is meditation safe for a christain to practice?
598157
Depends what you meditate on. I would suggest praying about it first to ask whether it is right. If no, then don't, if yes then pray again for protection.\nThen, as long as your thoughts are fixed on Jesus, they I think it would be okay.\n\nMeditation just means deep concentration on something, that doesn't necessarilly have to be supernatural, it can be internal reflection.\n\nDon't do anything you aren't happy with.
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As long as you're sincerely trying, it's okay -- but it's best to regularly see some sort of qualified spiritual advisor or director.  \n\nThat way, it's much less likely that you'll talk yourself into thinking you have a relationship with God when you really don't, or if your relationship with Him isn't what it should be.
7359
I would highly recommend a 10-day vipassana meditation course (http://www.dhamma.org/vipassan.htm... ) if you can get the time off. I think it's definitely worth it, so keep it in mind.\n\nIt's very intense, over 10 hours of meditation a day for 10 days, complete silence (except with the teachers), and guidance instructions basically broken up into hour-chunks. It might seem intimidating but it's very doable and you just need to have the intention to do it.\n\nAlso it's non-sectarian, anyone can practice it, and it's free from any dogma, blind belief, etc.\n\nAlso (again) the courses are free, by donation only, and no recommended or forced donation. Even the room and board are provided, because past students have found it to be beneficial so it's supported entirely by donation.\n\nVery intense but since it's so rigorous most people see distinct benefits after only 10 days.
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Tantric practice is a highly advanced form of psycho-physical exercises in order to achieve transformation of one's body and mind quickly into the perfected state of a Buddha. Simply said, these methods are not without danger when used without the proper guidance and precautions.  To avoid people getting involved in these practices without proper guidance, the practices are kept secret for people without explicit permission to practice from a qualified teacher. Often, teachers require disciples to do extensive practices before being allowed any permission; more about that is written in below paragraphs on prerequisites and preliminaries. So please keep in mind that the secrecy around tantra is basically for safety, just like it is proper to lock a gun away from the reach of children. \n\nTo clarify where tantric practices fit in the Buddhist system, it may be useful to explain a bit more about the various motivations or scopes. Traditionally, only the "small, middle and high scope" are taught to distinguish the various motivations for practising. Here, I would like to present a somewhat unconventional approach, starting even below spiritual practice: \n\n- The "Animal Scope": Wanting immediate happiness for oneself. \n- The "Worldly Human Scope": Wanting immediate happiness for oneself and others. \n- The Buddhist Small Scope: Wanting happiness for oneself in a future life. \n- The Buddhist Middle Scope: Wanting to escape the cycle of uncontrolled rebirth for oneself. (Hinayana)\n- The Buddhist Great Scope: Wanting others to go beyond suffering forever (enlightenment), and reach Buddhahood oneself to help others on their path. (Mahayana)\n- The "Buddhist Tantric Scope": Wanting others to be happy as soon as possible, and reach Buddhahood oneself quickly to serve them. (Vajrayana)\n\nPREREQUISITES \nThe following aspects are considered prerequisites before a disciple can engage in tantric practice: \n1. Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.\n2. Renunciation: a realisation is best, but a proper understanding is essential. \n3. Bodhicitta: a realisation is best, but a proper understanding is essential. For most of the initiations, it is required to take the aspiring Bodhisattva vows or the Bodhisattva vows. \n4. Emptiness: a direct realisation is best, but a proper understanding is essential (see the page on Wisdom). \n5. Reliance on a spiritual teacher: proper confidence in a teacher and verifying his/her qualifications is essential. \n6. Empowerment or initiation: without this ceremonial permission to practice by a qualified teacher, tantric practice is improper. \n7. Tantric vows: for the higher tantric classes, one needs to take tantric vows. These vows are secret to the uninitiated, so students need to take 'a leap of faith' and trust the teacher and the practice before taking them. \n8. Faith/confidence: solid confidence both in the teacher and the teachings is essential to avoid serious karmic problems when doubts arise. 'Blind faith' will generally not have the power to pull someone through when things are difficult. \n\nThe only proper motivation to practice tantra is bodhicitta, or the wish to become fully enlightened in order to help all sentient beings. This is the reason why at least an understanding of bodhicitta is essential prior to engaging in tantric practice. To enforce this motivation, usually, an extra prerequisite is taking either the Aspirational Vows or the full Bodhisattva Vows. \nNext, at least some understanding of the philosophy of emptiness is essential for tantric practice, as this is the basic mental state in which tantric practice becomes more than just ritual or strange practice of imagination. \nIdeally, a tantric practitioner should have full realisations of bodhicitta and emptiness instead of merely a conceptual understanding. In that case, tantric practice can guide one very swiftly to the state of Buddhahood.
