A report on Meditation

Man Meditating in a Garden Setting
The āsana in which Mahavira is said to have attained omniscience
Bodhidharma practicing zazen
A statue of Patañjali practicing dhyana in the Padma-asana at Patanjali Yogpeeth.
"Gathering the Light", Taoist meditation from The Secret of the Golden Flower
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina stated: "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds Him."
Whirling dervishes
Meditation. Alexej von Jawlensky, oil on cardboard, 1918
Meditating in Madison Square Park, New York City
Young children practicing meditation in a Peruvian school

Practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.

- Meditation
Man Meditating in a Garden Setting

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La Visione di San Domenico (The Vision of Saint Dominic), Bernardo Cavallino, 1640

Rosary

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The Holy Rosary (, in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used in the Catholic Church and to the string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers.

The Holy Rosary (, in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used in the Catholic Church and to the string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers.

La Visione di San Domenico (The Vision of Saint Dominic), Bernardo Cavallino, 1640
A traditional five-decade rosary in sterling silver
An Egyptian, Coptic-style rosary featuring an extra Coptic crucifix
Our Lady of Lourdes appearing at Lourdes with rosary beads
The crucifix on a rosary
A single-decade rosary
A Saint Michael Chaplet
Single-decade rosary ring
Rosary and Scapular
Anglican prayer beads
Rosary Basilica, Fatima, Portugal, 1953.
Rosary Basilica, Lourdes, France, 1899.
Our Lady of the Rosary, Drawień, Poland, 1695.
Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, Ohio, 1931.
Madonna and rosary by Nicola Porta
Madonna with rosary, by Guido Reni, 1596
Madonna offering Saint Dominic rosary by August Palme, 1860
Madonna with the Rosary by Murillo, 1650
Madonna of the Rosary statue, Naples, Italy
Rosary Madonna, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Madonna with Rosary, South-Tyrol, Austria
Madonna with Rosary by Josef Mersa, Italy
Crucifixion and rosary
Saint Anthony with a rosary
Rosary with pomander
Old woman praying
Madonna of the Rosary by Caravaggio

and consisting essentially in meditation on the life of Christ.

Demonstrating lotus position

Lotus position

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Cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh.

Cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh.

Demonstrating lotus position
The flower of the sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, grows out of mud, thus symbolising enlightenment.
The sage Bharadvaja meditating in half lotus. 19th century
Baddha Padmasana
Yogamudrasana
Padma Sirsasana, lotus headstand
Gautama Buddha
Shiva
Mahavira

It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and is widely used for meditation in Hindu, Tantra, Jain, and Buddhist traditions.

Inside a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

Tibetan Buddhism

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Form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion.

Form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion.

Inside a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery
Map of the Tibetan Empire at its greatest extent between the 780s and the 790s CE
Samye was the first gompa (Buddhist monastery) built in Tibet (775-779).
The Indian master Atiśa
The Tibetan householder and translator Marpa (1012-1097)
The Potala Palace in Lhasa, chief residence and political center of the Dalai Lamas.
Yonghe Temple, a temple of the Gelug tradition in Beijing established in the Qing Dynasty.
Autochrome photo of Gandantegchinlen Monastery in 1913, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The 14th Dalai Lama meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016. Due to his widespread popularity, the Dalai Lama has become the modern international face of Tibetan Buddhism.
Kagyu-Dzong Buddhist center in Paris.
Samantabhadra, surrounded by numerous peaceful and fierce deities.
The eleven faced and thousand armed form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
A depiction of the tantric figures Hevajra and Nairātmyā, Tibet, 18th Century.
A statue of one of the most important Buddhist philosophers for Tibetan Buddhist thought, Nagarjuna, at Samye Ling (Scotland).
A leaf from a Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom) manuscript.
Buddhist monk Geshe Konchog Wangdu reads Mahayana sutras from an old woodblock copy of the Tibetan Kangyur. He is seated at a special sutra stool, wearing the traditional woolen Ladakhi hat and robe, allowed by Vinaya for extremely cold conditions.
A Tibetan Buddhist Monk meditating using chanting and drumming.
Buddhists performing prostrations in front of Jokhang Monastery.
Ritual musical instruments from Tibet; MIM Brussels.
The reading of the text - the 'lung' - during an empowerment for Chenrezig.
An elderly Tibetan woman with a prayer wheel inscribed with mantras
Visualizing mantric syllables is a common form of meditation in Tibetan Buddhism
Chöd sadhana, note the use of Damaru drum and hand-bell, as well as the Kangling (thighbone trumpet).
A section of the Northern wall mural at the Lukhang Temple depicting completion stage practice.
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, with Freda Bedi (the first Western nun in Tibetan Buddhism), at Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim.
A small gompa (religious building) in Ladakh
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, a tulku and a ngagpa (note the white and red robes).
Machig Labdrön, a famous female tantrika, teacher and founder of the Chöd lineage
Painting of Ayu Khandro at Merigar West. The seat of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and The Dzogchen Community in Italy.

In this way, subjects like karma, rebirth, Buddhist cosmology and the practice of meditation are gradually explained in logical order.

