Prayer and Meditation
Reflection: The
Thought of Prof. U Pe Maung Tin
Mostly, Buddhist and Christian scholars are saying that the
Buddha rejected the concept of God as like Christian God is the creator and the
source of all beings. In fact, Prof. Pe Maung Tin also described in his paper
“Prayer and Meditation”, a Buddhist prays to Buddha is different from a
Christian with God in prayer. And also he stated that the Buddhist belief in
the reality of Nirvana is as strong as the Christian belief that God is. Buddha
said that “there is an unborn, and unbecome, an unmade, an unformed”- in this text
the negative terms describing Nirvana, are introduced by the positive terms
“there is”. In this point, I really recognize that the other notion of God,
namely the sacred as “Godhead”: as the unborn, uncreated, undifferentiated
formless source of all that is present ‘right now’ as well as more than right
here. To borrow a phrase from Paul Tillich, God (as Godhead) is “the God beyond
god,” the sacred reality beyond all personalized conceptions of God. “Godhead”
or “the God beyond god” is what I mean by “the sacred”. I assume that Pe Maung
Tin would like to mention both Jesus and Buddha had formative enlightenment
experiences of “the Sacred”. All human
being can taste the sacred in their life in prayer and meditation.
Buddhist prayer
Prayer in Buddhism is asking for permission to adore the
Three Gems: the Buddha, the Law (Dhamma), and the Clergy (Sangha). This is like
one might ask for permission to address a Being. But the Buddhist prayer is the
act of adoration by virtue to Buddha.
The basis of prayer depend on one’s merit may be freed from woe,
corruptions, faults and enemies and attain Nirvana. When a Buddhist in prayer,
he invokes three prostrations signify
the three Gems as adoration and take three refuges; (1) I go to Buddha as my
refuge (2) I go to the Dhamma as my refuge (3) I go to the Sangha as my refuge.
These prostrations are also known as the five point prostrations in which five
parts of a prayer body touch the ground - the two palms, the two knees and the
forehead. Through the act of prostration, a prayer has to invoke all these
considerations and then surrender himself to Buddha of the three times (past,
present, and future).
Outwardly,
a Buddhist bow down and pray to the Buddha and a Christian kneeling in prayer
to God are not different action. But inwardly the relationship of the Buddhist
with the Buddha and the Christian communicate to God are not the same. Buddha
did not ask his disciples to pray but he allowed them who felt the need for
prayer. It is put in the first person singular but may be said collectively as
when the inmates of a monastery. Prayer inspires a Buddhist heart toward wisdom
and compassion for others and himself. It allows him to turn heart and
mind to the beneficial, inspiring his thoughts and actions towards Awakening. It
can be a function as a form of self-talking or self-therapy in which one
mentally talks through a problem, or talks through it aloud, in the hope that
some new insight will come or a better decision can be made. Prayer expresses
an aspiration to pull something into one's life, like some new energy or
purifying influence and share it with all beings.
Prayer- Puja
The principles and content of Prayer would be appropriate to understand
and attempt at defining what constitutes the act of puja. The puja or prayer offering is categorized
as a form of devotion and offering to super being, higher power or source
leading to a higher spiritual plane, which can be generally termed as
enlightenment. Puja also involves invoking the enlightened beings like Buddhas.
