Eastern Meditation
Meditation practices deriving from the Dharmic religions of Asia, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism, bear some relationship to prayer in Western religions in that there is an element of ritual and contemplation. However, the ultimate purpose of prayer is communication with a higher being. The purpose of Eastern meditation is development and perfection of the self.
In Asia, meditation was often a part of secular activities, such as martial arts. Some forms of meditation, such as yoga, incorporated specific physical postures as an aid to focusing the mind. Most Eastern styles of meditation are japa meditations; that means they use the continued repetition of a sound or word as a mantra. Others focus on the breath, a part of the body, or a visual object.
Many different forms of meditation have been shown to have beneficial effects on physical and mental well-being. However, Roy Masters of the Foundation of Human Understanding believes that Eastern forms can actually inhibit mental clarity rather than enhance it. The practitioner may feel calmer after endlessly repeating a mantra, but the negative emotions haven't been dealt with, only repressed and covered over.
"Be Still and Know" is a form of meditation that Roy Masters developed almost 50 years ago. Its purpose is to guide practitioners to observe and accept those negative emotions without any emotional response. Masters believes that such objectivity clears the mind of stress and the past traumas of our daily lives, leaving us free to act and live correctly. His guide can be downloaded at the FHU website.
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