How does meditation differ from prayer? Can Orthodox Christians meditate?

1. Orthodoxy on meditative practices
2. The Positive Impact of Meditation Practices
3. Can meditation practices cause harm?
4. Myths about the dangers of meditation techniques
5. Under what conditions will meditation techniques bring maximum effect?

Discussions about the benefits and power of meditation can be found in many sources that provide information about ways to carry out spiritual, religious, health and psychological practices. Depending on the context of use (religious, rehabilitation, psychological), meditation classes have slightly different goals. A person who decides to maintain his health using this method moves along the path of normalizing well-being and restoring lost physical and mental strength. Religious practice involves the use of this tool in order to ensure the process of two-way communication with the Divine power, the knowledge of oneself as a part of the Universe, a grateful carrier of a particle of the divine spirit. Meditation helps a believer feel his spiritual growth, a state of unity with the Higher Mind, thanks to which he becomes even stronger in his chosen faith.

Practicing psychotherapists see the benefit of meditation in the ability to carry out high-quality work with the client’s subconscious, which allows them to understand a string of pressing problems and, if necessary, make an informed and important choice. Working with the subtle structures of the psyche during meditation sessions allows a person to discover the real essence of his desires, demonstrate the danger of his chosen behavior, and aim at achieving the only correct result. From whatever angle we look at this difficult process, the main goal of meditation and working with the subconscious is to provide a person with opportunities to improve his mind, organize his thoughts, spiritual development and harmonious growth.

Psychophysiologists, practicing psychologists and psychotherapists say that if meditation is used when interacting with a patient (client), the benefits of contact with a specialist automatically increase several times. Our consciousness is a complex structure. It can be very difficult to extract from its deep layers the necessary information that will shed light on the sources of psychophysiological problems using other methods of studying personality. Our subconscious contains something that is not on the surface and is carefully hidden from prying eyes, and often from the bearer of secrets himself. Meditation sessions in this case will act as effective ways to read those problems that prevented the specialist from working with the psyche of the person seeking help. Having understood his own thoughts and emotions, the reasons for failures and poor health, the patient (client) is able to quickly restore the physical and mental strength he has lost. Through conscious work with the depths of the subconscious, it is possible to reconsider life positions, get a second wind on the path to self-development and improvement of your spirit.

Hobbies for meditation are becoming quite common in everyday life. There are a lot of books in which you can learn almost everything about meditation. The benefits of such sources are undeniable, since ignorant handling of a fragile psyche will entail the danger of becoming a hostage to one’s own irresponsibility and illiteracy. If properly organized and conducted meditation is beneficial, then a superficial attitude towards the meditation process will be fraught with serious consequences. Whether meditation will be beneficial or harmful depends on the presence of a conscious approach to engaging in this practice, as well as the understanding that the psyche is a sensitive instrument that requires careful and professional handling.

Differences between meditation and prayer

The concept of meditation has distinctive and similar features with prayer. Let's consider the features of these practices:

1. There are various forms of mediation (mantra meditation, which consists of pronouncing sounds and word forms that immerse the yogi in a state of sublime consciousness). This is a kind of trance that gives a person a certain spirituality and euphoria. Thus, the meditator during the procedure is subject to the influence of evil forces, since his protective barrier weakens during this time;
2. Meditation, as it were, dissolves a person’s personality, spiritualizes him, and the purpose of prayer is the unity of man as an individual. Meditative practices are used in those religious teachings that profess pantheism. It is a belief that preaches that God is everything. However, according to Orthodox canons, God is a subjective being who exists beyond temporal and spatial boundaries. God initiated the creation of everything, but He is not everything. Prayer represents communication between man and God, and meditation is aimed at spiritualizing the personality, its dissolution;
3. There are similarities in the concepts of meditation and prayer: during their implementation, it is necessary to throw negative thoughts, resentments and anger out of your head.

Worship of Satan or development?