Pirit or Collective prayer
Collective
prayers are called on certain occasions, as when the members of a family join
in offering prayers for the recovery of an ailing child. In our context,
we see in the prayer ceremony embrace chanting. Chanting is one of mental
cultivation, valued as much for focusing the mind as for its role in providing
protection from unseen forces. The oral ritual recitation of liturgical texts,
or chanting, is found in all schools of Buddhism. Chanting has a long history
in Buddhism, and reflects a widespread belief in the special power of the
spoken true world. The Mahayana
tradition also gave rise to a class of scriptures called “Buddha-name sutras,” which contain little more than
lists of the names of past, present, and future Buddhas. Specifically written
for ritual chanting, these texts when recited were thought to produce great
merit, which was usually transferred to someone recently deceased. The Heart of
Sutra is recited in the practice of meditation of Zen Buddhism and at Buddhist
funerals, and even at weddings. The most widespread form of ritualized chanting
in Theravada Buddhist communities is the Paritta (y&dwf&Gwfjcif;) ceremony. The term “pirit” (paritta) means “protection,” and it generally refers to a special
form of ritualized chant performed by monks but sometimes we see lay people can
recited the paritta verses. In Sri
Lanka, a formal pirit ceremony may
last all night or as long as seven days, with monks working in shifts to keep
up a more or less continuous flow of chanted Pali, which is read from a special
book of pirit texts collect from the
Pali scriptures. The pirit ceremony
commonly celebrate in the monastery or temple where monks chant, and the use of
a special pirit string and vases of
water which are believed to absorb the powerful protective force of the chanted
words and which use to make fascination. Pirit
is generally believed to bring both religious and customary benefits,
including mental cultivation, protection from harm, and healing.
Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a
practice of inner reconditioning serves to internalize
and living by silent knowing. It is a practice to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion
and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing,
and worldly and/or heavenly gain.
Prof. Pe Maung Tin convinced that the
relationship between a Christian and God is as intimate as that of a Child and
a father as shown by the Lord’s Prayer. Buddha did not ask his disciples
to pray but Jesus himself taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew where he emphasized
solitude and a specific focus on God as Father. The Lord’s Prayer is
to be prayed through and not just recited. He prayed alone on
mountains and in the wilderness. He prayed on roads, in people’s homes
and in temples. He prayed alone with God and he prayed with and for
others. He prayed out loud and he prayed silently, in his own
heart. Those prayers that we hear in the words of the Gospel often
reflect or even repeat the prayers we find in Jewish scriptures. Jesus
prayed as a Jew and his prayers often taste like the Psalms. Jesus did not
provide us with a detailed developmental program of prayer but Jesus said that whenever you pray, go into your room and
shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you. The word “Father” establishes a relationship
between a believer and all other believers. All believers belong to the same
family; they all have common interests, cares, and responsibilities within the
family.
Prayer is surrendering to God. The believer
surrenders himself and his time to God. The believer surrenders and sets his
mind and heart upon the kingdom of God and His righteousness in prayer. His
whole being is surrendered and committed to seeking the things of the spiritual
world. The believer just bows in total and abject poverty, and majesty of God’s
being. God is all and man is nothing.
Prayer is requesting and pleading with God.
It is demonstrating one’s need and dependence upon God. A believer asks to God
‘give us this day our daily bread’. Food is the basic necessity of life, the
symbol of all that is necessary for survival and for a full life. The words our and us overcome selfishness and show concern for others. Any person who
goes to bed hungry should be of concern to the believer. Every believer has a portion of daily bread
which is his. He does not ask for someone else’s bread but for his own. He
seeks and works for his own bread; he does not think of stealing or of eating
from another man’s table.
We realized our unworthiness to be God’s instrument for fulfilling His
purposes; we are led to the confession, in which we ask for mercy and
forgiveness: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors’. The word
‘debts’ (opheilema) means dues,
duties, that which is owed, that which is legally due. In relation to sin, it
means a failure to pay one’s debts, one’s dues; a failure to do one’s duty; to
keep one’s responsibilities. This prayer is asking God to forgive one exactly
as he forgives others. If one does not forgive, God does not forgive.
Therefore, any person who holds anything against another person is not forgiven
his sins, no matter what he may think or has been told by another person. God
has given man responsibilities, certain things to do. Every man has failed at
some point to do what he should. Our duty to God to ask forgiveness when we
fail to do His will. Our duty to man is to forgive his sins against us. In
seeking forgiveness we have a duty both to God and man.
Christian
prayer includes adoration, forgiveness, praising, confession, thanksgiving and
petition. Prayer is to gain a feel for what is appropriate to say as we bring
our lives into attentive and worshipping response to God. It is access to
everything that God is for us; holiness, justice, mercy, forgiveness,
sovereignty, blessing, vindication, salvation, love, majesty, and glory. Prayer is fellowshipping and sharing with God
just like a person shares with any other person. Just as he or she shares
thoughts, feelings, praise and requests with others, so he shares with God.
