Question: How important is meditation as a spiritual path in your faith?
Rev. GEOFFREY KERSLAKE is a priest of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Ottawa.
Christian meditation is not something new or a fad. Rather, it is a valued prayer form that goes back 1700 or more years to the hermits in the deserts and is thus an important part of our Catholic Christian tradition. Christian meditation has existed since the early days of the Church as one of three ways of praying: vocal, meditative and contemplative. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: “The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart’s resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer” (CCC n. 2699). Although Christian meditation looks superficially like Eastern meditation practices, there is one foundational difference: Christian meditation is always focused on God rather than on eliminating the consciousness of our ‘self’. This is because Christian meditation is a method of prayer and prayer involves entering into a personal, real, relationship with God. Genuine Christian meditation thus helps a Christian to focus on God and to develop a closer, more intimate relationship with Him. There are various ways of practicing Christian meditation and many parishes in Ottawa have a Christian meditation group that meets regularly to learn this prayer method and to pray together.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/interfaith-dialogues/37070-how-important-is-meditation-your-faith.html
Rev. RAY INNEN PARCHELO is a novice Tendai priest and founder of the Red Maple Sangha, the first lay Buddhist community in Eastern Ontario.
Meditation practices are so integral to Buddhism, that people often think of the two together, and nothing more than that. This is largely untrue. If we recall the most basic teaching of the Budhha Shakyamuni, we are reminded that his teaching is The Eight Steps to Happiness. Two steps are Complete Attention ( sometimes called mindfulness, meditation as open awareness) and Complete Concentration (sometimes called one-pointed meditation). Thus, these two constitute only one quarter of the core teaching. We should recognize that the Buddha’s teaching provided Eight Steps combined as a Path, an integrated whole. A Buddhist is not free to pick and chose, to do certain steps and ignore the other. Unfortunately, the majority of secular versions of meditation in the West ignore this point and claim that a person can do “Buddhist” meditation with no consideration of the other six or seven steps, most of which have to do with moral behaviour. It would be as ridiculous as someone reducing Christianity to one or two Commandments, ignoring the rest and still claiming to be Christian. Sadly, this noble religious practice is being trivialized as merely a way to relax or as an adjunct to exercise.
Some traditions consider mindfulness as a the main meditative practice, some consider concentrative practices as superior. In my tradition the two are referred to as shi-kan, and considered as two sides of the same coin - each has its value. Again, there is a false impression that the only acceptable Buddhist meditation is sitting cross-legged, staring at a wall for extended periods, such as is associated with the Zen tradition The terms attention and concentration are rather broad, and so, there are many variations on each which are fully accepted forms of Buddhist practice. There are forms of meditation which look like prayer, plain-song chanting, linear walking, calligraphy, sword practice and more.
I would agree with a recent view that meditation, mindfulness and more are actually branches of a larger tree called “contemplative practices”. (For more, search that term on the Web ) This view allows us to see many spiritual practices as contemplative, and all as being inter-related in purpose.
Rev. RICK REED is senior pastor at the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa.
Meditation can be a very important part of a Christian’s spiritual growth, as long as it’s the kind of meditation described in the Bible. Since different faiths have divergent views on meditation, let me give a brief summary of what meditation looks like for a Christian.
From a biblical perspective, meditation is sustained reflection. Meditating involves reviewing, rehearsing or replaying something in your mind. The mind does not become passive but stays very active. Rather than seeking to empty the mind, we seek to focus it.
On what should a Christian focus his or her mind? The Bible tells us to meditate on two things: God’s Word and
God’s works. First of all, we are to meditate on the Word of God, the Bible. Following King David’s example, we are to rehearse God’s decrees, precepts and statutes (Psalm 119:23, 78, 99). Practically speaking, a good way to do this is to memorize one or more verses and then repeatedly review them in order to gain insight and direction.
We are also to meditate on God’s works. Psalm 77:12 highlights this emphasis when it says, “I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds.” To put this into practice, we might look up at the night sky and meditate on God’s work of creation. We could look back at the cross of Christ and meditate on God’s work of salvation. Or we can look over the course of our own lives and meditate on God’s work of preservation.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=37070
In some ways, meditating is like marinating. When we marinate foods, we soak them in a sauce until they take on a mouth-watering flavour. When we meditate, we soak our minds in God’s Word and His works until we begin to take on a life-changing flavour.
ABDUL RASHID is a member of the Ottawa Muslim community, the Christian-Muslim Dialogue and the Capital Region Interfaith Council.
The faculty to meditate is a Divine blessing on human beings. The prophets of God spent considerable time in meditation and contemplation. Islamic emphasis on meditation can clearly been by even a cursory glance through the Holy Qur’n. It invites humanity, again and again, to use this faculty and ponder, contemplate on all that is in and around us (80:18-32, 86:5-7).
Meditation guides us towards those realities that we cannot experience through our ordinary senses. The foremost amongst these is the unity of our Creator, glory be to Him. The Qur’n describes the various facets of the working of the universe (2:164, 3:190, 7:54, 37:20-27). This opens and strengthens a connection between God and the human being.
There are many forms of meditation in Islam. The most common mode of meditation is to remember and praise God Almighty. “For without doubt, in the remembrance of God hearts find satisfaction” (13:28). However, all meditation practices among Muslims revolve around the fundamental obligation of the five daily prayers, which constitute a meditation of the highest order.
