Meditation

Given the abundance of existing forms of meditation, the fundamentals of meditation cannot be formulated in general terms. Once the basis of one type of meditation has been grasped, it is no longer valid for the next. Here, spiritual research fits in very well with the diversity of the world, because from a spiritual point of view, the term ‘meditation’ must have a core content, a kind of primordial idea or existence in the spiritual world. Once this archetypal idea has been grasped, the fundamentals of meditation can be derived from it, which have universal content. Finally, based on this understanding, human beings can look at the different types of meditation with strength to differentiate and classify them.

Wikipedia on meditation

Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking",[note 1] achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state,[1][2][3][4][web 1][web 2] while not judging the meditation process itself.[note 2] Techniques are broadly classified into focused (or concentrative) and open monitoring methods. Focused methods involve attention to specific objects like breath or mantras, while open monitoring includes mindfulness and awareness of mental events. Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions, though it is also practiced independently from any religious or spiritual influences for its health benefits. The earliest records of meditation (dhyana) are found in the Upanishads, and meditation plays a salient role in the contemplative repertoire of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism.[5] Meditation-like techniques are also known in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in the context of remembrance of and prayer and devotion to God. Asian meditative techniques have spread to other cultures where they have found application in non-spiritual contexts, such as business and health. Meditation may significantly reduce stress, fear, anxiety, depression, and pain,[6] and enhance peace, perception,[7] self-concept, and well-being.[8][9][10] Research is ongoing to better understand the effects of meditation on health (psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular) and other areas.

Etymology

The English term meditation is derived from Old French meditacioun, in turn from Latin meditatio from a verb meditari, meaning "to think, contemplate, devise, ponder".[11][12] In the Catholic tradition, the use of the term meditatio as part of a formal, stepwise process of meditation goes back to at least the 12th-century monk Guigo II,[12][13] before which the Greek word theoria was used for the same purpose. Apart from its historical usage, the term meditation was introduced as a translation for Eastern spiritual practices, referred to as dhyāna in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, which comes from the Sanskrit root dhyai, meaning to contemplate or meditate.[14][15][16] The Greek word theoria actually derives from the same root.[17] The term "meditation" in English may also refer to practices from Islamic Sufism,[18] or other traditions such as Jewish Kabbalah and Christian Hesychasm.[19]

Definitions

Difficulties in defining meditation

No universally accepted definition for meditation

Meditation has proven difficult to define as it covers a wide range of dissimilar practices in different traditions and cultures.[note 3] In popular usage, the word "meditation" and the phrase "meditative practice" are often used imprecisely to designate practices found across many cultures.[19][22] These can include almost anything that is claimed to train the attention of mind or to teach calmness or compassion.[23] There remains no definition of necessary and sufficient criteria for meditation that has achieved widespread acceptance within the modern scientific community.

For more information, see the article Meditation in the English Wikipedia.

Summary

This first part of the Wikipedia article on meditation makes it clear that it is scientifically impossible to define a generally accepted, precise definition of meditation and that the term has become increasingly diluted in modern usage. Prof. Dr. Almut-Barbara Renger from the Institute for Religious Studies at the Free University of Berlin sums it up as follows: “In the 21st century, ‘meditation’ has become a term that is used in many different contexts – for theories and practices related to transcendence as well as for those that are understood in an inner-worldly sense.”

Approach from spiritual research

Modern science sees the material as the beginning of all existence. The matter is the real.According to current thinking, human evolutionary history began with the split between the last common ancestor population of chimpanzees and humans. This means that humans are highly developed animals.

However, Plato already held the view that ideas are the “archetype” (paradeigma) of all things. The idea therefore has an independent existence. It provides the basis for everything that exists materially on earth. Thus, the idea is the real, the general, the universal. Findings from spiritual research to this day confirm Plato's insight. Once they have developed the necessary ability, humans are capable of grasping and characterizing the archetype or archetypal idea of, for example, a concept such as “meditation.”

Inner tranquility as the basis of meditation

Before Rudolf Steiner discusses the nature of meditation, he emphasizes the importance of developing inner tranquility.

He mentions that the practical rules for developping inner tranquility have no arbitrary origin and that all true teachers of the spiritual life are in agreement as to the substance of these rules, even though they do not always clothe them in the same words.

The creation of inner tranquility is indeed common to many forms of meditation, only the terms used to describe it differ.