Prayer is not speaking into the air but speaking empty words into the mind and
heart with the Spirit of God. It is also the act in which we move beyond
ourselves. When you fill with the Spirit of God in prayer, there is no room for
selfishness.
Meditation
Prof. Pe Maung Tin stated that meditation is also called
mental prayer shows that to Christians prayer is much more important than
meditation, which is only a phase of prayer, methodical meditation being
unknown before the fifteenth century. But it is otherwise with Buddhists who
attach much more importance to meditation than to prayer. Buddhist Meditation
can be described as a practical technique or as a spiritual discovery found in
India by the historical Buddha, also known as Gotama Buddha for about more than
2500 years ago. In fact that generally, Christians emphasize prayer than
meditation practice and Buddhists emphasize meditation practice than prayer.
In Buddhism, dāna (giving) and sĩla (morality) lead to good life and better rebirths in future existences. However, these two things cannot purify our mind completely. As long as our mind is not fully purified, we cannot attain enlightenment. Theravada Buddhism is entirely a religion of self-liberation, one in which each person is considered to possess within himself or herself the power to attain salvation. It is up to the individual to save himself or herself, by the Eightfold Path and the Ten Precepts. There is no concept of grace.
Buddhist
meditation has its roots in the practices of ancient India and stems from the
experience of the Buddha himself, was instructed in meditation by the
travelling holy men who were his first teachers. The practice of Meditation is
essential for the development of mental clarity, insight into conditioned
reality, freedom from negative states, and ultimately, nirvana. The Buddhist understanding of emptiness and tranquility
are based on the stillness discovered in deep meditation. Access to this
understanding is gained first through control of the body and secondly through
control of the mind. Once both have been controlled, Samadhi occurs naturally.
Once Samadhi has been achieved, tranquility and emptiness will be
understood.
The
Dharmapada says, “Victory over a thousand- thousand enemies is not as valuable
as victory over oneself”.
Meditation means mental cultivation or mental development.
In Buddhism, there are two kinds of
meditation (bm0em)-
(1) Tranquility
Meditation or Samatha Meditation (orx-bm0em), this
means the development of one-pointedness (or) concentration.
(2) Insight Meditation or Vipassana Meditation (0dyóem-bm0em), this means the intuitive insight into the
nature of things. Meditation (bm0em) rests on the development of mindfulness and on
the two key elements of Concentration (orm"d) and wisdom or insight (ynm).
The five mental hindrances such as Sensuous Desire,
Ill-Will, Sloth and Torpor, Restlessness and Scruples and Skeptical Doubts can
be removed by Samatha meditation (orx-bm0em) practice. The
Ignorant Hindrance and the Ten Mental Defilements such as Greed, Hate,
Delusion, Conceit, False View, Doubt, Torpor, Restlessness, Shamelessness and
Moral Dread can be eliminated by insight meditation (0dyóem-bm0em) practice.
Samatha meditation (orx-bm0em)Prof. Pe Maung Tin stated that there are forty exercises of Samatha meditation (orx-bm0em) as taught by Buddha, were sevenfold as below: 1). The Ten Complete Objects such as Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, Red, Blue, Yellow, White and Space. 2). The Ten Impurities such as Swollen Corpse, Discolored Corpse, Dismembered or Festering Corpse, Dissected Corpse, Eaten or Gnawed Corpse, Scattering Corpse, Heckled and Scattered Corpse, Bloody Corpse, Worm-Infested Corpse and Skeleton. 3). The Ten Recollections such as the Virtues of the Buddha, the Virtues of the Dhamma, the Virtues of the Sangha, Morality, Generosity, Deities, Peace, Death, Mindfulness of the Body and Mindfulness or Awareness of Breathing or Respiration. 4). The Four Illimitable or the Four Sublime States such as Loving-Kindness or the Universal Love, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity or Indifference. 5). One Perception of the loathsomeness of Food. 6). One Analysis of the Four Elements. 7). The Four Formless Spheres of Infinite Space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, neither perception nor nonperception. The meditation of the Buddhist on his own virtue in an exercise in Group number (3) is an exercise of self-examination to make sure that he is Well-established in the purity of virtue, which is the foundation of meditation.
