RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

What is Meditation?

Meditation, like religion or spirituality, is a word that today can be used to mean any number of things, several of which have little to do with what meditation really is. The word meditation may be used for prayer, contemplation, visualization, affirmations, pranayama, mantra and so on. So too the goal of meditation has taken on many meanings. Meditation may be used for stress relief, for fulfilling one's personal desires and any other limited objective.

Meditation (Dhyana) in the true sense refers to the ability to unite the mind with the object of our perception. Its goal is liberation from the dualistic condition and unification with the Divine which is the ultimate ground of Being in all objects.

Meditation occurs when we empty our minds of extraneous thoughts and focus on the Divine Presence that is the True Reality behind all things. This is the main method of the Yoga of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga), but a similar meditation merging into the Divine Beloved is the basis of the Yoga of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga).

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