12 ms·

I don't see how meditation is connected to religion. Religions want you to seek answers from them. Meditation encourages you to seek answers from within.

by mattm 16y ago

theBobMcCormick 16y ago
Most forms of meditation originated from religious practices, which is why many people still see them as connected. Of course yoga also originated out of religious practices, but very few people have trouble seeing yoga as an activity that can be done completely separate from any kind of religious or spiritual practice. I would assume that over time, as meditation practice becomes more common that people will have an easier time accepting that it can be practiced in a completely as a completely secular activity.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  Yoga is about religion like flossing is about doing your taxes. It's a symptom of the originating culture.
hugh3 16y ago
Nonetheless, most forms of meditation, and most practitioners of meditation, and most folks that will teach you about meditation, come with religious baggage.
- TheAmazingIdiot 16y ago
  And that's because the only ones considered to master Meditation are those told in historical religious documents. The Buddha was the only one to provide a direct roadmap on how to do it, with prior textural help from the Hindu Vedas. The Vedas were closely guarded by the Brahmins (Hindu Priest class) and therefore hard for the 'average man' to get a hold of. So yes, there is a great deal of 'religious detrius' to remove, but I believe the benefits are still there for the here and now, not some future afterlife/reincarnation. Clear and quiet thoughts have no monetary worth, but I'd trade no physical objects for them.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  If meditation were suddenly discovered now, it would probably come with a bunch of baggage about how the mind is a computer. But, IS the mind a computer?

12 ms·

I don't see how meditation is connected to religion. Religions want you to seek answers from them. Meditation encourages you to seek answers from within.

by mattm 16y ago

I don't see how meditation is connected to religion. Religions want you to seek answers from them. Meditation encourages you to seek answers from within.

theBobMcCormick 16y ago
Most forms of meditation originated from religious practices, which is why many people still see them as connected. Of course yoga also originated out of religious practices, but very few people have trouble seeing yoga as an activity that can be done completely separate from any kind of religious or spiritual practice. I would assume that over time, as meditation practice becomes more common that people will have an easier time accepting that it can be practiced in a completely as a completely secular activity.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  Yoga is about religion like flossing is about doing your taxes. It's a symptom of the originating culture.
hugh3 16y ago
Nonetheless, most forms of meditation, and most practitioners of meditation, and most folks that will teach you about meditation, come with religious baggage.
- TheAmazingIdiot 16y ago
  And that's because the only ones considered to master Meditation are those told in historical religious documents. The Buddha was the only one to provide a direct roadmap on how to do it, with prior textural help from the Hindu Vedas. The Vedas were closely guarded by the Brahmins (Hindu Priest class) and therefore hard for the 'average man' to get a hold of. So yes, there is a great deal of 'religious detrius' to remove, but I believe the benefits are still there for the here and now, not some future afterlife/reincarnation. Clear and quiet thoughts have no monetary worth, but I'd trade no physical objects for them.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  If meditation were suddenly discovered now, it would probably come with a bunch of baggage about how the mind is a computer. But, IS the mind a computer?