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Meditation can be simply sitting and not thinking about anything or doing anything, simply focusing on relaxing.  However, you can also meditate (focus) on many other things.  When you're meditating on one particular thing, your giving that one thing all your time, energy and attention.\n\nPrayer is a form of meditation.  It is words that are spoken to God.  \n\nSince they both can fall into the same category, they both can work the same ways on the brain and body.  They normally will help the person relax emotionally and physically.  It relaxes the brain, muscles, heart, and almost every other organ.  Relaxing the body is a way to relieve stress, a way to help equalize things better within the body (hormone levels, chemical levels, etc.)
386639
during meditation, there might be some little problems such as you said, muscular spasms, altered sensation, changes in your body image all can cause a problem like you have had.\nanyway, to be at the safe side , you'd better to check your heart too.\nmeditation is a very good tool for a nice life, but you must do it under the supervision of your teacher,because sometimes you may experience some problems that can not be solved by scientific knowledge , only a meditation expert can solve these problems.\ngood luck!
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You can get peace by doing meditation. In meditation there is tremendous peace and relaxation and joy. It gives you freedom from daily worries , makes you a more loving person and more at ease with yourself. \nBut in-order to get these benefits you will need to first go into meditation. \nI am giving below a few sources from where you can know a lot of meditation techniques and try them . This list is in no way exhaustive , i'm sure there may be a lot more websites available also, but these websites will get you started on the righ course - \n\nhttp://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/meditation/meditation-techniques.asp\n\nhttp://www.kriyayoga.com/english/on_your_wings/meditation.htm\n\nhttp://www.feedback.nildram.co.uk/richardebbs/meditation/meditationindex.htm\n\n\nI am quoting a few lines from one of the above sites just to give you an idea of what they contain - \n\n    "  The simplest form of concentrative meditation is to sit quietly and focus the attention on the breath. Yoga and meditation practitioners believe that there is a direct correlation between one's breath and one's state of the mind. For example, when a person is anxious, frightened, agitated, or distracted, the breath tends to get shallow, rapid, and uneven. On the other hand, when the mind is calm, focused, and composed, the breath is slow, deep, and regular. Focusing the mind on the continuous rhythm of inhalation and exhalation provides a natural object of meditation. As you focus your awareness on the breath, your mind becomes absorbed in the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation. As a result, your breathing will become slower and deeper, and the mind becomes more tranquil and aware.  "
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Hello again Lu...\n\nMeditation is okay, but what you really need to learn, is post-meditation & pre-meditation techniques...\n\nWhat I mean is, you need to find ways to relax all the time, not just for an hour a day!
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no meditation is relaxing and calming ,a search for the inner self ,\n\nif done incorrectly you will still be calm and relaxed ,but you may not find your inner self.
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My experience as a psalm reader/psysic tells me she truly believes all she does is of God and she does her best for her work and words to be for good not harm. THe rest is a very greay area even fro us mystics. Only God truly knows but since we are judged by God on the meditations of the heart and her intent is good her soul is safe.
