How do you define “meditation”? Upon what words or ideas did you meditate?
My understanding of meditation is that it’s like practicing scales on the piano, or like building a scaffolding to put a building. Meditation is a mental tool for getting the ordinary chatter of the mind out of the way, or at least a tool to enable you to see what your mind is doing to you, you can see what it is and use it. So instead of ranging around like a wild animal, even one that looks civilized and religious, you can discover basic dynamics of your awareness that lead to a kind of prayer (lifting of the heart and mind to God) or even contemplation not ordinarily available by what is commonly considered praying.
I have practiced and still use three kinds of meditation, the idea being to be in a meditative state and yet fully active and alert in ordinary activity. But that is rather advanced. Of the many types available, I have personally used TM, or transcendental Meditation, though I’m no longer part of that organization. That is a form of mantric meditation, and was the one that precipitated the most radical behavioral change, the one I wrote about. I’ve also done the counting breaths exercise, which is also very useful. You sit quietly and with no aids or devices count five sets of ten breaths on the exhale. If you loose count, you start again like Beethoven with his thirty quills he moved from one container to another. He would not perform a piece until he could move all of them from one to the other without starting over.
The third form I learned later and it is in a sense the most valuable of the three, or any for that matter. I won’t talk about it here as it is not, despite its extraordinary simplicity and efficacy, something I would readily converse about. All diamonds ought to be put in a ready setting, and one just doesn’t roll loose stones out on the table in a public place. And sad to say, there might be some reactivity to the wonderful reasons for doing that one. But in religion as in school, there are steps and grades, if you will, although the basics are always there.
Someone above mentioned a book called “The Relaxation Response.” That might be a good place to start, if you wish to try something. Try short periods at first, and don’t worry if your mind wanders or even if you fall asleep.
There’s a fourth one, and I cant attest to it though I like doing it: find a book of magic pictures, or a magic poster. That type of image looks flat or like TV snow, but if you look at it right, it pops into a three dimensional image. Anecdotal evidence says that one goes into a more whole brain mode when doing that. I would imagine that with practice even something like that could be useful over time.
And while Strawberry claims that articles on mediation may not support the idea of faith, and meditation in our society is a very discounted way of spiritual growth, there is more to it than meets the scientific eye.
