Christian meditation 1847412 225550617 2008-07-14T07:29:14Z Nirvana2013 305961 /* Criticism */ Add link '''Christian meditation''' is [[meditation]] in a [[Christian]] context. The word meditation has come to have two different meanings: (1) continued, intent, focused thought; and (2) a state of quiet, intentionally unfocused, "contentless" awareness. This double meaning has contributed to misunderstanding and disagreement about the nature, role, and even the appropriateness of Christian meditation. Traditionally, the word meditation (''meditatio'') had the first meaning, and another word, [[contemplation]] (''contemplatio'') was used for the second. (These words, however, have nearly the reverse meanings in Eastern spiritual traditions, contributing to the confusion.) As the present article reflects this dual meaning, the reader is advised to keep the issue in mind. ==History== ===Scriptural basis=== Christian meditation is often associated with [[prayer]] or [[scripture]] study. It is rooted in the [[Bible]], which directs its readers to meditate. In [[book of Joshua|Joshua]] 1:8, [[God]] commands his people to meditate on his word day and night to instill obedience. The psalmist says that "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night" ([[Psalm]] 1:2). The Bible mentions ''meditate'' or ''[[meditation]]'' twenty times. In the [[Old Testament]], there are two [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] words for meditation: ''hāgâ'' ({{lang-he|הגה}}), which means ''to sigh'' or ''murmur'', but also ''to meditate'', and ''{{unicode|sîḥâ}}'' ({{lang-he|שיחה}}), which means ''to muse'', or ''rehearse in one's mind''. ===Lectio Divina=== Formal [[Christian]] meditation began with the early Christian [[monastic]] practice of reading the Bible slowly. Monks would carefully consider the deeper meaning of each verse as they read it. This slow and thoughtful reading of [[Scripture]], and the ensuing pondering of its meaning, was their [[meditation]]. This [[spiritual practice]] is called "divine reading", or ''[[lectio divina]]''. Sometimes the monks found themselves spontaneously praying as a result of their meditation on Scripture, and their [[prayer]] would in turn lead on to a simple, loving focus on God. This wordless love for [[God]] they called [[contemplation]]. The progression from Bible reading, to meditation, to prayer, to loving regard for God, was first formally described by Guigo II, a [[Carthusian]] monk and prior of Grande Chartreuse in the 12th century. Guigo named the four steps of this "ladder" of prayer with the [[Latin]] terms ''lectio'', ''meditatio'', ''oratio'', and ''contemplatio''. ===The Cloud of Unknowing (14th century)=== ''[[The Cloud of Unknowing]]'', an anonymous treatise written in [[England]] in the 14th century, is a concise and practical primer on contemplative prayer. The author's premise is that, to experience [[God]], one must strive for a "darkness about your mind, or as it were, a cloud of unknowing." To do this, one must fix one's heart on God, forgetting all else. ===St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491&ndash;1556)=== The [[Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola|Spiritual Exercises]] of [[Ignatius Loyola|St. Ignatius of Loyola]] contain numerous meditative exercises. For example, the practitioner is encouraged to visualize and meditate upon scenes from the life of Christ. His ''Contemplation to Attain Love'' (of God), is, in a sense, a method that combines intellectual meditation and more affective (emotional) contemplation. ===St. Teresa of Avila (1515&ndash;1582)=== [[Teresa of Avila|St. Teresa of Avila]] practiced contemplative prayer for periods of one hour at a time, twice a day. In her ''Life'' she recounts that she found this very difficult for the first several years. She had no one to teach her, and taught herself from the instructions given in a book, ''The Third Spiritual Alphabet'' by Francisco de Osuna. Her starting point was the practice of "recollection". Recollection means an effort of the will to keep the senses and the intellect in check and not allow them to stray. One restricts the attention to a single subject, principally the love of God. "It is called recollection because