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"Meditation is about quieting ones mind to ultimate stillness." There are probably hundreds of different techniques of meditation, in many different traditions
by pmoriarty 5y ago
"Meditation is about quieting ones mind to ultimate stillness."
There are probably hundreds of different techniques of meditation, in many different traditions, and with different aims.
For some, like in many types of Christian meditation, the purpose can be to deepen one's relationship with God. Quieting the mind or stillness might be part of a way to get there, but not the ultimate aim.
Even in Buddhism, there are, say, so-called loving-kindess-meditation which is less about quieting the mind than about increasing compassion and goodwill towards oneself and others.
In Buddhism there are also forms of meditation that seek simple nonjudgmental awareness, and others (like "just sitting") don't have any aim at all.
In various tantric forms of meditation the goal might be to liberate sexual energy.
Vajrayana Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism have many of their own forms of meditations with various aims.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- Falandafa2021 5y ago> For some, like in many types of Christian meditation, the purpose can be to deepen one's relationship with God. Quieting the mind or stillness might be part of a way to get there, but not the ultimate aim. A true Buddhist would argue that divinity is within a truly quiet mind. See my username for one such practice
- pmoriarty 5y agoWho gets to decide who's a "true Buddhist" and who's not, and what relevance does that have to Christian meditation?
- Falandafa2021 5y agoThe words and standards of the Buddha or other masters, just like Scientology isn't true Christianity even though it has Jesus in it all Buddhist practices aren't necessarily Buddhist if they have meditation in them... And it's also what Christian mystics like Meiser Eckert and and Gnostics also believe.