Meditation, Mysticism, and Finding God Within: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Meditation as a Path to the Divine

It appears that every major spiritual leader employed a similar approach to the realm of transcendence: each suggested that the key is found within oneself. Buddha, Christ, the Muslims, and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures all make reference to a process of introspection that leads to communion with God. Mystics from different religions have described their inner spiritual experiences, contrasting the physical world with spiritual realms accessible in solitude and silence. Time and space become relative in such realms, and the only truly real things become peace and happiness. The pathway to these spiritual realms runs through the practice of meditation.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the essence of meditation practices and to discuss the particular forms in which God is revealed through meditation — or how meditation leads to the discovery of the divine within. References are made to the religious traditions in which meditation is encountered, to the specific forms meditation takes, and to the decisive elements common to all its forms. The paper also discusses the relationship between mysticism and meditation and the manifestation of God through contemplative practice. In doing so, it highlights both the differences and the similarities of meditation across spiritual traditions, chiefly Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Certain cultures — particularly in South Asian countries such as India and Tibet — continue to promote long-term meditation as the way to achieve the highest goal of human life: enlightenment. Enlightenment is also used to describe a state of equilibrium attained through higher states of human psychophysiological functioning (Alexander & Langer, 1990). Progressive development toward such states may be achieved through sustained meditation practice.

Many spiritual teachers believe that meditation cultivates an awareness of God's presence in every person. Such awareness, experienced as light and love, generalizes the feeling of love, peace, and understanding among people, as the belief that we are all children of the same divine Father becomes central to experience.

According to Herbert Benson, although a great variety of meditation techniques exist, they appear to share certain elements. Meditation is usually performed in a quiet environment free of distractions. A comfortable position — typically upright sitting — is assumed. Complete relaxation is followed by an alteration of the state of consciousness through a variety of mental devices: the mental repetition of certain words, sounds, or tones; focusing the mind by visualizing certain objects; and so on. Whatever the device, Benson identifies as a key element the passive attitude in which the meditating person quietly observes the activity of the mind without intervening upon it. Thoughts are gradually eliminated while a simple state of awareness is developed.

Forms of Meditation Across Traditions

Since meditation is an ancient practice traced back more than 2,000 years, many forms exist today. Daniel Goleman reviewed the major forms. Buddhists practice a form of meditation known as vipassana, or insight meditation. The technique involves developing the ability to concentrate by mentally focusing on any of 40 prescribed objects, including one's breath, a light, or a wheel of color. Once concentration skills are developed, insight meditators shift focus to their awareness, passively observing thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Such passive observation allows them to gain insights into the nature of their own thoughts and of reality — regarded by Buddhists as fleeting and impermanent. Once this perspective is internalized, meditators become primarily interested in achieving total inner silence, known as nirvana. Upon accessing nirvana, meditators become completely disinterested in their own mental life. The awareness emptied of content leads to a new experience of life and emotion: negative emotions such as anger fade away. Having overcome this stage, the meditator is ready to be regarded as an arahant, a Buddhist saint.

Goleman also describes zazen, practiced in Japanese Zen Buddhism. Although there are many schools of Buddhism, they share a common focus on the meditator's task of solving riddles — questions or koans, such as "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" — that cannot be resolved by rational thought but only by contemplation. The student is compelled to spend the entire day in deepest reflection until the mind becomes exhausted of all thoughts and enters a transcendental state known as satori. Similar to nirvana, satori refers to a state of awareness secured from ordinary thought. The koan is the pretext that teaches students to attain and master heightened awareness. Successful Zen meditators are thought to experience life with enhanced clarity and insight.

Other forms of meditation stem from the various disciplines of yoga. Goleman holds that the Yoga Sutras, an ancient Hindu text, form the foundation of this type of meditation. The central emphasis is the act of emptying the mind of any distracting thoughts, which were considered to impede the union between the individual and God.

Yogis are also characterized by their adherence to a strict code of moral behavior and by their practice of physical exercises called asanas and breath-control methods called pranayama. One distinct type of yoga is kundalini, focused on unlocking the reserve of spiritual energy thought to reside at the base of the spine. The released energy reverberates through the seven chakras, or bodily centers, which capture emotions and mental states. The energy — kundalini — must be moved from the lower chakras, dominated by inferior emotions, to the more elevated chakras located at the crown of the head. Only when these higher chakras are activated does the yogi experience transcendental states. The modern form of kundalini yoga is siddha yoga, in which meditation, breath control, and different postures are combined.

The Muslim sect known as Sufism practices a form of meditation called zikr, an Arabic word meaning "remembrance." Devotees engage in the remembrance of God through the constant mental repetition of His name, an act that leads the Sufi to a complete purification of heart and mind and facilitates the encounter with God. The ability to empty the mind of thoughts leads to a state called fana, meaning "lost in truth."

Within the Judaic tradition, mysticism and meditation are present as well. The writings of the Kabbalah, first compiled in the thirteenth century, include meditation employing the name of God. This form of meditation shares the same purpose as the others: inducing a new and altered state of consciousness.

Meditation represents the process of observing the mind and body at a well-defined moment in time. States of mind, thoughts, and emotions are traced and observed from a certain distance — the experience is witnessed with a certain detachment. This approach is called mindfulness.

Another principle guiding meditation is equanimity, meaning that it is desirable not to block the flow of the mind-body process. The tendency in everyday life is to suppress the ongoing process of consciousness, which leads to a sense of limitation and suffering.

A third approach is defined in terms of realization, suggesting that heightened awareness of the life of body and mind will result in important transformations encompassing acceptance and a pervasive sense of freedom and fulfillment independent of external or internal circumstances.

