An Asian monk or a yoga in a hip bandage sitting with crossed legs in a state of deep concentration? Indeed, the art of meditation has been polished for thousands of years in temples, caves and monasteries in East and Southeast Asia, but fortunately, over the past hundred years, it has gradually penetrated the West. Meditation is present - though not so noticeably and in a slightly different form - in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Did you know, for example, that many of the prophets of the Bible were meditating? Or that Jesus was meditating when he left for the desert for forty days?
Meditation binds us to our ancient ancestors who lived in a happy union with nature. Because meditation involves a transition from reflection and action to being as such, our distant ancestors had a significant advantage over us: their lives were simpler, their thinking was more holistic, and their connection to nature and the divine was much stronger.
You may, of course, be meditating with no idea of its roots and origins, but knowing history places meditation in a particular historical and spiritual context. Therefore, let us make a brief overview of the development of meditation as a spiritual practice in different parts of the world.
Shamans are the first great meditators
Long before times of the Buddha and Indian yogis, shamans in primitive cultures of the world used meditation practices for transition to the condition of the changed consciousness known as trance. Concentrating consciousness through rhythmic drumming, monotonous spells, simple, repetitive dance movements and hallucinogenic plants, the shaman left his body shell and made his journey into the "world of spirits". There they learned divine wisdom, acquired the ability to heal diseases and magical power and received a blessing for their tribe.
In the rock drawings, which are over 15 thousand years old, there are images of figures spread on the ground. Scientists believe that these figures depict shamans, who are in a trance state and cast a spell on the heavenly forces to send down their tribe of successful hunting. Other rock paintings from about the same period depict shamans that have become animals, a practice that still exists today in some parts of the world. Shamans and their present-day followers have no doubt that such transformations and leaving to the states of altered consciousness are really possible.
In the transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary farming, shamanism has fallen into disrepair, but even today shamans continue to act as healers, guides for the dead in the afterlife and intermediaries between humans and spirits. In recent years, thanks to the emergence of Carlos Castaneda, Michael Harner and Joseph Campbell, Western civilization has increasingly shown an interest in shamanism - and some have even become real shamans.
Indian roots of meditation
The deepest roots of meditation are in India, where for more than five thousand years the so-called sadhu (wandering saints, men and women) and yogis have cultivated - in one form or another - meditation practices. India has proved to be a very fertile ground for the flourishing of meditation art and its dissemination both in the eastern and western directions.
Already in the earliest scriptures of India, Vedas, where there is no mention of meditation, it is possible to find references to the fact that Vedic priests performed rituals and rituals, and chanted to the gods. All this required an incredible concentration of attention. Over time, these rituals, rituals, and chanting became a form of prayerful meditation that included breathing control and full concentration on the divine. The deeper the Vedic priests plunged into their prayers, the more they understood that the believer and the object of his faith, the existence of man and the existence of God were the same thing. This remarkable discovery had inspired and guided the seekers of spiritual revelation for centuries.
Three of the most famous meditation traditions of India - yoga, Buddhism and tantra - emerged from this wonderful garden of Vedic and Vedic spirituality.