(this is a revised version of a blogpost that I originally wrote in March 2021)
Why Meditate?
Practically
all spiritual teachers in every spiritual-wisdom tradition agree that the
spiritual quest (aka, the Hero’s Journey) cannot go far without some form
of—what is commonly known as—meditation practice. “Meditation” (here) is
known by other names such as: prayer, mindfulness, contemplation, etc. However
it is called, meditation is essential to support your own hero’s journey,
your own spiritual quest. Why? It is that formal act done regularly of trying
to [1] reach your depth and [2] transcend yourself which, as we
said, make up the heart of all spirituality and religion.
Besides, meditation
has been proven even by numerous scientific studies to have many other benefits
for the well-being and health of your mind and body. For example, Jonathan
Haidt in his The Happiness Hypothesis, tells us that meditation is something
like a magic pill. His words: “Suppose you read about a pill that you could
take once a day to reduce anxiety and increase your contentment. Would you take
it? Suppose further that the pill has a great variety of side effects, all of
them good: increased self-esteem, empathy, and trust; it even improves memory.
Suppose, finally, that the pill is all natural and costs nothing. Now would you
take it? The pill exists. It’s called meditation.”
[for those taking the course RS2180] An important component of this
course on spiritual quests and popular culture is the task of journal writing.
I envision journal writing to be a result of your meditation on the
different learning materials of the week. Try to practice some kind of
meditation before you write your journal entry!)
Meditation Described Briefly
A simple
description: Meditation is a universal practice found in practically all
spiritual-wisdom traditions (aka, the world religions). It is basically a
concentration technique that has two key elements:
1.
First, choosing a focus
for attention. This is usually one's breathing (in and out). But it can be
extended to: an emotion, a thought, a part of one's body, etc. It can even be
applied to a sacred word or mantra (as it is done in the Christian prayer-practice
known as "centering prayer").
2.
Second, when one notices
that one's attention has wandered elsewhere, gently bring it back to the point
of focus.
That
is meditation in a nutshell! Our minds--as Buddhism often teaches--are like
restless, wild monkeys that jump from tree to tree ("the monkey
mind"). When one can tame this restless, wandering mind and train it to focus
on something, then the spiritual quest can move forward in earnest (see
Roger Walsh, Essential Spirituality, pp. 155-56).
A Suggestion on How to Meditate - A "Life-Giving Reading"
(Lectio Vitalis)
There
are many forms of meditation. The following is just my recommendation from my
personal practice. For the absolute beginner, I would recommend starting with
10 minutes every day and aim to expand that eventually to 15~20 minutes. For
people who are somewhat addicted to being endlessly engaged (often,
distracted) with technological gadgets, that can seem daunting. But it is
necessary to resolve and set out to "just do it" (as the Nike ad
says).
There
is a popular spiritual practice in the Catholic Christian tradition called
"Lectio Divina." That means "Sacred [or Divine]
Reading." It is a time-tested and proven method of reading the scriptures
in a prayerful, contemplative manner. It is based on a simple method that can
be summarized in the following steps: (1) Read -- (2) Think -- (3) Pray -- (4)
Act.
I will adopt and tweak a bit the 'Sacred Reading' method and propose it to beginners or people who want to progress further in their meditation practice. As I said, I'll rename the practice to "Lectio Vitalis" (Latin) which means "a life-giving/life-sustaining reading." The Latin literally means "Vital Reading." "Vital" here means: "life-giving, life-sustaining, life-affirming," but also "important" (vital!) for cultivating and sustaining one's spiritual quest or hero’s journey.