The key to meditation lies in learning to release the flow of consciousness, or in unlearning the habit of blocking it. The steady observation of processes — thoughts, emotions, perceptions — produces as a consequence the unblocking of that flow and the gain of new, enriched awareness: enlightenment. This state has been described by many thinkers as an encounter with the God within.

The Phases of Meditation: Attention, Concentration, and Contemplation

Attention, concentration, and contemplation are three facets — or degrees — of the same process. Focusing the mind on a certain object or idea involves the exclusion of everything else. Attention involves eliminating all distractions, while concentration represents the mental focusing on an object or state of mind. As the field of attention narrows and concentration intensifies, meditation deepens. Many practitioners believe, however, that in order to attain the deepest state — one that leads to an encounter with the God within — that divine state must be sincerely desired. The words of Jesus, "Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you" (Mt 7:7; Lk 11:9–10), are frequently cited in this context. One must recognize that meditation is capable of bridging the gap between humanity and divinity, and the first step is to believe in that possibility and to desire such a state.

In order to attain the state of meditation, Evelyn Underhill (1930) held that an act of perfect concentration — a passionate focusing of the self on a certain point, when the self dedicates itself with pure intention to real or transcendental things — is required. Mystic consciousness is grounded in this act, and it is equally the primary requirement for pure contemplation.

Concentration and contemplation are two distinct phases in the process of meditation. The characteristics addressed in these phases include the following (Robbins, 2003):

Calming the unconscious or automatic movements of the mind; increased focus and cognitive structuring; better understanding of one's personality and unconscious defenses; increased empathy and compassion; refined awareness of physical senses, emotions, and thoughts; enhanced awareness of wakefulness, sleep, and dream states; deeper understanding of spiritual, metaphysical, and psychological paths; and experiences of oneness, perfection, and other mystical states.

Perfect contemplation both produces and is grounded in love and clarity. Love and clarity, in turn, are paths that lead to the expansion of consciousness. When love is involved, it empowers the soul to see into Truth and to attain a greater clarity of vision.

The forms of meditation also suggest a certain type of relationship between the individual and God. The forms described by Nan Little (2006) are: basic meditation, walking meditation, mindfulness meditation, imagery meditation, and loving-kindness meditation.

Basic meditation requires a quiet place, a comfortable position, and a specific technique such as a mantra. Concentrating on a distinct word focuses attention and permits deep relaxation of mind and body. The chosen word reflects the meditator's intention to address a spiritual or emotional aspect of life.

Walking meditation is especially recommended for cultivating awareness of sensation and experience. While walking, the meditator concentrates on the succession of sensations in the body. Attention is focused simply on the act of walking. Masters advise taking only one step at a time in order to witness the installation of peace of mind. One step at a time is the rule followed in other forms of meditation as well, suggesting that transformation and spiritual ability are achieved gradually.

Mindfulness meditation is focused on developing awareness of what happens in the present moment, without making subjective reflections. This type of meditation seeks to eliminate emotional reactivity in relation to given situations or events. Perceptions and sensations in the body are of primary importance. This form of meditation has been widely studied by psychologists in recent years, with positive results obtained in programs for stress reduction in patients and various categories of professionals.

Imagery meditation involves visualization of certain situations or scenes that are emotionally and physically comfortable. The details of the scene are imagined, and the focus rests on the positive feeling it evokes.

Loving-kindness meditation is focused on an emotional state. The feeling is embodied in a phrase that is repeated and directed toward the object of that emotional state; for instance, one may cultivate the feeling of love toward a person and then send that feeling outward to them. A negative state or emotion may be transformed into a positive one and then sent outward. Extended practice of such an exercise leads to a generalization of the feeling of love toward anyone and everyone.

Although many forms of meditation exist, the most commonly recognized elements include: a peaceful location free from distractions; a comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, standing, or walking); a focus of attention such as a mantra, a specific object, or deep breathing; and an open attitude that allows one to observe distractions arise and pass without engaging with them. Opening the mind means letting go — while attention is brought to a point, the spirit acts as a passive witness to whatever comes and goes, allowing thoughts to be acknowledged and accepted as they are.

Conclusion

In conclusion, meditation may be performed in different ways and under different spiritual traditions. However, a distinction between worldly meditation and specifically Christian meditation can be drawn. Worldly meditation rests on such assumptions as mind emptiness, mental passivity, and visualizations aimed at creating an altered reality. Christian meditation, by contrast, requires filling one's mind, involves mental activity, represents a continuous search for truth, and is often linked directly with prayer.

This paper has sought to demonstrate the specificity of meditation as a spiritual practice in relation to the traditions that have promoted it. The techniques and general requirements are similar across forms of meditation, but what differs is the belief system that underlies each. The main purpose of meditation — finding God within — is therefore shaped by these core beliefs. In Hinduism and Buddhism, God is seen as omnipresent and pervasive in all things and persons; men are considered divine but misguided by an illusory world, and meditation is directed at gaining awareness and illumination. Christianity, by contrast, emphasizes contemplation, love, and communion with God the Creator and Savior. Men are flawed and sinful, but finding God within equates to rebirth and spiritual growth.

In order to explore the process of finding God within in a detailed and nuanced way, the latter part of this paper examined ten classical metaphors that characterize this relationship in meditation. The best practice of meditation leads to the discovery of the divine power and love within oneself. The benefits of sound meditation practice are also reflected increasingly in alternative therapeutic settings. Positive results have been obtained in treating chronic pain, insomnia, coronary artery disease, headaches, chronic low back pain, and disease- and treatment-related symptoms of cancer.