Meditation

What is meditation?

Meditation originated as a way for people to deepen their awareness of themselves and to broaden their understanding of their existence towards spiritual content.

Meditation - historical roots

There is evidence in India that since about the second millennium BC, people have sought to expand their consciousness and develop their being. They can be found in the same scriptures that underlie Ayurveda and Yoga. In China a school of meditation developed from Taoism, from which Zen Buddhism emerged. This in turn found its way to Japan.

But the great Western religions also know forms of meditation: Judaism in the Kabbalah, Christianity in prayer and asceticism and Islam in Sufism.

What is the goal of meditation?

In meditation, the individual should overcome the limitations of his own body of perception and ultimately of his human existence in order to unite with a higher principle. This principle can have different names, depending on its orientation: Cosmos, nature, Buddha, God, Tao.

Different forms of meditation

This original understanding of meditation is contrasted with the modern view, which sees meditation as a means to improve mental and physical fitness. In the course of history, many forms of meditation have developed which can be summarised under the ordering principle of "concentrating" and "unfolding" methods.

1. The concentrating principle

   The concentrating principle attempts to focus attention on a single object, to block out environmental stimuli and to concentrate the consciousness completely on this object.
   
   

2. The unfolding method

   The unfolding methods lead the meditator to have no more thoughts. The external stimuli are not excluded but absorbed, but not evaluated, explained or processed by the consciousness.

How does meditation work?

Meditation is not a method to heal disorders or diseases. However, its relaxing effect is used to reduce stress. It is recommended for

• Anxiety disorders and phobias
• chronic pain or
• high blood pressure.