Tuesday, March 2, 2010

christianity and mindfulness meditation

Question
Why does most christianity reject meditation?  Being quiet and training your mind is something positive and so needed in this world, yet most christians either ignore the topic, or attack meditators as heretics or idolaters.  I have searched for the answer, but have found nothing really but stuff online from christians attacking TM and various other forms of meditation as being forms of Hindiusm,etc.  What do you think?



Angelika


Answer
Hi, Angelika.



There is certainly a tradition of "contemplation" within Christianity.  And there are relatively modern Christians like Thomas Merton who have been very interested in meditation and in how meditative work is done in Eastern traditions.



Isn't it pretty much a human trait to dislike things we don't know about, as well as to define "what I believe" as different from what other people believe, making other people's beliefs heresy.  It's part of the defensive patterns of me versus others that is lodged in how we think.  I have seen the same thing, not only in myself, but also in Buddhist groups that don't want to have anything to do with taking a fresh look at meditative work.



Sometimes I've had very productive discussions with people who have had certain specific perspectives, including Christians.  The trick is to understand what the other person's concerns and values are and to find a common vocabulary.



I remember one example in which a man had narrowly avoided a traffic accident and told me that God had protected him or saved him.  I was interested in what had really happened and asked him some questions about what he meant, which he didn't resent.  I asked him what was it specifically that would have determined whether the accident happened or not.  As he considered this, he reported, honestly, that he had been daydreaming a bit but that he noticed a car moving toward him at the last minute, in time to swerve.



My feeling was that when he was able to look carefully at what had happened, the concept of "God" being involved no longer seemed necessary to him.  It was extraneous. In addition, we talked about the possibility and in fact the necessity of this waking up from daydreaming at times.



I don't think we talked about meditation but it would have been a logical step to talk about sitting still from time to time so that one could be in touch with this daydreaming and waking up process and learn more about it.



When I sometimes talk with Christian people, I find that often, beneath the specific beliefs that are drummed into congregations, there is an interest in living a good and meaningful life and a sense that there is something beyond narrow self-concern.  The problem is that they have already interpreted what they think that is - based on what is said over and over in church and what is used as a bond to create a sense of community - and they don't really question any more what it really is.  This also happens in Buddhist communities quite prevalently.



It is a different thing to discover these spiritual ideas that we hold onto, identify ourselves with and create our future with.  To discover these as ideas, as enclosures, and instead to look right here at what is in front of us without knowing what it is, who we are, what the future holds.



This simple moment of presence here is what is so difficult for us human beings to enter into without the seeming safety of our lofty ideas and goals.  Isn't there almost always something resisting this?



Thanks for your question. It is an interesting one to consider.  I don't know if I've addressed your concern.  You are welcome to write back if something wasn't clear or if I've missed your point.



Best,



Jay