Meditation is becoming an increasingly popular practice among people of all ages, from all walks of life, and with different religious backgrounds. Despite its widespread popularity and highly touted benefits, there are those who are hesitant to give meditation a try thinking that the art of meditation runs contrary to religious beliefs. This brings up the question: can you meditate if you believe in God?
Meditation is not an inherently religious practice. You can meditate if you believe in God, and doing so will not infringe on your spiritual beliefs. For most practitioners, meditation is a technique based on well-being to:
- Calm the mind
- Achieve a sense of inner peace
- Promote good mental health
Just as a healthy diet and regular exercise contribute to good physical health, meditation can be instrumental in achieving mental and emotional well-being. Meditation is not the same as prayer: it has different objectives and achieves different results. Can you meditate if you believe in God? Absolutely, so read on to learn how meditation can be a part of your life regardless of your religious beliefs.
Table of Contents
Religious Figures Who Have Used Meditation
Based on ancient Sanskrit writings out of India, it is believed that yoga dates back as much as 5,000 years. In his Vedic piece, Maharishi Patanjali outlined the eight branches of yoga which include the notable elements of Asana (poses), Pranayama (the essence of life), and Pratyahara (self-awareness).
Also listed among these fundamental pillars of yoga is Dhyana – the art of meditation.
From its inception several millennia ago, people throughout history have turned to meditation to develop and strengthen various aspects of their mental health and emotional well-being. Included among these countless practitioners are several notable religious figures, which we’ve provided for you below.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Daily Mindfulness Routine
Roughly 500 years ago, an order of Roman Catholic priests and their allies formed a missionary group with the blessing of Pope Paul III. Today, the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits, is 16,000-plus members strong with a presence that spans the globe. And its founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is a noted practitioner of examen – a twice-daily session of meditation consisting of these steps:
- Take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate your very existence
- Contemplate your personal life goals and your core values
- Focus on the here and now of the time leading up to your mediation session, and by analyzing the negatives and positives of those few hours, consider how the hours following your meditation can be improved
This centuries-old meditation technique was used effectively by St. Ignatius, and it is believed that the world’s most famous Jesuit priest today, Pope Francis, is following in his predecessor’s footsteps and practicing examen to provide mental and emotional clarity in his role as the leader of the Catholic Church.
Meditation in the Jewish Faith
Kabbalah is a form of Jewish mysticism and has been around since at least the 13th century. According to ancient Kabbalist texts, the biblical figure Habakkuk was an advocate for meditation, believing that mastering its techniques would enable the practitioners to experience the highest plane of reality where there are no boundaries between the mind and the physical realm.
According to both modern and ancient Jewish faiths, aside from enhancing awareness, meditation offers a host of benefits, including:
- Increasing empathy toward the needs of others around you
- Developing self-discipline and thereby increasing mental focus and concentration
- Unlocking previously untapped parts of the mind and expanding the realm of consciousness
Scholars believe that during biblical times, meditation was very widespread and practiced by as many as one million Israelites. While many aspects of ancient Jewish meditation were directly tied to religious rituals, it was also a vehicle for achieving enhanced levels of concentration, self-awareness, and self-reflection. Many centuries later, these benefits still hold true.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Practiced Silent Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness are becoming increasingly popular practices in Islamic societies and not necessarily in conjunction with compulsory religious practices. While meditation is considered a valuable aid for engaging in prayer by clearing any clutter from the mind, it is also viewed as a beneficial activity in its own right:
- Meditation allows the mind to focus on the here and now of the present
- By being in the present moment through mindfulness, worries about the past or future dissipate
- The focus provided by meditation allows only positive and meaningful thoughts to permeate the mind
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a staunch proponent of silent reflection, believing that solitary meditation is a sign of wisdom. Islamic texts contain numerous references to meditation and describe it as a specialized skill to be learned and practiced. To promote effective meditation, Islamic texts urge complete seclusion.
Similarities and Differences Between Meditation and Prayer
It is not difficult to see why through the eyes of certain religions – namely Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – meditation is viewed with a measure of hesitation, if not outright disdain. After all, with roots in ancient Indian civilizations and widely adopted by Buddhists and Hindus, meditation is perceived by many as a practice with distinct ties to Eastern religions.