The Church does not deny sports. The reason for this: the stress occurs only physical, not spiritual. What happens when doing yoga or meditation? A person purposefully develops the subconscious level. We will not consider the position of the Rosicrucians or other secret societies who claim: the church deliberately does not provide the necessary knowledge to the average person in order to control them. This is also not entirely true. So how can we understand, in this case: meditation + yoga can be considered worship of the Devil? If we take the position of church ministers, then “yes.” What if you think about it? What does a prayer do when it is read? Connects a person with the spiritual world, brings him closer to God. Philologists who study vocabulary, phrases and other verbal constructions say: all texts are codes. The prayer text was compiled not by modern people, but by those who lived according to different laws, knew how to see nature, felt it. Could come into contact with the invisible. Therefore, prayer is truly capable of healing, restoring strength and energy. But they are complex and not everyone understands them. At their core, prayers can be equated with mantras. The goal is to adjust energy flows in the right direction. Listening to church chants with closed eyes and correct breathing brings one closer to the Upper World. Does this remind you of anything? Of course, meditation. Now we form a conclusion: all practices are similar to each other. They have one goal and objectives.

Meditation and Orthodoxy in modern conditions

What does Orthodoxy say about meditation, is it considered a sin? This question worries many. Meditation is not a sin. Many Orthodox Christians do not know that in the Christian religion there is a unique analogue of meditative practice - the Jesus Prayer. Of course, Christians do not consider it in any way related to meditation, however, their distinguishing features are similar.

The essence of meditation is to concentrate attention on some object. Therefore, any procedure that requires concentration and interests a person is considered meditative. Meditation is a procedure aimed at relaxation and control of thoughts.

It is believed that meditation and Orthodoxy are incompatible, but now their boundaries are blurring. Christians are showing increasing interest in meditation, as they find many similarities with prayer and the desire for unity of the soul. The only difference is that when reading a prayer, prayer words are used as a mantra, which are also aimed at achieving spiritual perfection.

Can an Orthodox person meditate?

Read it. Well, what can I say, there is obvious ignorance of the material. The author is clearly incompetent. There are many types of meditation, a huge amount. Where in the New Testament, in any Gospel, including apocryphal ones, does Jesus talk about the dangers of meditation?? Where??? The Apostle Paul, on the contrary, describes the ascension to the Third Heaven... If the elders criticize meditations, then only those where a person does it in isolation from spirituality, lives in sin, tries to go to the lower astral plane and the like... This is all very far from the teachings , thousands of years of practice by the sages and saints of Hindustan. Not all meditations involve access to the astral plane, and in Hindu ashrams, a person who would fall into pride because of the ability to meditate is considered to have violated the rules and methods. Yes, there are no such people, well, I personally haven’t seen any of them, it’s stupid... The meditator must follow the rules of Ahimsa: these are essentially all 10 Christian commandments, only even more. A true Hindu fasts all his life for example. For example, you write that meditation does not involve communication with God... this is an absolute lie. Meditation is precisely aimed at turning off the doubtful mind, mired in passions, raising the frequency, and hearing and feeling the Divine. Everything dark and low, all worldly passions thrown aside, this is precisely spiritual work, this is not easy work. A person overcomes envy, anger, fear, greed, etc. Saints in India live ascetically and are revered and respected. Or are all Indians, all 1.5 billion, sinners and Satanists? For example, Saint Tukaram, a small trader, a Shudra, a peasant. He went bankrupt, lost everything, his wife died of hunger, many village residents died from hunger and drought... Tukaram fell into despair, depression, and grief. But after that he began to pray to the Lord (Hindus, as well as Christians, Monotheists, but also like Christians, Trimurti - (Sanskrit Tri-murti, from tri = three and murti = image, face, body) - Indian trinity, consisting of three gods: Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, as three different forms of manifestation of the same supreme deity."; "The image of Trimurti combines the three main supreme principles observed in the visible world - the creative (Brahma), destructive (Shiva) and protective principles (Vishnu) All three exist in one deity and one in all three, just as the Veda is divided into three parts and yet remains one.They all contain one being, which is Paratma (supreme), Guhya (secret) and Sarvatma (the soul of the whole world). So Tukaram prayed. He did not meditate. At first nothing happened, but after the oil that one poor woman took from him still did not end, people paid attention to this, gradually there were more miracles more.Tukaram began to write poems and songs, all praising God. The king invited him to his place, he was offered entire cities, dishes of gold, etc., naturally the saint refused the gifts, or gave everything away to those in need. It happened that even the king came to him in ancient times, knelt down before the saint... The poems written by Tukaram were somehow thrown into the river by evil people, but miraculously they all returned... Here is the story about the Hindu saint. What kind of Satan is in him? Further you write: “If we consider what meditation is, it turns out that a person is trying to ascend to heaven on his own. He breaks away from everyday problems, raising his mind to heaven.”—In any prayer book, before any prayer, isn’t this the same state a Christian should come to? Prayer needs to be done outside of earthly passions, to elevate your spirit, calm your mind - to do prayer is also spiritual work. Everywhere, in any spiritual work of Orthodox ascetics, it is said about how to pray. This is exactly how you need to break away from problems and lift your mind to the Kingdom of Heaven. (Krishnaloka in Hinduism). I often encounter errors in knowledge of Indian culture, traditions and spiritual life in articles and statements of Christians. And by the way, I myself am an Orthodox Christian, and I always and everywhere defend the Christian Faith, beating atheists with words and evidence. But here I am forced to intercede. Satan benefits from dividing and conquering. But we need to look for what unites. Jesus: “Whoever is not against us is with us...” - have you ever seen a Hindu who would say something bad about Christianity or Jesus Christ??? No So why then such attacks on this culture? Hindus recognize and honor God Christ in the same way as for example Krishna, and in English Krishna and Christ sound the same. Krishna was also born as a human being to his mother Vasu Deva. Only this happened three millennia earlier than in Europe. Moreover, they sing songs of praise to Christ and the Virgin Mary, kirtans, I have heard more than once!!! And yes, they meditate. And when you look at an icon and turn off thoughts about earthly things, this is not meditation???? I rather find more in common between different cultures...If a person does not mind, if a person is not an atheist, he keeps the commandments, recognizes one God, who is he??? Near. Exactly. And therefore: “love your neighbor as yourself...”. “And let us not judge, and let us not be judged...”

