Meditation Practice For Christians
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and Zen Master, popularized walking meditation as a form of mindfulness meditation in America. It was also a meditation the Christian monks used as they performed their daily tasks. While walking, practice conscious breathing by counting your steps. He suggests that you count the number of steps you take during each in-breath by silently counting 1-2-3 as you breathe in, and count your steps 1-2-3 as you breathe out. The counting will help keep your attention focused on the synchronized breath-step walking. When you have gained enough experience in walking meditation you can drop the “counting” practice. Mindfulness meditation can be practiced with any activity, having one-pointed attention on walking, cooking, or gardening. Staying fully present in whatever you do is the important aspect of this meditation practice.
This meditation technique may sound very simple and easy, but in practice it is complex and its effect can be pervasive and profound in one’s daily life. One week of intensive training with Thich Nhat Hanh gave me only a glimpse of its spiritual potentials. It should be mentioned that this Buddhist meditation has no reference to God or soul. The goal of this meditation is not to find God, but to find joy in one’s own life, and to develop love and compassion for all forms of life. Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that the Kingdom of God is within us, but we have to be ready to welcome it. Those who connect mindfulness with the presence of God in everything they do can experience what St. Paul describes as “praying ceaselessly.”
What of active, one-point focused meditation such as meditating on a selected imagery or a word? Though there is plenty of literature in the Judeo-Christian tradition on Contemplative Meditation, we rarely come across books or instructions on one-pointed meditation. Some religious people perceive it suspiciously and hostilely as though it were an unwelcome infiltration of religious faith. As a matter of fact, one-pointed meditation does not work against analytic/contemplative meditation. In reality, one complements the other and both methods have been practiced in Christianity. An example of one-pointed meditation would be chanting Jesus’ name, as mentioned in the previous section about YHSVH.
People have different personalities and may use different tools for experiencing God. Some love ritualistic forms of worship, services with a community of believers, reciting prayers and singing devotional songs in unison. Others prefer solitary places to find sacred space to commune with God. Jesus and The Prophets were not against those who practiced either method of devotion. Jesus attended Synagogue and took time alone in private to experience God. Spiritual aspirants have to find out themselves what works best for them. The goal of meditation is to find joy in one’s own life, and to develop love and compassion for all forms of life.