Similarities Between Meditation and Prayer
But on closer examination, there are notable similarities between meditation and prayer, along with some gray areas that make distinguishing these two practices from each other difficult. These include:
- Both meditation and prayer are customarily practiced in a quiet environment that is free from outside distractions
- Both practices require a certain degree of concentration and focus in order to achieve their intended purposes or results
- Meditation and prayer are more than just sitting alone in a room – they both require a heightened sense of reflection and deep contemplation
- It is not uncommon for practitioners of meditation and prayer to incorporate the chanting of phrases or mantras into their routines
- Meditation and prayer are most commonly performed in solitude, but there are certain types that do these activities in group settings
Aside from the similarities in the manner in which meditation and prayer are conducted, there are strong parallels to be drawn in the effects that they have on their practitioners, namely:
- People feel satisfied and emotionally content after meditation and prayer
- Meditation and prayer help to relieve stress, anxiety, and unhappiness
- Both of these practices are uplifting and motivational
Whether to promote good mental health or achieve spiritual peace of mind, meditation and prayer are an essential part of many, many lives.
Differences Between Meditation and Prayer
Despite their similarities, meditation is not the same as prayer, nor is prayer interchangeable with meditation. There are strong parallels between the two, but ultimately, people meditate and pray for different reasons and with different objectives in mind. Here is a look at the major differences between meditation and prayer, starting with their definitions:
- Prayer – in its simplest and purest form, prayer is communicating with God or a supreme being, and by its very act, presumes that it is performed in the presence of the heavenly entity to whom it is directed. While it is not uncommon for a prayer to involve a request of some sort, it can also serve as a reaffirmation or confirmation of religious beliefs
- Meditation – to the extent that it recognizes the existence of that which is greater than the self, meditation can be spiritual, but it is more aptly described as a collection of processes and techniques that, when practiced regularly and meaningfully, can result in improved mental health, inner calm, and elevated self-awareness
Where meditation can lead to mental and emotional well-being, prayer is a vital component of religious spirituality, whether it be based on Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or other ideology. There is a fundamental difference in the objectives that one seeks when meditating or praying:
- Where meditation focuses primarily on the here and now of the present moment, prayer often involves a desired outcome or circumstance that lies in the future
- Prayer often involves the giving of thanks or the acknowledgment of divine intervention, but meditation involves a more secular contemplation of present circumstances
Other differences lie in their attributes, such as:
- Prayer is directed outward, but meditation turns inward
- Prayer seeks a result while meditation accepts circumstances for what they are
- Where meditation is independent of beliefs, prayer depends on them
While some of the differences between them are generalities, ultimately, it is plain to see that meditation and prayer are not competing practices. They are based on different ideologies and serve different purposes. In fact, it is plausible that you can meditate under certain circumstances and pray under others without any conflicts, religious, ideological, or otherwise.
How to Get Started Meditating Today
Meditating is not a single act or skill but rather a collection of techniques and processes that together form a multi-dimensional system that can be utilized to achieve a number of objectives related to mental, psychological, and emotional well-being. To fully realize its benefits, the art of meditation requires a commitment to learning the fundamentals, and therefore starting off on the right path is vital to a successful journey.
In today’s information age, the proliferation of industry-specific websites has made learning new skills easier and more convenient than ever. As far as getting started in meditation, the best resource is Online Meditation Planet, a veritable one-stop shop for all things related to the meditative arts.
Whether you are a beginner just getting started or a meditation enthusiast looking to teach others, this website offers a wealth of thoughtfully curated courses designed to fit every need, including the following:
- Online Meditation Beginner Course Recommendations – carefully vetted courses from online meditation instructional sites including MindBodyGreen, Loka Yoga School, and Yoga International, are the ideal way to get your meditation journey off to a good start by learning the fundamentals of the meditative arts from certified instructors
- Online Meditation School Recommendations – moving beyond meditation courses, this website also provides expert recommendations for online meditation schools which offer comprehensive curricula encompassing the entire spectrum of all things meditation
- Online Meditation Instructor Course Recommendations – in addition to beginner meditation courses, Online Meditation Planet also contains valuable information pertaining to instructor courses for meditation enthusiasts seeking to become formally certified to teach others, including offerings from My Vinyasa Practice, The Veda Center, and Sura Flow
- MBSR Training Certifications – one rapidly growing discipline of meditation is mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which uses meditative techniques to address specific mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and stress, and Online Meditation Planet is a valuable resource if becoming a certified MBSR practitioner is in your future
- Meditation Resources – this website also contains an online library of informative articles on topics pertinent to the meditative arts, such as the psychological aspects of meditation
With the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the modern era, more and more attention is being paid to mental health, and rightfully so. More than ever, it is important to take the time to decompress and cleanse the mind of the mental and emotional clutter that can accumulate on a daily basis.
To this end, meditation is becoming a vital, life-affirming practice, as essential to your overall well-being as exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet.
Conclusion
Given their similarities, it is easy to see how meditation and prayer could be viewed as being in conflict with each other. But with a deeper understanding of their differing objectives and the unique ideologies from which they sprouted, there is a strong argument to be made that meditation and prayer can co-exist within the same sphere.
In other words, you can meditate if you believe in God while still adhering to your religious beliefs.
