The Lost Teaching of Meditation
Last updated
Last updated
Most Christians are unaware that meditation is actually mentioned again and again in the Bible. For instance, in the Old Testament's book of Genesis (24:63) it states: "And Isaac went out to meditate in the fields at the eventide, and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold the camels were coming." Also, in Joshua 1:8: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written herein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success." Throughout the Psalms, there are at least 14 verses which talk about meditation. Add on top all of the Bible's calls to "meditate on the word of God", and it's very difficult to deny meditation's place in the Christian faith.
There's lots of evidence suggesting that Jesus was, at a minimum, familiar with meditation, and much more likely, even practiced himself. For starters, the Torah mentions that, while growing up in Jerusalem, Jesus spent time around meditators. Later on, as a Jewish Rabbi, he would have fully understood the purpose of Isaac meditating in the fields.
During his years of traveling the Holy Lands (and beyond), it's a near certainty that Jesus met many meditators. In fact, a number of scholars believe that Jesus traveled to "meditation friendly" locales like India and the Far East at some point. And with the similarities between his parables and the teachings of Buddha, many scholars believe that Jesus spent considerable time studying in Buddhist temples. So it's highly likely that the Prince of Peace had exposure to meditation.
A commonly held belief in meditation friendly religions like Hinduism & Buddhism is that, if you want to find God, then "look within." Interesting then that Christ reminds us the Kingdom is within. In Matthew 4:16, we read: the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Considering Christ studied with the meditation masters, is this not but a reference to the process of meditation. When one meditates the eyes are closed and when you go deep enough into a meditative state you become one with the light?
There is good evidence suggesting that Jesus did indeed meditate. For instance, it's believed by many scholars that Jesus's Sermon on the Mount was delivered from a "meditative state" (rather than a purely waking state). While Jesus is known for spending 40 days and 40 nights "praying" in the desert, the specifics of his "prayer" technique are not clearly defined. Some scholars believe that many of those days and nights in the desert were actually spent in meditation, rather than prayer alone. While prayer is the act of "talking to God", meditation is the act of "listening to God," which more closely mirrors what occurred during those history changing 40 days and 40 night.
In Matthew 6:22, Jesus said, if your eye be single, then you whole body will be full of light. Perhaps he is speaking of the third eye or pineal gland as Rabbi Harry reminds us the Jewish ancestors and sages were once very consciously connected to the third eye.
Yeshua/Jesus was a profoundly spiritual man who devoted his life to delivering messages of love and peace. Long before humanity turned him into the figurehead of the world’s largest religion, Jesus was the original hippie. He communed with beggars, prostitutes, lepers, and adulterers. Society ignored these people or publicly stoned them to death for their “sins.” And Jesus loved them. He was a mystic, a seer, and a lover of all humanity. However, he wasn’t entirely well-liked throughout his community. Not thrilled with his claims to be “the son of God,” the Romans brutally crucified him. However, perhaps there is more to this claim than the obvious interpretation. Maybe Jesus had experienced scenarios that brought him so close to God that he became one with the Source. We know now that Yeshua, a Jewish man, grew up in a Jewish world that conducted ceremonial rituals using psychedelics. In addition, his studies in the far east with the Hindu, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian masters of his time - well versed in their ritualistic use of psychedelic brews and sacraments - most likely involved him partaking in the sacred ritual of Soma/Haoma. Exposure to these teachings are known as the Sanatana Dharma - which is documented as the world’s oldest living religious path. Scientists and historians date it back to at least 8500 years old though Hindu sacred books say it has always existed - and the Hindus have been around for 80,000 years. It can also be said that it is the most diverse of religions. It is not a religion; it’s more like a collection of philosophies.
