The Origins Of Meditation: The History Of Meditating Around the World

Meditation is an altered state of consciousness which removes distraction and allows a person clarity and awareness. Beginning with ancient man, the practice of meditation spread throughout the world and evolved into many different forms.

The first known use of meditation took place 15,000 years ago with hunter-gatherers. Cave paintings have been found showing people lying on the ground in a meditative state. These people are believed to be shamans who most likely were in trance to ask the spirits for help when they hunted animals for food.

Indian Meditation

The earliest recorded writings about meditation occurred in India about 5,000 years ago. They appear in the Vedas, (Books of Knowledge,) which are sacred Indian scriptures. The Vedric priests would chant and perform many rituals. In time, they moved away from the rituals to concentrate on a more spiritual connection.

Buddha And Meditation

During the 6th century BC, Hindu Prince Siddharta Gautama was happy and wealthy. Although he was happy, he learned that not everyone else was satisfied with life. One day he sat down under a tree, folded his legs and began to look deep into his mind. After seven days of meditation, he awoke with new found knowledge.

He became known as Buddha. Buddha had learned how to quiet his inner thoughts and develop a strong form of concentration. Buddhism began to spread and the religion and practices of meditation eventually made its way to China and Tibet.

Zen Meditation

Zen emerged as a combination of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. It involves sitting and clearing the mind. The goal is to have the mind in the moment, without the distractions of the past or the future. Zen also introduced koans, which are questions that seem to have no answers.

Vajrayana Buddhism

Introduced to Tibet by Indian master Padmasambhava, the form of Buddhism he brought forth was transformed into Vajrayana Buddhism, ("the diamond way.") A key element in Tibetan Buddhism is the use of visualization and meditation to aid in spiritual development. Vajrayana teaches how to turn negativity into wisdom.

Meditation in the United States

Meditation gained popularity in the United States during the 1960s. This was at a time when many people were experimenting with methods to reach altered states of consciousness. The Beatles were also instrumental in spreading the popularity of meditation, particularly Transcendental Meditation, after spending time with Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

After 15,000 years and the various types of meditation that have emerged, meditation continues to grow in popularity bringing people a sense of peace and clarity.

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Jun 14, 2009 4:54 AM

Guest :

Nice article. Thanks. I have been doing Transcendental Meditation for years and find it a wonderful and helpful tool to relieve stress and stay healthy. I highly recommend it.

Jun 15, 2009 9:34 AM

Guest :

As a holistic health professional, I think that meditation is one of those fundamental practices that help us be the best and healthiest human beings we can be. Having experienced the benefits of the Transcendental Medication technique for myself, and seen the benefits in others, I wish that everyone could have the same opportunity. In my 30’s I completed a very intense course of post graduate studies. I was very stressed out and suffered from insomnia. I wish I had been practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique at that time. It would have made the graduate school experience much smoother and more enjoyable

Jun 15, 2009 2:48 PM

Guest :

Thanks for a very nice article. I think it is very important to remind people of the timelessness and importance of meditation. I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation and it has been a great help in my life. I noticed that over time I have become much more content and self-reliant. These were not dramatic changes, they happened over time, but when I look at the person I was a year or two ago as opposed to who I am now, I see a lot of growth and improvement. I think TM is an invaluable tool for the development of happiness

Jun 15, 2009 8:33 PM

Guest :

I was so skeptical when I first heard about TM. I changed nothing in my life except that I added TM for 20 minutes twice a day as instructed. Immediately after learning, I experienced much more energy in my daily activity. The increasing energy continued and at the same time I was more relaxed and much happier. I was participating at the time in a very challenging course of study at college that involved many long hours of work. The benefits came without any effort on my part. it was such an amazing experience to have something so easy, that I did for such a short period of time, that took up so little of my day, make such a huge improvement in my quality of life! Little did I know when I started as such a skeptic, that it would be the best decision I ever made.