the soul collects together all the faculties and enters within itself to be with God", she says in ''The way of perfection''. Because St [[Teresa of Avila|Teresa]] found it difficult to concentrate, she would use devices such as short readings from an inspiring book, a scene of natural beauty or a religious statue or picture to remind her of her intended focus. In due course, the mind becomes effortlessly still. The initial practice St [[Teresa of Avila|Teresa]] viewed as the voluntary effort of the individual, while the subsequent stillness and joy she saw as gifts from God. Her best-known book on meditation and prayer is ''[[El Castillo Interior|The Interior Castle]]''. ===Madame Guyon (1648&ndash;1717)=== [[Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon]] (1648-1717) was a [[France|French]] mystic and writer. As a 19-year-old, she was greatly influenced by an encounter with a [[Franciscan]] [[priest]] who had just emerged from a five-year retreat. She asked him why she was having such difficulties with prayer, and he replied: "It is, Madame, because you seek without what you have within. Accustom yourself to seek God in your heart, and there you will find Him". In her mid-thirties, Madame Guyon wrote her ''Moyen court et très facile de faire oraison'', which in English is titled ''A short and very easy method of prayer''[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/guyon/prayer.html]. (Note that the book ''Experiencing the depths of Jesus Christ'', which poses as a translation, is in fact an interpretive revision.) The mysticism of Madame Guyon is generally considered a form of [[Quietism (Christian philosophy)|quietism]], which is very strongly discouraged, even to the point of being considered heresy, by the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. ===The 20th Century=== Two contemporary forms of Christian meditation emerged during the twentieth century. *[[John Main|Fr. John Main]], [[Order of Saint Benedict|O.S.B.]] (1926&ndash;1982) was a [[Order of Saint Benedict|Benedictine]] monk and priest who presented a way of Christian meditation which utilizes the practice of a prayer-phrase or [[mantra]]. In his [[John Main|method]], one recites a prayer-phrase as a means of placing everything aside. In this way, instead of talking to God, one is just being with God, allowing God’s presence to fill his heart, thus transforming his inner being. Fr. Main's [[John Main|teachings]] drew on parallels he saw between the spiritual practice taught by [[Desert Fathers|Desert Father]] [[John Cassian]] and the meditative practice he had been taught by the [[Swami]] Satyananda in [[Kuala Lumpur]].<ref>{{cite web | title = "John Main’s Monastic Adventure" | work = Fr. Laurence Freeman, O.S.B. | url = http://www.wccm.org/images/JMMonasticAdvent3.htm | accessdaymonth = 16 November | accessyear = 2006 }}</ref> His work is continued by [[Laurence Freeman|Fr. Laurence Freeman, O.S.B.]] *Fr. William Meninger, [[Trappists|O.C.S.O.]], Fr. [[Thomas Keating]], [[Trappists|O.C.S.O.]], and Fr. [[Basil Pennington]], [[Trappists|O.C.S.O.]], were the leading proponents of the [[Centering Prayer]] method. Here a sacred word is used to express only the intention to be in God's presence, placing everything else aside. As with Fr. Main's method, the goal is for one to just be with God, allowing God’s presence and action to fill his inner being. The forms of prayer described above are part of the [[negative theology|apophatic]] tradition and are quite distinct from, for example, the ''[[Spiritual Exercises]]'' of [[St. Ignatius of Loyola]]. == Theology of Christian meditation == In [[Hinduism]], meditation as a component of [[Yoga]] is one path to attain enlightenment, union with (or company of) God. Christians agree that meditation is an effective technique to quiet and clear the mind, as preparation for God's inspiration. But meditation is not an alternative to [[Christ]] as a means to salvation or [[theosis]], but only a method of spiritual discipline like [[prayer]] and [[fasting]].