Basic Meditation Techniques

There are many different techniques for meditation. Some practitioners sit, silent and motionless, for hours on end--often in uncomfortable positions. Others pace the paths of a labyrinth in a walking meditation. Sufi dervishes reach an altered state of consciousness through frenzied, whirling dance, while many indigenous peoples use psychotropic drugs.

The most widely known forms of meditation are derived from Asian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. These practices use self-hypnotic techniques such as the continual repetition of a mantra, intense focus on breathing, or contemplation of an object such as a statue or candle flame. The purpose is to empty the mind so that enlightenment can enter.

"Be Still and Know," a Christian meditation form developed by Roy Masters, has the same goal of enlightenment, but with a significantly different technique. Masters believes that mantras and other hypnotic methods of clearing the mind merely repress negative energy and bar it temporarily from the conscious mind. However, no real and lasting change is effected by such banishment.

Instead, Masters urges his followers to invite those negative thoughts in and learn to understand them as merely our own conditioned reactions to outside stimuli. Enlightenment for him consists of being able to understand and accept events without reacting to them emotionally. This objectivity clears the mind of false reactions and allows one the grace to forgive others and accept them without judgment. Browse the Foundation of Human Understanding website for more information and to download a guided meditation.

Foundation of Human Understanding
Business Hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time
Phone: (800) 877-3227 or (541) 956-6700
Fax: (541) 956-6705
Mailing Address: PO Box 1000, Grants Pass OR, 97528

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