detailed view of the most common types:
Types of Meditation
Concentrative Meditation In this practice the
objective is to cultivate a single-pointed attention on some object, such as a
sound, an image, the breath, or a flame. Through the training of consistently
returning to the object of focus, the mind develops the capacity to remain calm,
stabilized, and grounded. Many Western meditation teachers start beginners with
this practice, most commonly focusing on the breath. In some advanced
practices, states of bliss may be reached. The most well-known and researched
form of the concentrative type in the West is Transcendental Meditation (TM).
Open Awareness The objective of these
forms of meditative practices is to open the mind into a panoramic awareness of
whatever is happening without a specific focus. Often this awareness is
compared to the spacious sky or a river with objects floating by. The capacity to
be present with whatever arises is developed through this practice. The Zen
sitting practice zazen, or shikantaza,
is an example of this form of meditation practiced in the West.
Mindfulness The most popular, widely
adapted, and widely researched meditation technique in the West is known asmindfulness meditation, which is a combination of
concentration and open awareness. Mindfulness is found in many contemplative
traditions, but is most often identified with the Theravadan Buddhist practice
of vipassana, or “insight meditation.” The
practitioner focuses on an object, such as the breath, bodily sensations,
thoughts, feelings, or sounds. The focus is not as narrow as in concentrative
meditation, for there is a simultaneous awareness of other phenomena. This mindfulness
practice is often extended to daily actions, such as eating, walking, driving,
or housework. The contemporary Western adaptation is typically removed from the
rigorous contemplative training method of empirical introspection traditionally
associated with Buddhism, which has as its objective the development of
equanimity and clarity of perception.
Guided Meditation All forms of meditation
can be guided, and many are often practiced with recorded or in-person guidance
at first, and then later with decreasing need for explicit guidance. In one
form, called guided imagery, the practitioner follows auditory guidance from a
teacher or recording that elicits certain images, affirmations, states (such as
peacefulness), or imagined desired experiences. Guided imagery is popular in
the West to facilitate health and well-being and is often used to rehearse
successful outcomes of procedures, such as surgery or an athletic performance.
Video Excerpt
Watch this video which talks about intention and the physical impact of your thoughts, prayers, and meditation on the world around you.
Alright, there's a lot to unpack there! Quantum mechanics, random number generators (RNG), creating a universe, etc. Let's not get too caught up in the details of it as they threw concepts that could each take days or years to dissect in a mere 4min video. Rather, let's focus on the random number generators.
These machines randomly produce zeros and ones (like a coin flip) and statistically one would assume that the greater amount of numbers produced the closer to a 50:50 split it would be. People would put intent in imagining more zeros than ones (for instance) with one particular generator and after time meditating over this guess what happened: it worked! And we're not talking 51:49 difference, we're are talking about a difference which nearly statistically impossible.
What's more, there are many of these generators around the world and they are impacted by human thoughts and feelings during huge events. One example is when 9/11 occurred some scientists revisited the records for RNGs for that day and discovered more huge fluctuations on that day. Similar trends are seen during Obama's first election, as well as the Olympic Games. This suggests that there is a physical power emitting from humans experiencing similar emotions which directly impact these generators.
Alright, that sounds somewhat irrelevant but take a minute to ponder it. What power do you have in the Holy Spirit when you can focus your mind and intent on Him? Now revisit that list of types of meditation and decide which you would like to practice next knowing how much of an impact it can be.
Exercise: Meditation 5min
Try meditating again and see what your feelings are now.
Homework
Challenge yourself to meditate at your level of comfort for two times per day for the next week: five minutes in the morning, five minutes in the afternoon.
Biblical Reference
Romans 12:2
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Psalm 46:10
"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
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