What is meant by meditation?

There are many definitions for the concept of “meditation”. Combining them, we can say that this is a practice aimed at gaining spiritual wisdom. It forms the basis of many religious teachings. According to this practice, it can be performed anywhere and at any time, regardless of weather conditions, time, social status and other factors.

Priests believe that meditation and Orthodoxy are incompatible, their principles are opposite. By meditating, a person dissolves his personality and distances himself from the surrounding material world. In Christianity, the openness of the soul is considered dangerous, since at this time a person’s protection from evil spirits is removed.

If meditation does not replace prayer, then perhaps it complements it?

There is nothing and no need to supplement the Christian prayer that we are talking about here: communication with God for a believer is the most important value. An Orthodox Christian understands that he can only become better or get what he needs with the help of God. And in prayer he humbly asks the Lord for such help.

Meditation, even if a person believes in God or the gods, contains an element of coercion: by bringing himself into a certain psycho-emotional state, a person seems to insist that they “get in touch” with him, so that his requests are listened to. We can say that he goes to the spiritual world without asking whether they are ready to communicate with him there. In addition, such “travels” are fraught with the development of pride: a person who has achieved success in meditation may imagine himself to be completely self-sufficient, almost omnipotent.

Correct execution order

If a person decides to take up meditation, this should be approached with all responsibility and attention. Only in this case will it be possible to achieve the desired result. This method finds support in Orthodoxy, where prayer speeches are pronounced in accordance with certain rules.

Before meditating, you need to do some preparatory work:

• Choose a cozy place. Preferably bright, spacious and clean.
• Wash, comb your hair, put on clean, light clothes.
• Take a sitting or lying position, sitting on the floor or chair. The main condition for this is comfort for the body so that it does not become numb when staying in one position for a long time.
• Establish proper breathing, which is the basis of meditation. When performing the procedure, you need to alternately take deep breaths and slow, long exhalations.
• Having taken a comfortable position, you need to close your eyes and try to distance yourself from extraneous thoughts. It is necessary to free the mind from the influence of negativity. When reading mantras, listen to the words that sound in your soul. Immerse yourself in the sound of scripture. Initially, it is difficult for an inexperienced person to distract himself from extraneous thoughts, to throw pressing problems and grievances out of his head. However, later, the person will be able to easily fall into a trance.

Doesn't God want us to take the initiative to communicate with Him?