The Goal of Meditation : Jhans achieve Happiness
Before Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, he studied Seven Jhanas form his first teacher, and later he learnt the Eighth Jhana from his second teacher. On the night of his Enlightenment, he sat down under the Bodhi Tree and began his meditation by practicing the Jhanas ( in the Mahasaccaka Sutta- Majjhima Nikaya -36). The Jhanas are states of concentration. Right Concentration (Samma Samadhi) is explicitly defined in the Mahasatipatthana Sutta and in other suttas (Saccavbhanga Sutta) as Jhanic meditation. Prof. Pe Maung Tin presented that four Jhanas in his paper. (1) First Jhana- a person enters and remains in the First Jhana which is filled with peace, rapturous bliss, peace and joy born of isolation accompanied by primary and sustained attention. With the stilling of primary and sustained attention, by gaining inner tranquility and oneness of mind, he enters and remains in the (2) Second Jhana which is without initial and sustained attention; born of concentration, and is filled with rapture and joy. With the fading away of rapture, remaining imperturbable, mindful, and clearly aware, he enters and remains in the (3) Third Jhana which has equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress- he enters and remains in the Fourth Jhana which is beyond pleasure and pain; and purified by equanimity and mindfulness. This four Jhanas may be attained by meditating on the ten complete objects, breathings, equanimity. Prof. Pe Maung Tin explained Jhana meditation as Samatha meditation (orx-bm0em), the development of mental tranquility with concentration, is accompanied by three benefits: it gives happiness in the present life, a favorable rebirth, and the freedom from mental defilement which is a prerequisite for the attainment of insight.
Insight or Vipassana meditation (0dyóem-bm0em)
The second part of meditation is insight or Vipassana meditation, which arise like a flash of lightning penetrating the true nature of all physical and psychical phenomena of existence. It is realization of the Three Signs of Being, Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta, by direct insight. These three characteristics, Impermanence, Suffering and Non-self, can be grasped intellectually. In this part, Prof. Pe Maung Tin wanted to know the five stages of purity are to reach the goal of Sainthood.
Before to purify our mind, we need to know the Noble Eightfold Path is the most important summary of Buddhist practice. The eight ideals outlined in this concept offer a “cure” for the continuous cycle of rebirth, suffering and death. In defining the Eightfold Path, the Buddha rejected two ideas that are central to other world religions. First, there is no belief in or relationship with a transcendent creator God who sustains the world and on whom one depends for security of salvation. Second, the belief in an immortal soul is rejected.
The ideals of the Eightfold Path are traditionally divided
into three categories that mark the progressive path to nirvana; (1) Morality-oDv (right speech, right action, right livelihood); (2)
Concentration-orm"d
(right effort, right mindfulness,
right concentration); (3) wisdom or insight-ynm (right view, right thought). It
emphasizes that moral progress is the foundation for successful meditation and
that the measure of successful meditation is the development and perfection of
insight or wisdom. In the Visuddhimagga (“Path of Purity”), the fifth-century CE
Theravada commentator Buddhaghosa calls morality and meditation the two “legs”
of Buddhism, upon which the “body” of liberating insight stands.
(1)
First stage- In this stage a person has to make a
through analysis of mind and matter, and comes to the conclusion that all
physical and psychical phenomena are void of the self.
(2)
Second stage- In this stage he has to know the
conditions under which physical and psychical phenomena arise and consequently
puts away all doubts with reference to his existence in the past, present and
future.
(3)
Third stage – In this stage he must know which is the
right path and which is the wrong path.
(4)
Fourth stage- In this stage he has to gains the nine
kinds of insight-knowledge. (a) contemplation on the arising, (b) contemplation
on passing away of all phenomena, (c) on disintegration, (d) manifestation of
fear, (e) contemplation on misery, (f) on disgust, (g) indifference to all
mental formations, (h) adaptive knowledge, so called because it adapts itself
to the true functions of the foregoing eight insight-knowledge and to those of
the accessories of Enlightenment.
