Meditation?

Question

what are the differences between Christian and Eastern meditation? All I know is that Christian meditation is just study, rememberance, and application, and you don't need to clear the mind or anything, just focus.

but what exactly is Eastern meditation?

Answer 1

The main goal of eastern meditation, mainly Buddhist meditation, is to clear the mind of distractions. Mostly the mind is continually thinking of stuff. There is a constant dialog of thoughts. It's like a runner who never stops moving. The idea is just to get the mind into a resting state.

In Catholic mysticism the goal is to bring oneself closer to communion with God. Where the Buddhist experiences oneness with everything, the Catholic describes their experience as divine Love.

Meditation in general, both prayer and eastern style meditation, change the brain state. Dr. Andrew Newberg has studied brain states of Tibetan monks and Catholic nuns engaged in "meditation" and discovered there are certain parts of the brain that become active in the same way for both groups.

Newberg found that when Buddhists and Catholic mystics speak of their absorptive experiences they describe them in very similar terms. Dr. James H. Austin has done extensive studies on the brain states of Zen meditators and remarks that the changes in brain function of advanced meditators are both extensive and profound.

There is a popular beleif among some Christians that if one "empties" the mind then unknown evil influences will take over the person. Both meditation and intense prayer are psychological activities that can have profound effects on the individual. There are situations where unguided internal focus of either kind can cause the practitioner problems. Mostly though, beginning meditators cannot empty the mind as the brain is continually thinking of things to think about.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Eastern meditation deals more with concentrating on emptyness of mind (which is not dangerous, you don't have a lack of will, it's simply dedicated to being empty), or concentrating on visualization. For example, one might hold and object and analyze it carefully. Then the meditator would close his eyes and try to concentrate and picture the object as clearly as possible in every detail. When the meditator was satisfied no more detail could be added, you open your eyes an dlook at the object you hold to see what you did not remember. Then repeat the excersize and remember new details. The emptyness of mind meditation is very important because while you are concentrating on being empty, thoughts still arise. Your state of mind, however, allows you to reflext and analyze these thoughts from a neutral perspective as opposed to be in them and swept away by them. In short, it is an important tool for self analysis. There are other forms, but these are the main two that I know of.

Answer 4

You are talking about modern Christian meditation, this is different from meditation in the Bible. Quotes like this, "Be still my soul and know that he is God," are all over the Bible. Modern Christians just have lost the understanding of it. Eastern meditation comes in several types. Yoga, transcendental, Tai Chi, zen, several others. Yoga and Tai Chi are both moving meditation. Zen and transcendental are both seated meditation. In most types of meditation you will find that the goal is to stop the mind from wandering. This is achieved by using a focal point such as a candle or by concentrating on a sound or concept. When you first begin, you have trouble concentrating on anything. We spend a lifetime with our minds in constant motion, it takes a while to teach it to be still. Transcendental meditation will start with exercises to stop mind wandering and then move on to trying to see beyond this reality. The Biblical type of meditation is a conceptual meditation, IE you meditate on a concept such as in the above quoted verse. Both meditation to stop mind wandering and conceptual meditation are spoken of in the Bible.

Answer 5

Gee I have been trying to figure out the same thing. Christian meditation is just studying and thinking about the passage. Eastern involves emptying your mind. most Christians do not realize that they are emptying there mind when they meditate in an eastern style. The problem with emptying your mind is that anything can fill it. You are giving control over to any spirit that wants in. Each position in Yoga has different spiritual meanings and was created for a specific reason. Emptying your mind in a yoga meditation is a very spiritually dangerous thing.

Answer 6

The blogbaba considers meditation a form of exercise designed to clear the mind and focus physical activity towards a physical goal. In terms of martial arts, Eastern or otherwise, mental attitude, (confidence, self awareness, purpose or simply just competitive will) are aspects of combat that are as important as physical strength, dexterity, or conditioning. To sharpen ones skills each aspect must be trained. One can use any object or idea to focus their mind, and mental exercise is as important as physical exercise.

Religious implications of self awareness vs a divine all powerful creator are polar opposite forms of religious dogma. It is best to ask God which is superior, since He created both lines of reason. God is bigger than any particular way of worshiping Him. Organized religion falls woefully short of most human expectations, because it is created by humans, therefor inherently flawed.

Eastern meditation is a form of self hypnosis.

Always settle for nothing less than the truth, eventually if you search long enough you will find what you are looking for.