He probably does. But the big question is: does a person who meditates want to communicate with God? After all, the spiritual world is heterogeneous, and not all of its inhabitants can be safely “contacted.” And a mystically inclined person often doesn’t really know who he will meet on his “spiritual journey.” He calls on forces that he has no idea about - and always faces evil forces. Simply because it is impossible to communicate with God on such “conditions”.

Benefits for Christians

In the Christian religion there is such a thing as all-consuming love, which is often mentioned in the canons of this teaching. In fact, it is a common feature of Christianity and meditation (various meditative practices). When reading a prayer, a person strives to achieve tolerance towards others. He comes to the realization that there is no need to be selfish and live only for himself. Therefore, he tries to help those in need who find themselves in difficult situations.

Other positive benefits of meditation include:

• eliminating insomnia, improving appetite if it is depressed;
• rejuvenation of the body and improvement of health;
• eliminating stress, resentment and anger towards people around you;
• inner peace and mental balance.

There are many examples in which meditation has brought invaluable benefits. Thanks to this practice, the human soul is cleansed, becomes bright and renewed. There is no contradiction with church teaching in this. It is important to treat it correctly and listen to the teacher during the meditation process.

In the modern world of constantly busy people, the practice of meditation is of increasing interest. And more and more often, people who attend church and believe in God are interested in meditative teachings. They have a question: is it possible to combine meditation and faith in the divine?

There is no definite answer to this question; everyone must decide for himself whether he has any internal spiritual contradictions for these two teachings.

The Positive Impact of Meditation Practices

Those who have long been familiar with this practice know for sure that meditation is beneficial for the human body. It is often compared to lucid dreams, which are well known to the scientific world. The benefits of meditation are seen in relaxation, which occurs as a result of peculiar changes in consciousness, similar to dreams. There is absolutely no danger of falling into such a dream if it is under proper personal control or in the control zone of competent specialists. Such a dream provides the opportunity to:

• simulate any situation;
• adjust what you see in your dreams;
• immerse yourself in fictitious circumstances that you cannot find yourself in in real life;
• to express your desires unlimitedly, to openly demonstrate to yourself the capabilities and talents inherent in nature.

Lucid dreams will be an excellent platform for exploring the inner world and hidden potentials of a person. By plunging into such a dream and controlling his dreams, the sleeper is able to answer many problematic questions, reformat his attitude towards existing problems, and find their optimal solution. Thanks to the lucid dreams of their clients, experienced specialists use the correct psychotherapeutic methods to influence their psyche and obtain excellent healing results. Meditation is similar to lucid dreaming in many psychophysiological parameters.

By meditating, a person also somehow disconnects from the reality around him, plunging into thought, into the world of his sensations and emotions. He also finds himself in the realm of peculiar lucid dreams, which will be the basis for the analysis of his mental state and the characteristics of his inner world. The power of meditation lies in the health benefits the practitioner receives in the sleep state. It is not for nothing that they have always said that health returns faster to a sleeping person. Shrouded in dreams, he more easily replenishes lost strength, recharges himself with energy, and experiences moments of crisis. That is why a dream is directly related to meditation, being the main factor in its successful implementation. In practice, lucid dreaming can be considered meditation. After all, plunging into such a dream, a person does not completely escape from the reality around him. He is able to think, feel, realize the resources embedded in him. Thanks to lucid dreaming, meditation solves a number of important problems:

• relieves a person from fear and phobias and other psychological problems;
• helps organize thoughts and set priorities;
• increases the body's resistance to stress and negative aspects of the environment;
• has a beneficial effect on the processes of normalization of vital functions of all body systems.

It has been noticed that active meditating practitioners experience more sound sleep. They are able to work long hours and recover quickly. Positive physiological changes are noticed in their bodies:

• The gray matter of the brain grows in mass; when damaged, recovery processes in neurons occur faster;
• the functioning of the problematic cardiovascular system is gradually restored, the risks of associated diseases are reduced by half;
• The life expectancy of a person who knows how to deal with stress and take a responsible approach to preserving the capabilities of his immunity increases.

Thanks to lucid dreams and meditation, a person is able to forget about the existence of bad habits, effectively fight depression, and become more restrained and wise. Experienced practitioners, using acquired skills, can successfully increase the pain threshold and easily adapt to environmental changes.