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The whole aim of meditation is,\n1. to calm your mind, and\n2. to focus the mind on one thing.\n\nHealthwise it will help you to control anger - high blood pressure patients will realise that their pressure is coming under control.\n\nThe mind of a normal person is like an uncontrolled monkey jumping from one thought to another. To process all these thoughts a lot of body energy is used. Thus if your mind cease to process thoughts you will be saving a lot of body energy which can be used to cure a lot of ailments in your body. That is why a person who continues to meditate regularly even gets a nice body complexion.\n\nIf you sit down and close your eyes you will notice that your mind is jumping from one thought to another. Even though you want to concentrate on your breath you will find other thoughts also coming in between.\n\nIn learning to meditate you must first learn to calm your mind. You do this by following every thought that comes into you mind. You must be like a Manager of a Hotel who stands at the entrance and observes the customers coming in. Without getting attached to the thoughts try to observe them. You will find that a thought comes in and that it goes nowhere and another thought follows it - try following that too - with same results. This way you will find that your thoughts gradually subside. Do not try to force out your thoughts.\n\nOf course do not expect results in one or two days. Practise it for at least 40 minutes every day for at least 2 months you find that you have 'killed' your train of thoughts. I have practised for 1 1/2 years and still vagrant thoughts come in.\n\nThereafter start concentrating on your breath. Notice the breath coming in and going out. You should not concentrate only on the tip of your nose. Notice the breath coming in and thereafter your lungs getting filled and then gradually exhaling the breath.\n\nAfter you finish that for the day start to think of a person or several persons whom you hate most. Having those people in mind start to think in a compassionate manner "may he be healthy, may he be happy, may he go up in life, may he live long". Keep on doing this for about 10 minutes a day for a few months you will find that you do not get angry even when you have to get angry.\n\nYou should be able to get some guidance from the following sites,\n\n1. http://www.dhamma.org/vipassan.htm\n2. http://www.meditationexpert.com/     and click on the free articles on yoga meditation - it includes articles on all types of meditations including christian and muslim meditation.
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When one meditates, one clears his/her mind of all thoughts, all images; thus allowing the body and mind to rejuvenate and rest.  Sometimes the state of meditation can be so relaxing that one actually falls asleep.  I believe that there are a few "schools" of thought on how to accomplish this state.  One quite familiar to me is Transcendental Meditation, which you can find classes for by looking through your telephone directory/internet.  The idea here is that you are given a word to concentrate on, which you repeat to yourself in silence, in order to focus yourself away from thoughts and images.  Training consists of approximately 5 classes and then practicing on your own.  The origins of this method come from India.
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3-3-3 It's the truth. But there are some rare cases that swept away this 3-3-3. If u keep meditating for a long time concentrating on one thing, u can go beyond this. But remember it needs lot of hard work, lot of time, and a huge amount of inner-strength to go through this. The simplest thing is u could concentrate your breath. Feel the air  you breathe in and follow it, do the same for the exhale. You'll think that this is such a easy thing to do. Give it a try and you'll understand the weakness in your concentration when you do this.\n>>>>>>>>>>>>>I am not underestimating you.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Meditation... Towards a Stress Free Life \n \n\nMeditation: What it is !!!  \nAn ordinary person may consider meditation as a worship or prayer. But it is not so. Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.\n\nMeditation is not a technique but a way of life. Meditation means 'to join together or to yoke' . It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns . The observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one.\n\nA Tibetan Lama was being monitored on a brain scan machine by a scientist wishing to test physiological functions during deep meditation. The scientist said - "Very good Sir. The machine shows that you are able to go very deep in brain relaxation, and that validates your meditation". "No", said the Lama, "This (pointing to his brain) validates the machine!".\n\nThese days it is commonly understood to mean some form of spiritual practice where one sits down with eyes closed and empties the mind to attain inner peace, relaxation or even an experience of God. Some people use the term as "my gardening is my meditation" or for jogging or art or music, hence creating confusion or misunderstanding.\n\nThe word meditation, is derived from two Latin words : meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.\n\nMany years ago meditation was considered something just not meant for modern people, but now it has become very popular with all types of people. Published scientific and medical evidence has proved its benefits, but it still needs to be much understood.\n\nTraditionally, the classical yoga texts, describe that to attain true states of meditation one must go through several stages. After the necessary preparation of personal and social code, physical position, breath control, and relaxation come the more advanced stages of concentration, contemplation, and then ultimately absorption. But that does not mean that one must perfect any one stage before moving onto the next. The Integral yoga approach is simultaneous application of a little of all stages together.\n\nCommonly today, people can mean any one of these stages when they refer to the term meditation. Some schools only teach concentration techniques, some relaxation, and others teach free form contemplative activities like just sitting and awaiting absorption. Some call it meditation without giving credence to yoga for fear of being branded 'eastern'. But yoga is not something eastern or western as it is universal in its approach and application.\n\nWith regular practice of a balanced series of techniques, the energy of the body and mind can be liberated and the quality of consciousness can be expanded. This is not a subjective claim but is now being investigated by the scientists and being shown by an empirical fact.
