Meditation in Christianity is very different from Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. Christian meditation is about attachment to God and becoming more like Him.
Meditation is one of the most popular self-care practices. Moreover, its adoption has monumentally increased in recent times due to people’s lives becoming more chaotic and busier. However, many people are often puzzled by the religious connotations of meditation. In certain religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, the mentions of meditation are explicit and the practice is ingrained.
However, when it comes to Abrahamic religions, especially Christianity, the perception and available knowledge regarding meditation is not linear or unified. Many people even have the question - ‘Did Jesus meditate’ - looming over their minds. If you are among them, fret not, as we will examine both Jesus’ and Christianity’s relation with meditation. So, without further ado, let us begin.
Did Jesus Meditate? The Answers We Have
There is implied yet strong evidence to suggest that Jesus did meditate. For example, Theology scholars widely believe that Jesus’ sermons on the Mount were delivered from a ‘meditative’ state, as opposed to a completely waking state. In addition, Jesus had been "praying" in the desert for 40 days and nights, but the specifics of his ‘prayer’ technique remain obscure.
Some scholars opine that Jesus, in fact, spent those 40 days and 40 days meditating and not simply praying in the desert. For instance, in Matthew 6:5, Jesus taught his disciples to ‘pray alone and use few words,’ something that sounds very similar to praying.
Of course, we cannot be absolutely and 100 percent sure if Jesus did meditate, but there are strong undertones of him meditating or at least being aware and accepting of the practice.
Christianity and Meditation - An Overview
After a crisp summary of Jesus’ relationship with meditation, it is only fair if we understand Christianity’s link to meditation.
The overarching and generic goal of meditation is to make a person calmer and more focused. However, there are pertinent differences in both the intention and technique in secular, eastern and Christian meditation.
To begin with, the objective of secular meditation is self-care and to help a person become more grounded and peaceful. On the other hand, the purpose of Eastern meditation is to help the practitioner empty their mind and merge with the universe. The crux here is to lose a sense of self through detaching from the self, from others and suffering.
However, in Christianity, meditation is all about engulfing the mind with thoughts of God and with Scripture, so that the practitioner can transform into the character of Christ. Christian meditation is about being attached to God and focusing on His words to become more loving towards God and other human beings. But, even in its inward dwelling to become more Christ-like, there is always a demarcation between the person and God in Christian meditation.
So, there we have it, a crisp overview of Jesus’ relationship with meditation and Christianity’s take on the practice.
Meditation and its relationship with Jesus is quite hazy and precarious. But, some strong undercurrents suggest Jesus did meditate or was, at least, familiar with the practice.
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