History of Meditation
History of Meditation
Meditation has been practiced in many forms for thousands of years. Though many different religious and spiritual paths have brought meditation to where it is today, the focus of meditation, as ever, remains firmly in the present—the quest for personal completeness in the here and now.
Shamans
European cave drawings that date back 15,000 years depict figures in a meditative state. Historians believe these figures represented shamans, or priests and priestesses, who were entering a trance in order to meet and receive guidance from the spirits.
Meditation in India
Meditation has figured significantly in India for thousands of years, shaping the practices of Buddhism and Hinduism. Sadhus, or itinerant holy people, and yogis, people who practice yoga as a lifestyle, continue to meditate today.
Buddha was a Hindu prince who had many questions about life that he could not answer and a well-appointed but superficial lifestyle that did not bring him closer to the truths he sought. One day, rather than turn his attention outward, he focused it inward and sat and meditated for seven days. Then he awoke with a new understanding of life. Buddha, or “the awakened one,” shared his inward focus, or mindfulness, with others, and taught his followers to experience life in the present moment.
Judaism and Meditation
Some in the Jewish faith believe that meditation began with Abraham, the father of Judaism. Prophets of the Old Testament fasted to enter altered states of consciousness, using sacred phrases from scripture as mantras to connect with God. That practice of using verse and scripture is still used today.
Meditation in Western Culture
In Christianity, direct communication with God offers a connection to a higher being, and practicing contemplative prayer is a mediative act. Some historians believe that Jesus, who is thought to have fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days and nights, also meditated. In contemplative prayer, however, the Christian focus is primarily outward rather than inward, meaning that guidance is sought from God.
Meditation in the United States
In the United States, meditation gained popularity with the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Experimentation with drugs, opposition to the Vietnam War, the rise of the Beatles, a heightened interest in communal living, and the practice of transcendental meditation were instrumental in igniting the counterculture movement, of which meditation was a part.
Meditation has been practiced in many forms for thousands of years. Though many different religious and spiritual paths have brought meditation to where it is today, the focus of meditation, as ever, remains firmly in the present—the quest for personal completeness in the here and now.Shamans
European cave drawings that date back 15,000 years depict figures in a meditative state. Historians believe these figures represented shamans, or priests and priestesses, who were entering a trance in order to meet and receive guidance from the spirits.
Meditation in India
Meditation has figured significantly in India for thousands of years, shaping the practices of Buddhism and Hinduism. Sadhus, or itinerant holy people, and yogis, people who practice yoga as a lifestyle, continue to meditate today.
Buddha was a Hindu prince who had many questions about life that he could not answer and a well-appointed but superficial lifestyle that did not bring him closer to the truths he sought. One day, rather than turn his attention outward, he focused it inward and sat and meditated for seven days. Then he awoke with a new understanding of life. Buddha, or “the awakened one,” shared his inward focus, or mindfulness, with others, and taught his followers to experience life in the present moment.
Judaism and Meditation
Some in the Jewish faith believe that meditation began with Abraham, the father of Judaism. Prophets of the Old Testament fasted to enter altered states of consciousness, using sacred phrases from scripture as mantras to connect with God. That practice of using verse and scripture is still used today.
Meditation in Western Culture
In Christianity, direct communication with God offers a connection to a higher being, and practicing contemplative prayer is a mediative act. Some historians believe that Jesus, who is thought to have fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days and nights, also meditated. In contemplative prayer, however, the Christian focus is primarily outward rather than inward, meaning that guidance is sought from God.
Meditation in the United States
In the United States, meditation gained popularity with the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Experimentation with drugs, opposition to the Vietnam War, the rise of the Beatles, a heightened interest in communal living, and the practice of transcendental meditation were instrumental in igniting the counterculture movement, of which meditation was a part.