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So Buddhism and Christianity by definition are different religions, and one should be careful when trying to "mix" them. For example, Buddhism does not believe in a "creator-God" who controls the world and similarly, Christianity does not believe in karma or rebirth. \nOn the other hand, it may not be a bad idea to look at what we can learn from each other: the beautiful Christian practice of helping others in need is just as useful to Buddhists, as Buddhist meditation techniques can help Christians.\n\nmeditation (there's nothing 'spiritual' or 'buddhism' about it):\nThe practice of meditation basically complements the inherent nature of your mind. The negative patterns that we talked about--aggression and anger--are not inherent characteristics of the mind. So when you practice meditation and begin to relate to the inherent state of the mind, these enlightened qualities can surface, and the intensity and frequency of the habitual patterns are subdued. Then you can discover such potential qualities as compassion and loving-kindness.\n\nprayer in buddhism:\nBuddhists don’t pray to a Creator God, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. Radiating loving-kindness to all living beings is a practice which is believed to benefit those beings.\n\nin buddhism: chanting mantra (prayer) & meditation compliment each other.\n\nin christianity: prayer is a communication with god. meditation is a stress relieving method (like yoga). they don't compliment each other by most christian denominations.\n\nin buddhism:\nUnlike other religions, it does not even attempt to answer questions like 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' . Buddhism regards such questions as at best unanswerable and probably intrinsically meaningless. The only purpose of life is what we personally give to our own lives. Buddha suggested that the most meaningful use of life was to seek liberation from ignorance, suffering and the cycle of samsaric rebirth, both for one's self and others. But this 'meaning' does not reside 'in the sky' or in any way outside of the individual, and it cannot be imposed, but must be freely chosen.\nMost other religions go further than Buddhism, and if asked 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' will usually come up with an answer along the lines of 'To fulfil the will of God.' \nThis invites the further question of 'What is the will of God', which usually brings forth an answer to the effect that 'God's will is to create life, the universe and everything'.
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I don't think so.  God has a hand in everything on this earth.  As long as you practice in a positive manner, you are aligned with the Love and Light of the Universe.\n\nPeace!
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there are many many kinds of meditation. i'm doing pure concentration meditation, designed to quieten and clear the mind so that i can use it to look deeply, to see what's going on in my mind, and develop mindfulness & insgight. its a difficult form of meditation @ the beginning, but it's well worth becoming competent in. it forms an ideal foundation for further practice in the future, and it's also very conducive to a happy, stable life in the present.\nchoose a suitable place in your home where you can practice meditation uninterrupted. it needs to be quiet, not too bright, and out of sight of other people.\nonce you found the spot, find a good firm cushion, so that you can sit cross-legged, having something to cushion your ankle.\nto start, sit down on your cushion, sitting towards the front of it so that your body is sloped very slightly forward. experience will show you the optimum position. fold your legs so that your knees & ankles are touching the floor. the important thing is to have a good straight back & reasonably comfortable legs, so that your pgysicaly energy isn't blocked. place your 2 hands in your lap, palms up, one on top of the other.\nonce sitting there, wriggle a little bit to find an effortlessly comfortable position for your back & arms. you don't want to feel tension anywhere. then you can begin.\ntake a breath, hold it for a moment, then let it out gently. pause for a moment, then take the next breath. again hold it for a moment, and let it out again. do this for 10 breaths. once you've got the rhythmn, start to count your breaths. a breath is a complete cycle-- in, hold, out, hold- and most meditators find it better to count towards the end of a cycle rather than @ the beginning. in other words, you are counting complete breaths. simply count 1 to 10 in this way. when you've reached 10, start again. if your mind wanders and you lost the count, start again from one.\ndo this for 10mins @ a time for a week or so. when you are ready, increase your sitting time to 20mins. you can do it anytime, but most people do it regularly @ the beginning of the day & @ the end of the day.\nthis is all there is to it, and @ first you'll wonder why on earth you are doing it. your mind will wander, you'll probably feel twitchy, and you'll be bored. but persevere. ther's absolutely nothing better than this for calming the mins & opening mental doors that you never knew were there.\nwhat comes after this? once you've got to a stage where you can follow your breaths effortlessly, so that you can say, 10-20mins, and not lose count even once, you'll be ready for the next stage. in this, you start to observe the contents of your mind. you'll still be using the method of following your nreaths, but now, beacause of the concentration you've already developed, you'll be able to add in a new activity. it's not possible to do this until you've gained control of your mind.