(5)
Fifth stage- In this stage he has to acquire knowledge
of the four paths of winning the Stream to Nirvana, the end of suffering of
Once-returning to become a being, of No-returning to become a being and of
Sainthood.
To relate in this final stage, Prof. Pe Maung Tin described that a person
can access by the four paths of winning the Stream to Nirvana, the end of
suffering and to become Sainthood.
(1)
The Stream Wining Path (aomwywdår*f) - In
this state, a person grasps immediately after the maturity-knowledge as to
gains the nine kinds of insight-knowledge right a way, he access the state of
consciousness call the Stream Wining Path. He has won this stream through weak
insight he is reborn among men and spirits seven times after that he makes an
end of suffering. A stream-winner has to destroy the first three greed, hate,
and delusion.
(2) The path
of once-returning (ou'g*grdr*f) - In this state, the stream-winner
applies himself so that sensuous lust and ill-will may be weakened and
eventually reaches the path of once-returning. He returns only once to this
world is able to make an end of suffering.
(3)
The path of no-returning (tem*grdr*f) – In this
state, the once-returner attains the path of no-returning and then has
destroyed the first five fetters: greed, hate, delusion, sensuous lust and
ill-will, he is not liable to rebirth in this world.
(4)
The path of Sainthood (t&[wår*f) – In this state, when the
no-returner has been removed the remaining five fetters: ignorance,
restlessness, pride, doubt and contagion of rites and rituals, the path of
Sainthood is attained.
A Saint is described as a great one who is free from the evil, is bearing
his last body, has discharged his burden, attained to his goodness, destroyed
his hinders of existence, is freed by right perfect knowledge, worth of the
first gifts of the world of men and spirits.Preparation and posture
The classical meditation position is 'the lotus position'. This involves sitting cross-legged with the left foot on top of the right thigh and the right foot on top of the left thigh. If you can't manage that it is still good to sit on the floor either kneeling or cross-legged with enough support to have both knees on the ground and the back erect without having to strain. But it is possible to meditate in any stable posture that keeps the spine straight. Sitting quietly in a chair is perfectly acceptable. While it helps for the body to be alert, relaxed and stable, meditation is really about the mind and the inner experience. Posture is a support to that but most Buddhist traditions do not regard it as an end in itself. It is useful to take time before and after you meditate to settle into and emerge from the practice. The favorite pose for the Buddhist is to sit cross-legged with the body straight and mindfulness ahead. The Christian has a wider choice of pose.
Christian Meditation
The consideration of Prof. Pe Maung Tin clearly emerged that Christian meditation is the first stage of mental prayer, where the meditator seeks to clean his mind of worldly images and ideas by living the whole day in a constant recollection of omnipresent of God. At the actual time of meditation, he begins with knowing of God and a humble petition for His help and inspiration, followed by a picturing of the scene of Christ or of a Saint or some attribute of God or some Christian virtue. But in the considerations of the Christian virtues, the worshipper dwells especially on those virtues in which he knows himself to be deficient.
The consideration of Prof. Pe Maung Tin clearly emerged that Christian meditation is the first stage of mental prayer, where the meditator seeks to clean his mind of worldly images and ideas by living the whole day in a constant recollection of omnipresent of God. At the actual time of meditation, he begins with knowing of God and a humble petition for His help and inspiration, followed by a picturing of the scene of Christ or of a Saint or some attribute of God or some Christian virtue. But in the considerations of the Christian virtues, the worshipper dwells especially on those virtues in which he knows himself to be deficient.
One
form of Christian meditation that has been used by believers since at least the
fourth century AD is the lectio divina (Latin). It has been
traditionally used in monastic religious orders and is enjoying resurgence
today. Lectio divina means "sacred reading" and has four
stages: (1) lectio (reading), (2) meditatio (discursive
meditation), (3) oratio (affective prayer), and (4) contemplatio
(contemplation). In the lectio (reading) stage, one finds a passage and
reads it deliberately. The next stage, meditatio (discursive meditation),
is where one considers the text. In the oratio (effective prayer) stage,
one talks to God about the reading, asking Him to reveal the truth. In the
final, contemplatio (contemplation) stage, one simply rests in the
Lord's presence. St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) practiced
contemplative prayer for periods of one hour at a time, twice a day. In her Life
she recounts that she found this very difficult for the first several years.
