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Forms of Meditation

Basically a state of mind, Meditation requires you to concentrate on a particular thought process or object or even some sort of awareness. Meditation is termed as a complete spiritual and also a personal experience. The term `meditation` has actually originated from a Latin word meaning `meditatio`, which refers to all forms of intellectual as well as physical exercise. With time, the term acquired a more specific meaning, which was `contemplation`. The practice of Meditation aims to channelize an individual`s awareness in a positive direction and totally transforms the person`s state of mind. The art of Meditation concentrates on knowing a person`s inner self. Basically a state of mind, Meditation requires you to concentrate on a particular thought process or object or even some sort of awareness. Meditation is termed as a complete spiritual and also a personal experience. The term `meditation` has actually originated from a Latin word meaning `meditatio`, which refers to all forms of intellectual as well as physical exercise. With time, the term acquired a more specific meaning, which was `contemplation`. The practice of Meditation aims to channelize an individual`s awareness in a positive direction and totally transforms the person`s state of mind. The art of Meditation concentrates on knowing a person`s inner self. Meditation can be practiced in several forms according to different schools and religions. We would like to mention a few forms of meditation below:

Different forms of meditation

According to Hinduism – Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and is generally considered to be the pioneer in meditation and related spiritual and religious practices. The Hindu religion terms meditation as `Yoga`, and this forms a part of the six schools comprising Hindu philosophy. Yoga is regarded as a means to achieve spiritual as well as physiological mastery, in India. Hinduism in turn, categorizes meditation into several different types, and some of the well-known ones among these are as follows:

1.Hatha Yoga – A form of meditation where the entire process is aimed at raising the level of an individual`s spiritual energy. This is known as Kundalini, and it rises through certain centers of energy located in the human body, which are known as chakras.
2.Bhakti Yoga – A form of yoga, which combines devotion and love. In this case, the seeker is focused on a single object of devotion, for instance, Lord Krishna.
3.Raja Yoga – Another category of meditation, having been pioneered by Patanjali. This form of yoga refers to eight `limbs` of spiritual practices. One half of the former is to be classified as meditation. Raja Yoga is based on an assumption that the seeker should attempt to stabilise the variations of the mind.
4.Surat Shabd Yoga – This is basically a form of sound and light meditation.
5.Japa Yoga – A form of meditation which emphasizes on repeatedly uttering a mantra either aloud or silently.
6.Vedanta – This is a form of Jnana Yoga.

According to Buddhism - Meditation is a central aspect of the Buddhist religion, since the Buddha himself attained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree. The Hindu religion regards meditation as a form of prayer. Many schools of Buddhist thought categorized between two different types of meditation practices, namely `Shamatha` and `Vipassana`. Either type is conducive for attaining enlightenment. Other Buddhist meditation practices are derived from Japanese and Korean schools of thought and include:

1.Zazen 2.Ts`o ch`an
3.Koan

According to Islam – Islam as a religion propagates meditation as the core of Muslim mystical traditions. However, the practice of meditation is more deeply embedded in the realm of Sufism. The latter believes that meditation has an inner quality of creativity and healing. Islam propagates two major concepts or schools of thought with regard to meditation. These are:

1.Tafakkur
2.Tadabbur

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