| Walk into any busy Zen center and you will more | | | | with God, our troubles will only continue and |
| than likely find Christians practicing meditation. | | | | worsen. When we depend upon our minds to |
| Many famous Christians, including Thomas Merton; | | | | save us rather than God, we are foolish, and this |
| Trappist monk, poet, writer and social activist, | | | | is what we do every day if we are honest with |
| recommended meditation as a means of directly | | | | ourselves. We think that we are smarter than |
| communicating with God. Whatever we can do to | | | | God, but when we look at our lives, are we? |
| calm our worldly minds so that we can hear God, | | | | Unfortunately, there are many instructions on |
| (through the noise of ourselves), is a good thing. | | | | how to worship and how we should act as |
| Meditation is a form of concentrated, high-power | | | | Christians, but few good instructions on how to |
| prayer that can quickly bring you closer to God. | | | | transcend this worldly mind of ours. This is a |
| When we are able to purify our hearts, we open | | | | shame, because to really hear God speaking to |
| to God in ways previously unapproachable. Before, | | | | us, we have to get over ourselves! Getting over |
| when we were tied up in knots with all kinds of | | | | ourselves would make such a dramatic change in |
| worries and concerns, (things that God views as | | | | our lives. |
| silly), He would wonder why we had such little | | | | We might want to purify our hearts, but how do |
| faith! | | | | we go about it? "Acting like a Christian" by |
| Therefore, if we want to purify our hearts and | | | | mimicking other pure hearts; i.e. trying to become |
| concern ourselves less with selfish things not | | | | a Mother Teresa, doesn't do us much good. That |
| relating to God, we need some good advice. The | | | | is only playacting. The important thing is to make |
| trouble is; simple instructions and tips on how to | | | | a fundamental change within ourselves so that |
| purify ourselves in a practical manner are difficult | | | | instead of playacting, our hearts truly become |
| to find. If someone tells us to, "Be good!" that | | | | pure. This is the challenge. |
| doesn't quite cut it as far as a being a proactive | | | | If we are prejudicial and fearful, and view |
| method to clear our heads and become one with | | | | meditation as a new age, hippy, anti-Christian |
| God. | | | | thing, we are missing the boat. Meditation has |
| Of course, some just wait around for God to | | | | been the quintessential method of directly |
| bless them with grace. This is fine, but if you find | | | | communicating with the metaphysical, which would |
| that your worries and concerns are not abating, | | | | be God, perfected over thousands of years and |
| and that your life is becoming more complicated | | | | probably a method used by many of the |
| and stressed rather than simplified and content, | | | | prophets in the Bible. Prayer, on the other hand, a |
| maybe God is waiting for you to get off your | | | | derivative form of meditation, is mostly devoted |
| duff and take some action yourself; to show Him | | | | to our worldly pursuits nowadays, "Please God, let |
| that you are willing to go that extra mile! You | | | | me win the lottery," but meditation weans us |
| know, "God helps those that help themselves, | | | | from this narrowness and is more useful in |
| etc." | | | | transcending our stubborn selfish identity, and |
| Meditation has nothing to do with religion. Religion is | | | | switches us on to God. |
| in its own world, and if we try to bring religiosity | | | | Meditation is not easy, however. It's not light and |
| into meditation, then meditation cannot fulfill its | | | | love as many may think. Meditation is serious |
| function. Meditation has to do with the human | | | | business, as is the pursuit of God. Meditation is for |
| mind; that's where meditation is grounded. Until we | | | | Christians who understand where salvation really |
| understand our human mind, we can't get past its | | | | lies, which is in God's hands . . . and beyond |
| interference so that we can directly communicate | | | | themselves. |
| with God, and until we can directly communicate | | | | |