The Holy Prophet said that we should visualize the presence of God when we stand to offer the prayer. It is this attitude accompanied by deep contemplation of Divine words being recited during the prayer that send the believer into bowing and prostrating and ends with salutations of peace.
We are told that the “recitation (in the morning prayer) is ever witnessed” (17:78). A Muslim scholar says that “the ‘witness’ to which the Qur’an refers here is the spark of God-given illumination in man’s own soul – the beginning of the inner perception at the time when the darkness and stillness of night begins to give way to the life-giving light of day, so that prayer becomes a means of attaining to deeper insight into the realm of spiritual truths and, thus, of achieving communion with all that is holy.”
Rabbi REUVEN BULKA is head of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa and host of Sunday night with Rabbi Bulka on 580 CFRA.
Meditation can be an end in itself, or a means toward an end.
Some people meditate for no other reason than to meditate. The meditation is relaxing. It has been found to be quite beneficial for our health in this highly stressed environment. One could label that type of meditation as an end in itself. That is not to disparage such meditation. It is peaceful, calming, and quite helpful. But it is usually meditation on nothing - just meditating.
There is another type of mediation which is less related to relaxing, and more related to contemplating our purpose in life. This is the meditation that we often refer to as thinking, as taking a time out from the frenetic world to figure out if we are on the right path, and how we can do better with our lives.
That type of meditation is essential to our faith. Judaism is loaded with obligations and opportunities. We are not expected to master everything. That is impossible. What we are asked is to contemplate what are our strengths, what are the abilities with which we have been endowed, and how to bring out the best in our selves as we contemplate why we are in the world.
In other words, we do not take existence for granted, and we do not cavalierly wander into life. Instead we ask questions about where we can best make the highest impact to better the world.
Meditation is a most helpful way of answering these questions. But not only meditation. It also helps to read, to consult with others, mentors who have asked themselves the right questions and have lived lives that nicely reflect the answers they themselves received.
Finally, let’s not forget that personal and communal prayer is a form of meditation. And prayer is a central feature of our faith, any faith. To the extent that the prayer is meditative, to that extent is the prayer likely to be meaningful.
JACK MCLEAN is a Bahá’í scholar, teacher, essayist and poet published in the fields of spirituality, Bahá’í theology and poetry.
Whenever I am asked to prioritize something of high spiritual value—today’s questions concerns meditation—I find myself asking “in relation to what?” If we were concerned only about our own personal spiritual development, we would have to say that meditation has the highest priority since it has great benefits. It clears the mind, brings peace to heart and soul, but most of all, meditation, if directed to problem-solving, can be a most valuable intellectual and spiritual tool. Like a concentrated beam, it focuses, sheds light and reveals secrets.
But as believers, we live in community, and our community exists in the larger world, the global village, that is becoming increasingly one village, at least in terms of media-assisted, instantaneous, international awareness. This international consciousness makes us painfully aware that humanity is in dire straits. How important, then, does meditation become in relation to social action and commitment to assisting in the development of those societies that suffer from hunger, disease, poverty, war, civic strife or catastrophic natural disasters?
And let’s not forget that some of these deplorable conditions exist right here at home. So it seems to me that if our “salvation” has become only a personal affair, a quest that is all about I, me and my, then we risk becoming egocentric, and fail to understanding something vitally important—the organic oneness of the human family—our interconnectedness with all others. Consequently, any time spent in study, meditation, and its companion, prayer, should be well balanced with social action, with a commitment to assist our community and the world, to improve the lot of the less fortunate.
But here some comments of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921), the son of the Prophet-Founder, Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892) on today’s question: “Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit. This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God. This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are carried out….” ( Paris Talks, p. 174)
BALPREET SINGH is legal counsel and acting executive director for the World Sikh Organization of Canada.
If anyone has followed my answers through this column, they’ll know that meditation is the foundation of the Sikh faith. Meditation on naam, or the name of God, leads the soul to realize and become absorbed within God’s light, which is the ultimate purpose of human life.
Sikhs live by three key principles: to meditate on naam, to earn an honest living and to share what one has with others. Meditation forms the bedrock of a Sikh’s daily life.
When individuals are initiated into the Sikh faith through the Amrit Sinchaar ceremony, they are blessed with naam and taught that meditation and repetition of naam is the path to God. The Sikh code of conduct and articles of faith are in fact tools to make a Sikh’s lifestyle more conducive to reflection and meditation on naam. A Sikh’s distinct identity is in fact a constant reminder of the commitment to live a spiritual lifestyle and to remain focussed on naam.
Sikhs are to rise every day before dawn and to meditate on naam. This can be an individual meditation or collectively with other Sikhs as a congregation. By meditating and remembering God at all times, Sikhs believe the wall of ego is lifted and the individual takes on divine qualities like contentment and compassion. Eventually, with divine grace, God’s light is revealed within and all of creation can be seen to be infused with that same light.
Ideally, meditation is not limited to a particular time of the day, but every breath becomes focussed on naam. Every action is performed as a meditation to bring one closer to God.
A concept that is linked to meditation for Sikhs is seva or selfless service. Sikhs believe that service to humanity is essential and goes hand in hand with meditation. The result of meditation is not to become detached and abandon the world, but in fact to see God in all and to engage with others to make the world a better place.
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