She had no one to teach her, and taught herself from the instructions given in
a book, the third spiritual alphabet by Francisco de Osuna. Her starting
point was the practice of "recollection". Recollection means an
effort of the will to keep the senses and the intellect in check and not allow
them to get lost. One restricts the attention to a single subject, principally
the love of God. "It is called recollection because the soul collects
together all the faculties and enters within itself to be with God", she
says in The way of perfection. Because St Teresa found it difficult to
concentrate, she would use devices such as short readings from an inspiring
book, a scene of natural beauty or a religious statue or picture to remind her
of her intended focus. In due course, the mind becomes effortlessly still. The
initial practice St Teresa viewed as the voluntary effort of the individual,
while the subsequent stillness and joy she saw as gifts from God.
Two contemporary forms of Christian
meditation emerged during the twentieth century.
Dom John Main (1926-1982) learned mantra meditation from Swami
Satyananda in Malaysia. Swami Satyananda told him he must do "Christian
meditation" and so John Main used the mantra Maranatha, which is
Aramaic for "Come, Lord", as in I Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation
22:20. Dom John Main later found parallels with John Cassian's (4th century)
mention of the repetition of a short verse as a focus for prayer. Fr Laurence
Freeman continues Dom John Main's work. As you recite it you also begin to
internally "listen" to it. The word recommended is Ma-ra-na-tha
(meaning the Lord comes!). Fr
Thomas Keating and Fr Basil Pennington teach a contemplative form of prayer
named "Centering Prayer". Here a sacred word is used only to express
the intention to be in God's presence.
In the Old Testament, there are two Hebrew
words for meditation: hāgâ (Hebrew), which means to sigh or murmur,
but also to meditate, and sîhâch (Hebrew), which means to muse,
or rehearse in one's mind. Christian
meditation is a form of quiet (but not necessarily silent) contemplation
often associated with prayer or scripture study. It is rooted in the Bible,
which directs its readers to meditate. In Joshua 1:8, God commands his people
to meditate on his word day and night to instill obedience. A primary
function of Christian meditation is to still the mind and heart, making both
more open to the principles of the faith. This stillness then allows a
centering and grounding of our attention in prayer or reading. The lasting effects
of this practice are seen in the everyday events of living, as the Christian
grows closer in her walk with God.
In Christian meditation, the believer
seeks to fill his or her thoughts with truths about God. Christians can achieve
this by focusing on the Word of God, as the psalmist said: "But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and
night" (Psalms 1:2). The only path to peace and fulfillment is through
God. If an individual, with purpose and intent, will meditate on God, he will
achieve the highest of heights, including joy and peace. "You will keep in
perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3). Meditation
is practiced for the purpose of developing a deeper understanding and relationship with God. One particular verse in 1 Timothy 4:15, KJV,
says it this way: "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to
them; that thy profiting may appear to all". Within this context,
meditating on biblical principles is the means through which the Christian walk
is found. Within the context of Bible reading, prayer or quiet time; focusing on
verses, music, images, or symbols is the means by which this meditation is
carried out. Prayer of the
Church is a rhythmic recitation or singing of the Psalms in monastic
communities
The Eastern meditation practices where the purpose is to empty oneself
of daily concerns, the Christian is seeking a closer experience, or
relationship with God, as portrayed in the verse, "Be still and know that
I am God," (Psalm 46:10, KJV). Eastern tradition of meditation helps the mind turn away from thoughts
and images, to help achieve liberation. Similarly, the Christian tradition of
pure prayer seeks to protect us from distraction, taking us to the inner silence of the heart where Christ prays in us
through the Spirit. Inner silence is the essential ingredients of Christian
meditation. Solitude is the place of conversion. It is not a private
therapeutic place. Rather it is the place where the old self dies and the new
self is born. Meditation helps us get free of the domination of the
ego. The practice of Christian meditation, its objective is to daily 'empty the
self' to experience the fullness of God. It is consonant with Jesus’ invitation
to his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. It is central to
Easter celebrations, 'dying' to rise to a New Life. For a Christian the
practice of meditation is the practice of an 'awareness' of God in Jesus Christ.