Answer 7

Very different in intend, practice, objective;

Eastern Meditation ==What is transcendental meditation? (TM) It involves sitting upright with eyes closed and letting the mind drift effortlessly toward a word or phrase known as a “mantra.” Advocates of TM say that it is neither a religion nor a philosophy nor a way of life. They advertise TM as simply “a natural and effortless technique for improving all aspects of life.”
Interesting, too, is how the Encyclopædia Britannica (1976) defines “mantra”: “in Hinduism and Buddhism, a sacred utterance (syllable, word or verse) considered to possess mystical or spiritual efficacy. . . . Mantras continue to be an important feature of Hindu religious rites and domestic ceremonies. Initiation into many sects involves the whispering of a secret mantra into the ear of the initiate by the guru (spiritual teacher).”

Siddhārtha Gautama gave up his family, his possessions, and his princely name and spend the next six years seeking the answer from Hindu teachers and gurus, but without success. The accounts tell us that he pursued a course of meditation, fasting, Yoga, and extreme self-denial, yet he found no spiritual peace or enlightenment.
Eventually he came to realize that his extreme course of self-denial was as useless as the life of self-indulgence that he had led before. He now adopted what he called the Middle Way, avoiding the extremes of the life-styles that he had been following. Deciding that the answer was to be found in his own consciousness, he sat in meditation under a pipal, or Indian fig tree. Resisting attacks and temptations by the devil Mara, he continued steadfast in his meditation for four weeks (some say seven weeks) until he supposedly transcended all knowledge and understanding and reached enlightenment. Having attained enlightenment, and after overcoming some initial hesitation, the Buddha set forth to teach his newfound truth, his dharma, to others.

For Christians==What does it mean to meditate? One dictionary defines the word as “to focus one’s thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over.” And the word “ponder” means “to think about: reflect on . . . to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply.”
Meditate appreciatively on God’s Word. Why is meditation essential? For two reasons. First, meditation enables us to assimilate what we read and to develop heart appreciation for it. Second, meditation prevents us from forgetting Jehovah, his wonderful works, and the hope he has set before us.

Answer 8

You seem to have a handle on it. Christian meditation involves the mind. Meditating on God's Word, or what God has revealed in Scripture, is the thing. We read some of the Bible, then think it through; pray and ask for guidance, etc. Eastern meditation is a process of emptying your mind, and I believe, for no good purpose. I went to a Hare Krishna festival in Venice CA and they were applauding some guru for spending several hours a day in mindless meditation. Christians know that God wants us to grow, not sit and contemplate our navels or to empty our minds and let them be filled with whatever happens to pop in them (including demonic suggestion). No, we live with the knowledge of God, and we "meditate" on the application of what He has said in the Bible. There is plenty to think through, and we weren't given minds to sit and go blank while staring at a candle. We imbibe God's truth, and we meditate; whether that be in a specific quiet time/prayer time alone, or whether we are driving down the street in our vehicles. Christian meditation is very vital and active. Eastern meditation is passive, and according to Scripture, a VERY pointless - a waste of life.

Answer 9

Depends on how you define "Christian"... the original groups of Christians or the modern era ones? Hindu meditation or Buddhist?

You have to be more specific... Hindus and Christians believe in an omnipotent creator deity... Buddhism does not, which is the ultimate difference.

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Answer 10

Buddhist meditation is about being aware of what is going on in your mind.
Basic meditation technique is to concentrate your entire mind on the rising and falling of your diaphragm as you breath. Not exerting control over the process but concentrating on watching the process internally and watching what you mind is doing. Extraneous thoughts and ideas will arise in your conciousness and you should be aware that this is happening, realize that these events are occuring and stop the process by refocusing on breathing.
By concentrating on a simple process and letting intrusive processes be recognized and pushed aside we can learn to focus our minds on a single issue and avoid intrusion of all other issues onto our thought processes.
It is often refered to as controlling the monkey mind. Monkeys will run all over the place exploring whatever comes to hand rather than exploring one thing to its conclusion. Rather than scatter mental energy on talking, driving, planning dinner, getting angry about what the boss said and selecting what video to rent simultaneously and doing none of these with proper concentration the Buddhist practice is to treat each issue as a seperate and complete thing without intrusion of the others.
Only if your mind is focused on a single issue can it be resolved with a clear mind.
Simple example is that if you are angry about an unrelated issue it will effect your judgement on all issues you are dealing with.