Meditation Origins

 

Where did meditation originate? History shows meditation as being a long standing tradition in main Asian countries, like Japan, China, and India. So, exactly where did meditation originate? Meditation appears to be universal, appearing in cultures all over the world. The differences appear to lie more with the goals, purposes, and styles. Tantric meditation developed by South India tribes between ten and fifteen thousand years ago, was an expression of the desire to understand the conscious mind. When asking the question "Where did meditation originate?", can we answer it with here, this is where mediation originated? Perhaps. It was certainly widespread. Tantric meditation after being further developed seven thousand years ago by the yogi Shiva, became an integral part of Taoism, Buddhism, the Tibetan and Zen varieties and Sufism.

So where did meditation originate? Since the dawn of man, throughout recorded history, there have been fundamental questions that have begged for an answer not readily found, questions about the origins and nature of life, who created life originally? Why is life on Earth, what purpose does it hold? Obviously, these are the questions that have plagued man kind since its conception

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with no clear satisfactory answer. In an effort to extinguish the curiosity that drives us as humans to ask this question, two approaches were developed to allow all angles of possible answers to these questions to be explored. One approach delved into the world around us, discovering and finding various happenings with nature, this approach developed into Science. The other approach looked at the questions of the purpose of man, the creation of the universe and the existence of a creator from an internal perspective. This perhaps is a better answer to the question where did meditation originate? Meditation serves the same purpose no matter the philosophy or religious practice, methodology or ritual. That purpose is to delve into the hidden parts of our minds, conscience and unconscious, to find answers to the questions revolving around the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. By clearing the mind and learning to understand the complexity of ourselves, we can begin to understand the purpose for which we were created. Nothing can better explain the purpose and origin of meditation than it is an act of self-discovery and awareness. It brings forth not only knowledge of ones self but of the nature of the world that we live in. Where did meditation originate? It originated from the desire of man to answer the all important question of Why?

In these modern days, we have forgotten the origins of meditation and forgotten its purpose and have become lost in the single approach of life. Meditation may not just be something for gaining the meaning of life but also for learning about our true selves that we sometimes lose sight of in the hustle and bustle of modern life and the very fascinating and more understandable world of science rather than the uncharitable mysteries of the mind.

By Philip Stilchford

"In meditation, effort must be applied in a direction opposite to what we are used to. Our effort must be to relax ever more deeply. We must ultimately release the tension from both our muscles and our thoughts. When we relax so deeply that we are able to internalize the energy of the senses, the mind becomes focused and a tremendous flow of energy is awakened.... Meditation is a continuous process, and can be said to have three stages: relaxation, interiorization, and expansion." - John Novak