<ref>[[Richard Foster (religion)|Richard Foster]], ''Celebration of Discipline'' (1978), ISBN 0-06-062839-1</ref> For Christians, meditation can be considered a form of worship, centered in love. == Christian meditation: many strands == ==== Catholic traditions ==== *[[Centering Prayer]] *[[Ignatius of Loyola]] *[[Thomas Merton]] *[[Bede Griffiths]] *[[John Main]] *[[Gregorian Chant]] *[[Prayer beads]] ([[Rosary]], [[Jesus Prayer]]) *[[Divine Mercy]] *[[Sacred Heart of Jesus]] ==== Orthodox traditions ==== *[[Jesus Prayer]] *[[Hesychasts]] *[[Apophatic theology]] ==== Protestant traditions ==== *[[Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship]] - 'Soaking Prayer' and '[[Soaking Music]]' *[[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]], including [[Richard Foster]] *[[Unity Church]] *[[Emerging Church]] *[[Johannes Kelpius]] ==== Ecumenical traditions ==== *[[Taizé Community]] == Criticism == Some Christians believe that contemplative meditation is dangerous, warning of its similarity to [[mysticism]] and [[New Age]] practices: "There is a difference between reading the Word and understanding its meaning versus a method of focusing on a single word to gain a mystical experience. ...Why is it necessary to do this at all? For two thousand years, since Christ’s ascension, His followers have been able to gain assurance of God's presence in their lives through the knowledge that He has risen and now dwells in their hearts. ...By using this practice, we are turning the Bible into a mystical device for personal revelations rather than a source of knowledge."<ref>[http://onetruthministries.com/LectioDivina.htm "Lectio Divina - Sacred Divination"]</ref> "Meditation is the basic activity that underlies all metaphysics and is the primary source of spiritual direction for the New Age person. We need only observe the emphasis which is placed on meditation to see the importance of it in New Age thought."<ref>Ray Yungen, ''For Many Shall Come in My Name'' (1991), 2007 edition: ISBN 0-97215129-X [http://www.fromthelighthouse.com/blog/index.php?p=300&more=1&c=1 web reference]</ref> ==Notes== <references/> == See also == * [[Contemplative prayer]] * [[World Community for Christian Meditation]] * [[Christian anarchism]] * [[Christian mysticism]] * [[Inner light]] * [[Saint John of the Cross]] * [[The Cloud of Unknowing]] * [[Listening Prayer]] * [[Centering Prayer]] * [[John Cassian]] * [[Holy Spirit]] * [[Jesus]] * [[Trinity]] * [[Henri Nouwen]] * [[Taizé Community]] * [[Sacred Space]] * [[Christian Meditation Music]] * [[Active Meditation]] == External links == {{sisterlinks|Christian meditation}} *[http://www.frimmin.com/faith/meditation.html The Voice In The Stillness] – overview of Christian meditation techniques *[http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/bstudy/meditate.htm Meditating on the Scriptures] by [[Charles Spurgeon]]. *[http://www.legionofmarytidewater.com/rose/rose.htm The Rosary] *[http://simplicityinchrist.wordpress.com/2006/06/13/beware-of-contemplative-prayer Contemplative Prayer Critique] *[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/teresa/castle2.html ''The Interior Castle'' by St. Teresa of Avila online (CCEL)] *[http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jsuebersax/contempl1.htm The ''Contemplation to Attain Love'' of St. Ignatius of Loyola] *[http://cardinalmeditations.blogspot.com Antonio Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day] *[http://www.wccm.org The World Community for Christian Meditation] UK-based organization that carries on the work of John Main OSB *[http://www.fhu.com/meditation.html The "Be Still and Know" Christian Meditation Technique] *[http://www.carmelite.com/saints/john/works/index.shtml St. John of the Cross - Collected Works] *[http://www.carmelite.com/saints/john/works/p_10.htm Poetry of John of the Cross] *[http://www.karmel.at/ics/edith/stein_9.html Contemplative spirituality in the tradition of the medieval hermits who settled on Mount Carmel.] *[http://ati.iblp.org/ati/supportlink/kb/questions/88/How+can+I+meditate+on+Scripture%3F How to Meditate on Scripture] by the Advanced Training Institute *[http://mattstone.blogs.com Journeys In Between] A blog featuring evangelical approaches to meditation *[http://www.christian-meditation.com Articles relating to Christian Meditation] [[Category:Christian prayer]] [[Category:Christian mysticism]] [[Category:meditation]] [[sv:Kristen meditation]]