Equally, at the heart of the practice of Christian meditation is the essential
onslaught on the 'ego' so that we may be completely free from its domination.
Prophet Isaiah says (30:15): "In conversion and tranquility lies your
salvation".
Three
ways practices
Today, meditation is generally
seen as a practice: -go to your holy place or silent place. Spend some moments settling
down. Use whatever ways you have learned to center yourself.
(1)Let the spine be straight, the body relaxed and alert. Particular relaxation techniques used in the process are
breathing; visualization of a symbol, word, or image; and short, repeated
prayer phrases. Many of the techniques used are similar to traditional relaxation
techniques; however the focus is always intentional and directed toward God. In
practice, meditating becomes one of many forms of worship, such as prayer and
fasting. (2) Let your body be
firmly planted on the earth, your hands resting easily, your heart soft, your
eyes closed gently. Bring awareness to your body. Consciously
soften any obvious tension. Notice your breath. Notice your
feelings and thoughts.
(3)
Let go of any habitual thoughts or plans. Remember your desire for God in
the form of a prayer or wordless feeling. In some aspects, Christian meditation is similar to other
meditative practices. When a person subjects himself to a state of inner peace,
he opens his body and mind to the benefits of the spirit. In other meditative
systems, this spirit enriches the body and makes it healthier. The facilitation
of the flow of the spirit into the body creates opportunities for overall
wellness, such as the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The comment of Prof. Pe
Maung Tin is that the principle of Buddhist meditation method and Christian
meditation method are not the same. The Buddhist meditation method has the
concentration of the full powers of a man can able to attain insight into the
true nature of ultimate reality. The Buddhist makes himself a Saint by
his own effort, the Christian is made a mystic by God. The Buddhist gets rid of
the depravities so that his mind may be purified for the work of insight into
the true nature of things, but the Christian is purged of self so that he may
be a fit receptacle for the divine power.
He also remarked that the two meditation systems ending in inner
peace. In Buddhism, a person meditating is not trying to get into a hypnotic
state or contact angels or any other supernatural entity. The purpose of
meditation is to stop the mind rushing about in an aimless (or even a
purposeful) stream of thoughts. People often say that the aim of meditation is
to still the mind.
Conclusion
We,
Buddhists and Christians should be a partner in practice of prayer and
meditation and share the knowledge of each other’s religious reality. Such
sharing could also be opportunities for learning and making solidarity. We can
also learn from other religions their hospitality, openness and peaceful mind
and heart and humble attitude in sharing dialogue. Especially,
Buddhist-Christian dialogue is need to take place on all different levels,
concerning an increasing the practice of meditation in many different places. As a result, we are going to
look over humanity, salvation, sin, poverty and freedom. These are reliably
important themes in which the partners can help one another to gain. Here in Myanmar, we share
the same concerns in the great moments of life. We both know the various thoughts differ
from each other but we are the same in common social and economy, ethical
responsibility, brotherhood of humanity, and engagement for peace. We both Buddhists and Christians
are coming together for the movements of transformation that seek to
overcome suffering and to liberate us from the prison in which we find
ourselves.
Prayer and meditation should be part of our spiritual
journey, transforming confusion into clarity and suffering into joy. It should
be done to strengthen and open our hearts, and to benefit all human beings. Prayer
and meditation enrich our lives with deep spiritual connection and makes every
moment special, manifesting peace into our human heart as the kingdom of God.
Professor Pe Maung Tin studied
Christian theology and also Buddhism comprehensively. He wrote several papers
and articles in philosophy, theology and inter-faith understanding. He is an
outstanding theologian view on inclusive theological way approach to Christian
believers and readers. He became a well-known professor and impressive teacher
for university students. Some of his writings, he obtained theological and
dialogical foundations for Buddhist-Christian mutual acceptance which makes
possible the formation of Buddhist-Christian communities in Myanmar.
Rev. Dr. Aye
Min
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