| Meditation...physical nourishment for mind and | | | | personality, and no demands. The only truth is |
| body, spiritual nourishment for heart and soul. | | | | that there is no Truth, and the only reality is that |
| Christians, atheists, Buddhists and New Age | | | | nothing is really real. Love and hate, war and |
| believers may all practice meditation. Some | | | | peace, life and death...in the final analysis, neither |
| sincere and concerned Christians who did not | | | | one matter, because nothing is real, including the |
| grow up with a tradition of meditation wonder | | | | "person" who is pondering the questions. |
| whether it can be a healthy practice for them. | | | | Practicing Buddhists spend many hours meditating, |
| Yet it shouldn't surprise us that non-Christians can | | | | with an attitude of openness and even desiring |
| access the physical blessings of meditation. The | | | | spiritual experience. They develop a strong neural |
| enriching physical showers of meditation nourish | | | | framework for spiritual experience, and a longing |
| those who love Him-and they also nourish those | | | | to let go of self and become part of something |
| who don't even know He exists! After all..."He | | | | greater than they, but they do not open to |
| sends rain on the just, and on the unjust too"! | | | | relationship with the One who created the |
| Whatever our beliefs may be, we all live in the | | | | framework and fulfills that longing by entering into |
| world God created. Our lives are always better | | | | our hearts and recreating us in Him. |
| when we walk in the paths He has laid out for us. | | | | The simple physical practice of meditation does, in |
| And meditation, with effects both spiritual and | | | | and of itself, cause positive effects. The nourishing |
| physical, is part of God's plan. | | | | biochemical showers encourage neuronal |
| More and more, research has shown us the | | | | regeneration, enhance health, and calm the spirit. |
| positive physical effects associated with | | | | Those biochemical showers nourish our bodies and |
| meditation. We've seen how the healing showers | | | | our brains, and there's a warm sweetness to |
| released during meditation are good for mind and | | | | many who meditate. For many who are seeking |
| body. And there's nothing wrong with benefiting | | | | meaning, the physical and emotional effects of |
| from that process. Physical blessings are a part of | | | | meditation have become the goal, and those |
| the natural world, here for us to enjoy, and to | | | | changes become evidence of spiritual meaning. |
| nourish and bless us. | | | | New Age believers value the experience of |
| But meditation is also a powerful way to open our | | | | meditation. "New Age" is a broad term with little |
| hearts to intimate relatedness with God. When we | | | | well-defined content, but those who claim that |
| engage in the physical processes associated with | | | | name often do meditate, and they do so for |
| meditation, we begin to touch the edges of God's | | | | spiritual reasons, in addition to a desire for the |
| plan for our spiritual lives, coming in through the | | | | physical and emotional benefits. |
| "back door" by way of our psychophysical | | | | New Age meditators seek spiritual meaning. They |
| experience. | | | | experience the internal stillness of meditation, and |
| Sometimes, people who are seeking meaning and | | | | the spiritual openness that comes with stillness. |
| spiritual experience in their lives reject God, but | | | | They experience the biochemical soothing and |
| still enjoy the positive physical and emotional | | | | healing God has given us. They have a positive |
| effects of meditation. After a while, they | | | | emotional experience. And they see that it all |
| experience the growing openness of their heart, | | | | happens within them. |
| and begin to think of their meditation as spiritual. | | | | Recognizing rightly that the spiritual realm does |
| When that happens, they begin to direct their | | | | exist, the response goes something like this: "I |
| spiritual longing toward their own psychophysical | | | | experience the longing for God within me. When I |
| interactions. | | | | meditate, I have a deep, warm emotional |
| Sam Harris is an atheist who calls religious beliefs | | | | experience. That must mean God is within me. |
| "ludicrous", and sees belief in a true God as the | | | | And if God is within me, then I must be God, or |
| source of war, violence, persecution and social ills. | | | | at least part of God." |
| Yet he practices Zen meditation and believes in | | | | New Age teachings encourage followers to |
| the value of "mystical experience". He doesn't | | | | awaken to their own perfection and answer their |
| believe in God, yet he experiences (to use | | | | own prayers. Christian meditation techniques are |
| Pascal's imagery) the open space within him that | | | | taught along with Jewish mysticism, Indian chants |
| only God can fill. He values entering that space, | | | | and various paths to feminine enlightenment. And |
| but when he gets there, he doesn't allow God to | | | | if the practice of meditation bores you, you can |
| fill the space. He values the space, the longing, the | | | | buy a biofeedback video game to put you in |
| waiting-to-be-filled. His meditation is ultimately an | | | | touch with the divine within you. |
| empty experience, one that satisfies some | | | | Buddhist and New Age meditators alike have |
| psychological and physical needs, but which never | | | | confused the valuable psychophysical experience |
| engages in contact and intimacy with the One | | | | of meditation with the One on whom we were |
| who created those needs. | | | | made to meditate. They've fallen in love with |
| Buddhist mediation is being taught and practiced | | | | dancing in the rain. But they've forgotten the Rain |
| around the world, and it's especially popular with | | | | Maker. |
| spiritual seekers here in the United States. | | | | Yet no matter how many showers we dance in, |
| Spreading warmth and enlightenment based | | | | no matter how many blessings are enjoyed, fallen |
| ultimately on the simple experience of following | | | | human nature is still fallen. Paul reminds us that |
| your breath, there's no relationship or encounter | | | | "our natural, earthly lives don't in themselves lead |
| with any actual external reality of God, and | | | | us by their very "nature" into the kingdom of |
| certainly no personal relationship with a Savior. | | | | God. Their very nature is to die so how could |
| There is only letting go of self and connection | | | | they "naturally" end up in the Life kingdom?" |
| with an everything that is also nothing. | | | | None among us, on our own, become all we were |
| For those who grew up in a Christian culture, that | | | | created to be. We are finite and limited, and death |
| connection to oneness-with-everything is | | | | comes to us all. All the natural meditation and |
| sometimes thought of as a connection to God, | | | | personal growth in the world won't change that. |
| but that is a lack of understanding of what | | | | We still need help from outside our created |
| Buddhism teaches. Buddhist "oneness" is a | | | | selves. We need relationship with the One who |
| non-personal everything and nothing, with no form | | | | made us. |
| or content, no communion with another | | | | |