meditation, life, and spirit

Many religions, those of Asian origins especially, swear by practice of meditation. Meditation they advice helps connect man’s spirit with the Spirit of the universe, the Spirit who is Creator of our universe.

Webster’s English Dictionary defines meditation to be

the act or process of spending time in quiet thought: the act or process of meditating.

The definition of meditation above is not all encompassing. Within context of some spirituality systems, meditation is an attempt at freeing the mind of all thoughts, an attempt at emptying of the mind so the mind can be filled with new thoughts, energies, inspiration, new connections with Spirit of the universe. Meditation of Asian origins especially tends to focus on emptying of the mind for facilitation of connection with spirit.

Meditation which attempts to empty the mind assumes there is nothing dangerous in the realm of the spiritual. Assumes all our minds can connect with in the realm of the spiritual is good and filled with noble intentions towards us.

But with all of the stupid evil we see in the world — men having sex with their daughters, white men capturing white women and enslaving them for sex for years on end, etc. — do we really think all of the spirits out there in the universe are beneficent spirits?

Can we really believe that all there is out there is the Spirit who is Creator of our universe? Is it not worthwhile to consider that a Spirit who created such order as is evident in our universe cannot at the same time have introduced the sort of chaos we experience into human existence? What is the point of order — knife edge precision order — in a universe if the universe simultaneously is filled with people whose lives are by prior intention subject to chaos? Rationality presupposes there must exist spirits in the universe who oppose order and thrive on chaos.

I Illustrate

During the Second World War, the sun rose (pardon usage of the non-scientific expression) every day, set every day. Chaos of human existence had no effect whatsoever on functioning of the sun. In fact, predictability of movements of the sun enabled precise planning of military engagements. Throughout the Second World War, the moon followed its course, it continued to take 9 months for a woman to give birth to a fully developed human fetus, time from seed to harvest for every crop known to man remained exactly the same. The chaos of our human existence, which lay within realm of man’s choice, had no effect whatsoever on everything in the universe whose functioning was independent of man’s existence. Can a rational God of Himself intentionally impose man’s chaos and futility of purpose on order, precision, and predictability evident in our universe?

Only an irrational Spirit spends so much energy creating knife edge order in the universe, only to impose chaos and disorder on life that subsists on very same order. Given life would cease on earth without either of the sun or the moon, it makes no sense for order (sun and moon) to be necessary for maintenance of chaos of human existence.

My Take on Meditation

I meditate without emptying my mind. I spend most of my time creating a conducive spiritual environment for my spirit to ruminate over things, acquire spiritual resources from Spirit of the Universe (God, Jehovah, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ), then provide me with spiritual energy necessary for kick starting of action on challenges, issues, or concerns in need of my attention.

Does the fact that I do not empty my mind free me from contact with other spirits in the universe? Well if those other spirits exist, only death perhaps can keep us from coming in contact with them.

By not emptying my mind, I am able to maintain adherence to principles of life I have stored in my mind, principles enunciated in Christian Scriptures. Active engagement of my mind ensures my spirituality does not evolve independent of my pre-existent knowledge. My mind never empties. My mind is guardian of my spirituality. Does this mean my knowledge does not improve over time? Absolutely not. It means I have a sound reasoning for every progression of knowledge in my mind.

Meditation that is most beneficent generates sound, evidence based reasonings for progressions in spiritual knowledge.

Given spiritual knowledge in my mind comes ultimately from Jesus Christ, as opposed to my personal puerile attempts at conception of God, my mind ultimately is guarded by mind of Jesus Christ. I attempt then to guard my mind not with my human conception of truth, but with conceptions of truth derived from man’s interaction (mine inclusive) with Spirit of Jesus Christ through eons of time of human existence.

Meditation that keeps the mind engaged with knowledge already attained to is not as dangerous as meditation that attempts to totally empty the mind.

Ending Thoughts

If you do not believe in existence of a spiritual realm, I ask “why is man increasingly struggling to maintain mindfulness if there is not anything militating against his or her mindfulness?” If our minds are eminently spiritual (lacking a corresponding physical entity, though functioning out of our brains), must it not be the case that whatever is militating against man’s mindfulness also must be spiritual — non corporeal — in its nature?

How we choose to meditate is our individual business. Having some insights into pros and cons of different approaches to meditation is wisdom of prudence and safety. But then some folks believe ignorance is bliss.