Buddha depicted in dhyāna, Amaravati, India

Dhyana in Buddhism

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Component of the training of the mind (bhavana), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, and leading to a "state of perfect equanimity and awareness (upekkhā-sati-parisuddhi)."

Component of the training of the mind (bhavana), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, and leading to a "state of perfect equanimity and awareness (upekkhā-sati-parisuddhi)."

Buddha depicted in dhyāna, Amaravati, India
Buddha in Dhyana, which in this context means: The meditative training stage on the path to Samadhi.
Bodhisattva seated in meditation. Afghanistan, 2nd century CE
Venerable Hsuan Hua meditating in the Lotus Position. Hong Kong, 1953.
Chinese character for "nothing" . It figures in the famous Zhaozhou's dog kōan.

Commonly translated as meditation, and often equated with "concentration," though meditation may refer to a wider scala of exercises for bhāvanā, development.

Russian Orthodox icon of the Transfiguration (Theophanes the Greek, c. 1408)

Christian contemplation

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Christian contemplation, from contemplatio (Latin; Greek θεωρία, theoria), refers to several Christian practices which aim at "looking at", "gazing at", "being aware of" God or the Divine.

Christian contemplation, from contemplatio (Latin; Greek θεωρία, theoria), refers to several Christian practices which aim at "looking at", "gazing at", "being aware of" God or the Divine.

Russian Orthodox icon of the Transfiguration (Theophanes the Greek, c. 1408)
Plato (Πλάτων)
Aristotle (Ἀριστοτέλης)
Plotinus (Πλωτίνος)
John Cassian (Ioannes Cassianus)
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila by Josefa de Óbidos (1672)
The Great Schema worn by Orthodox monks and nuns of the most advanced degree.

Later, contemplation came to be distinguished from intellectual life, leading to the identification of θεωρία or contemplatio with a form of prayer distinguished from discursive meditation in both East and West.

The khanda, symbol of Sikhism

Sikhism

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Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, around the end of the 15th century CE.

Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, around the end of the 15th century CE.

The khanda, symbol of Sikhism
An Akali-Nihang Sikh Warrior at Harmandir Sahib, also called the Golden Temple
A rare Tanjore-style painting from the late 19th century depicting the ten Sikh Gurus with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana
The interior of the Akal Takht
Approximate Life Spans and Guruship Spans of the 10 Sikh Gurus
Gurū Granth Sāhib – the primary scripture of Sikhism
Mul Mantar written by Guru Har Rai, showing the Ik Onkar at top.
A group of Sikh musicians called Dhadi at the Golden Temple complex
The Dasam Granth is a Sikh scripture which contains texts attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, including his autobiography Bachittar Natak. The major narrative in the text is on Chaubis Avtar (24 Avatars of Hindu god Vishnu), Rudra, Brahma, the Hindu warrior goddess Chandi and a story of Rama in Bachittar Natak.
The Darbar Sahib of a Gurdwara
Sikh wedding
Sikh funeral procession, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
Guru Nanak explaining Sikh teachings to Sadhus
Sikh Light Infantry personnel march past during the Republic day parade in New Delhi, India
Sikhs in London protesting against the Indian government
Namdhari Sikhs, also called the Kuka Sikhs are a sect of Sikhism known for their crisp white dress and horizontal pagari (turban). Above: Namdhari singer and musicians.
Nagar Kirtan in Bangalore
Sikhs celebrating Vaisakhi in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi. The long window under the marble platform is the location where Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by the Mughals.
Artistic rendering of the execution of Bhai Mati Das by the Mughals. This image is from a Sikh Ajaibghar near the towns of Mohali and Sirhind in Punjab, India.
Sculpture at Mehdiana Sahib of the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 by the Mughals.
Some bodyguards of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Sikh capital, Lahore, Punjab.
The Khanda, Symbol of the Sikhism

To get closer to God, Sikhs: avoid the evils of maya; keep the everlasting truth in mind; practice shabad kirtan (musical recitation of hymns); meditate on naam; and serve humanity.

Shikantaza

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Japanese translation of a Chinese term for zazen introduced by Rujing, a monk of the Caodong school of Zen Buddhism, to refer to a practice called "Silent Illumination", or "Serene Reflection", by previous Caodong masters.

Japanese translation of a Chinese term for zazen introduced by Rujing, a monk of the Caodong school of Zen Buddhism, to refer to a practice called "Silent Illumination", or "Serene Reflection", by previous Caodong masters.

Unlike many other forms of meditation, shikantaza does not require focused attention on a specific object (such as the breath); instead, practitioners "just sit" in a state of conscious awareness.

EEG has been used for meditation research.

Effects of meditation

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The psychological and physiological effects of meditation have been studied.

The psychological and physiological effects of meditation have been studied.

EEG has been used for meditation research.
Strengthening of the caudate has been found in avid meditators and yogis.
A comparison of the effect of various meditation techniques on systolic blood pressure

In recent years, studies of meditation have increasingly involved the use of modern instruments, such as fMRI and EEG, which are able to observe brain physiology and neural activity in living subjects, either during the act of meditation itself or before and after meditation.

