Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea below, then step up to the general, across to peers or down to the specific.
Spiritual
Meditation
Meditation is a practice that trains attention and awareness to reach a clear, calm and steady state of mind.
Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest
The idea
Meditation is a practice that trains attention and awareness. People who meditate try to step back from busy, repeating thoughts and reach a clear, calm and steady state of mind. Part of the practice is not judging how well it is going or expecting a certain result.
Meditation methods fall into two broad groups. Focused methods keep attention on one thing, such as the breath or a repeated word or sound called a mantra. Open monitoring methods, which include mindfulness, involve noticing whatever you experience in the present moment. Some open monitoring practices also aim to build wisdom.
Meditation has deep religious roots. The earliest records of it, called dhyana, appear in the Upanishads, ancient Hindu texts. It plays a major role in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism, and similar practices of prayer and devotion exist in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Many people also meditate without any religious purpose, simply for its health benefits. It can be done sitting, walking or lying down, alone or in a group.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
In which texts are the earliest records of meditation found?
Composition
what it's made of
- Attention training — Practicing steady focus and awareness.
- Focused methods — Keeping attention on one object, such as the breath or a mantra.
- Open monitoring — Noticing present-moment experience as it comes and goes, as in mindfulness.
- Non-judging attitude — Letting go of analyzing results or expecting a certain outcome.
- Religious traditions — Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Taoist practice, among others, in which meditation plays a central part.
Connection
how it relates
Under Personal Spirituality
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- Meditation grew up within religious traditions, and Asian meditation techniques later spread to other cultures, where people use them in business and health.
- Now
- Early studies of meditation were criticized as weak, but research now commonly uses randomized controlled trials and other strong methods.
- Next
- Research is ongoing into how meditation affects mental, brain and heart health. As results come in, its benefits and limits may become clearer.