| In practicing meditation, we learn to experience | | | | faithful, in the Christian tradition, as almost a |
| many kinds and levels of spiritual growth. We can | | | | concrete state of being. It often involves a sense |
| progress to ever-higher levels of spiritual maturity | | | | of place - i.e. Heaven. This is tied to the more |
| and strength. According to some religioustraditions, | | | | body-oriented philosophy that the physical world, |
| such as those found in the Hindu and Buddhist | | | | as made by God, is essentially good. |
| faiths, meditation is necessary in order to attain | | | | Enlightenment, on the other hand, generally |
| the highest possible state of being: Nirvana. This is | | | | involves a detachment from time, place and |
| basically the equivalent of what is known, in the | | | | matter. |
| Christian tradition, as salvation. | | | | The mental and emotional state said to |
| According to the Buddhist method, the first step | | | | accompany achieving enlightenment features |
| in practicing meditation involves learning Dharma - | | | | feelings of lightness, radiance, buoyancy, inner |
| or the right way. Practitioners contemplate | | | | peace, confidence, resilience, inner knowing, |
| Dharma to grasp its meaning clearly and to gain | | | | enhanced intuitive abilities, energy, expansiveness, |
| conviction in it by testing it to make sure it is | | | | empowerment and much more. Spiritual |
| logical and coherent. For the Dharma principle to | | | | meditation practices are usually undertaken |
| make sense to practitioners of meditation, | | | | because the material world is so unfulfilling. A |
| particularly those from other traditions, it must be | | | | desire to master the negative forces that |
| studied, and its principles practiced, in some depth. | | | | surround human beings in society - jealousy, fear, |
| It is not necessary, however, to study Eastern | | | | doubt, worry, anxiety and despair - is also a |
| religion when learning how to meditate. The | | | | powerful motivating factor. Masters in the |
| Western religious tradition also has a rich history | | | | discipline of meditation have described these |
| of meditation disciplines. | | | | forces as being like monkeys. When the monkeys |
| In the West, meditation grew out of Jewish | | | | tire of biting us and stop to rest, we think we |
| mysticism. In the years following the destruction | | | | have peace - but then the monkeys attack us |
| of the Jerusalem Temple, in 70 A.D., rabbis | | | | again, and the illusion of peace is gone. |
| became particularly adept at keeping their faith | | | | Meditation helps us to quiet the monkeys, to |
| traditions alive through meditation techniques. The | | | | tame them, to make peace with them. In both |
| monastic movement, in early Christianity, | | | | the Eastern and the Western tradition, meditation |
| continued developing meditative practices. These | | | | trains the mind to focus on things everyday life |
| practices were refined in Europe during the Middle | | | | distracts us from seeing. A common thread, in |
| Ages. The Twentieth Century monk and author, | | | | both traditions, is that God is simpler and less |
| Thomas Merton, shed much light on the great | | | | demanding than most people in the busy world |
| kinship between the Eastern and Western | | | | believe. It is thought, in all societies in which |
| meditation traditions. | | | | spiritual meditation is widely practiced, that truth |
| Enlightenment and salvation, though very similar, | | | | can only be found in the God-simplicity |
| are not identical. Salvation is viewed by the | | | | experienced in the meditative state. |