Praying Hands by Albrecht Dürer

Prayer

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Invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication.

Invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication.

Praying Hands by Albrecht Dürer
A kneeling position with raised hands expressed "supplication" in classical antiquity. The word for "prayer" and for "supplication" is identical in ancient languages (oratio, προσευχή, תְּפִלָּה etc.), with no terminological distinction between supplications addressed to human as opposed to divine powers.
Statuette known as "Praying German" or "supplicating barbarian". It is not known if this figure was originally set in a context of religious prayer or of military surrender.
The valkyrie Sigrdrífa says a pagan Norse prayer in Sigrdrífumál; illustration by Arthur Rackham
Old woman praying by Théophile Lybaert
David Prays for Deliverance, 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld
Captain Samuel Cass, a rabbi, conducting the first prayer service celebrated on German territory by Jewish personnel of the First Canadian Army near Cleve, Germany, 18 March 1945
Orthodox Jewish men praying in Jerusalem's Western Wall
Jesus praying in Gethsemane. Depicted by Heinrich Hofmann
Muslims in prostration at the Umayyad Mosque in Syria
Buddhists praying with incense at Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand
Shakta Hindus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, pray to the goddess during Durga Puja, October 2003
A Sikh holy man, doing Sikh prayer (Ardās)
Many Thelemites recite "Resh" (Liber Resh vel Helios, or "Liber CC") facing the direction of the ever-present sun as it rises in the East, triumphs in the (northern-hemisphere) South, sets in the West, and "hides" in the North. Image shows a close-up of the Stele of Revealing.
To pray over an individual while laying hands on them is a form of faith healing in Christianity.

More generally, prayer can also have the purpose of thanksgiving or praise, and in comparative religion is closely associated with more abstract forms of meditation and with charms or spells.

Six Sufi masters, c. 1760

Sufism

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Mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ritualism, asceticism and esotericism.

Mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ritualism, asceticism and esotericism.

Six Sufi masters, c. 1760
Dancing dervishes, by Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād (c. 1480–1490)
A Sufi in Ecstasy in a Landscape. Isfahan, Safavid Persia (c. 1650–1660), LACMA.
A Mughal miniature dated from the early 1620s depicting the Mughal emperor Jahangir (d. 1627) preferring an audience with Sufi saint to his contemporaries, the Ottoman Sultan and the King of England James I (d. 1625); the picture is inscribed in Persian: "Though outwardly shahs stand before him, he fixes his gazes on dervishes."
Blagaj Tekke, built c. 1520 next to the Buna wellspring cavern beneath a high vertical karstic cliff, in Blagaj, Bosnia. The natural and architectural ensemble, proposed for UNESCO inscription, forms a spatially and topographically self-contained ensemble, and is National Monument of Bosnia.
Whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi Order photographed by Pascal Sébah (Istanbul, 1870)
Sufi Tanoura twirling in Muizz Street, Cairo
The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam located in Multan, Pakistan. Known for its multitude of Sufi shrines, Multan is nicknamed the "City of Saints".
Man holding the hem of his beloved, an expression of a Sufi's agony of longing for the divine union
The name of Muhammad in Islamic calligraphy. Sufis believe the name of Muhammad is holy and sacred.
Tomb of Salim Chishti, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Tomb of Sayyid Ali Hamadani, Kulob, Tajikistan
The mausoleum (gongbei) of Ma Laichi in Linxia City, China
Sufi gathering engaged in dhikr
The name of Allah as written on the disciple's heart, according to the Sarwari Qadri Order
An Algerian Sufi in Murāqabah. La prière by Eugène Girardet.
Whirling Dervishes, at Rumi Fest 2007
A Persian miniature depicting the medieval saint and mystic Ahmad Ghazali (d. 1123), brother of the famous Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111), talking to a disciple, from the Meetings of the Lovers (1552)
Sufi mosque in Esfahan, Iran
The works of Al-Ghazali firmly defended the concepts of Sufism within the Islamic faith.
Geometric tiling on the underside of the dome of Hafiz Shirazi's tomb in Shiraz
A manuscript of Sufi Islamic theology, Shams al-Ma'arif (The Book of the Sun of Gnosis), was written by the Algerian Sufi master Ahmad al-Buni during the 12th century.
A Mughal-era Sufi prayer book from the Chishti order
Depiction of Rabi'a grinding grain from a Persian dictionary
Muslim pilgrims gathered around the Ḍarīẖ covering the grave (qabr) of the 13th-century Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (shrine located in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan); on 16 February 2017, ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on the shrine which resulted in the deaths of 90 people.
A choreographed Sufi performance on a Friday in Sudan
A 17th-century miniature of Nasreddin, a Seljuk satirical figure, currently in the Topkapı Palace Museum Library
Urs of Islamic Naqshbandi saints of Allo Mahar is celebrated on 23 March every year

Sema includes various forms of worship such as recitation, singing (the most well known being the Qawwali music of the Indian subcontinent), instrumental music, dance (most famously the Sufi whirling of the Mevlevi order), incense, meditation, ecstasy, and trance.