Throughout history, it has been known that religions have utilised meditation as a means of spiritual ascension. From the monks living in secluded mountains of Tibet to the Hindu Yogis that dwell in the deep forest of the Himalayas, meditation has always been an integral part of religion and their practices. Today, we look at some of the most popular religions that include meditation in their daily practices and the effects that they bring on a spiritual level to the practitioner.
Buddhism has been around since early into the middle Ages and encompasses a plethora of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices originating from the teachings of Buddha. One of the concepts of Buddhism includes the use of meditation in order to remove one from the endless cycle of Karma and help one to be reborn into the heavenly realm called Brahma. Additionally, meditation helps Buddhists curb their craving and aversion to materialistic things in the world, allowing them to experience the world in a more physical manner as opposed to one filled with negative emotions.
The ancient Indian religion stemming from way back into the old days of the sramana tradition revolves around the abstinence from violence towards all living beings in the world. Aside from that, followers of Jainism aim to control their inner emotions of attachment, anger, pride and greed amongst others, through practices such as meditation. Meditation in Jainism is also known as samayika and aims to help one understand the unchanging truth of oneself.
Taoism or otherwise known as Daoism comes from Chinese roots and emphasises on living in harmony with the natural flow of the universe (Tao). It evolved from the School of Yin Yang and follows very closely to the oldest text of ancient Chinese classics which focuses on the philosophical thought on human ethics. As such, it is only understandable that Taoism incorporates meditation and observation in their practices to allow one to internalise their actions. The spiritual aspect of meditation ultimately aims to help one behave in the way of heaven, independent of the human nature embedded in practitioners.
Christianity first originated in the early days of Earth revolving around the teachings of Jesus Christ passed down by his followers. Since the old days, Christianity has since branched out but the main belief remains rather similar amongst the different branched out religions – That Jesus died to forgive the sins of men and he shall return again to judge mankind. People of Christianity may not adopt meditation as a whole but rather a form of meditation called prayer.
The New Age belief and philosophy is relatively new and originated from the 1960s to the 1970s, and is particularly popular amongst the Youth of today. New Age meditation forms a core of the practices, which aims to bring the practitioner serenity and balance in their daily lives. In addition, more extreme spiritual believers of the New Age believe that they are able to access higher realms of consciousness and dimensions along with the ultimate goal of Samadhi where the mind becomes one with the moment.