I often have to say "I'm meditating", despite never have had a minute's study in formal meditation, I have no clue what it is.
But then when I look up the word:
meditation - 3 dictionary results
med·i·ta·tion
[med-i-tey-shuhn]
–noun
1.
the act of meditating.
2.
continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation.
3.
transcendental meditation.
4.
devout religious contemplation or spiritual introspection.
It really is a very, very wide field indeed. Especially definition two, which I find very useful indeed. Contemplation. Look at things. Observe things.
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3 comments:
"It really is a very, very wide field indeed."
Yes...it's unique to each individual: what is done during the time; the duration; who or what is meditated upon...
"Especially definition two, which I find very useful indeed. Contemplation. Look at things. Observe things."
It's good...with no religious/spiritual overtones like #4. :-)
I also use the word, meditate, but I use it to really extend my mind I guess to the spirit world. I wish I could just sit and empty my mind and not think of anything. I may be able to do that for a veryyy short while, but when I meditate, I seem to just step into a different peaceful realm..and to me that is meditation, because, time stops, it is slow, I close my eyes but my mind is than capable of opening. I guess no matter what it means to individual person, it seems to always be positive and peaceful.
I too, have never had any training in meditation. I never thought it was necessary, nor that there's such a thing as "formal" (nor right or wrong) meditation.
I was already very much into self-hypnosis when the TM explosion came about (in the '70s), and we started being bombarded with the Maharishis and their dogmas, etc. To me, it was just a natural step, from what in hypnosis is termed a "trance" to a meditative state. (They're actually the exact same thing, anyway.) Being the guy that I am, I prefer hypnosis to meditation, but then, again, they're about the same things.
(Please note that I'm not trying to define them -- and then compare them -- that would necessitate a lot of space, and a lot of time, not to mention all the work it'd require. Furthermore, I don't think all of you would be interested in reading such an account. However, if anyone reading this, would like to engage in such a discussion, then please email me at: getter@collector.org. I have almost forty years of experience with both, and there's nothing I love more than chatting about them. -- Angelo B.)
I agree absolutely with definition two: thought; reflection, contemplation. There's really nothing else to it. It doesn't need to be "religious" nor "spiritual" to be meditation, and it doesn't need to be transcendental either, though, in my case, I'm usually trying to "transcend" (or just change) something (i.e. a long-held belief that no longer serves me), when I go into these states.
One thing I'm sure we can all agree is that meditation (and self-hypnosis, for that matter) could be, and usually is, quite helpful, or useful.
Cheers!
Posted by Angelo B. (NYC, USA)
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