Meditation
Meditation designates a set of mental practices aimed at training attention, quieting psychic agitation, and developing a clear awareness of the present moment or of an object of contemplation. It exists in many forms in all the great spiritual traditions.
Origin and etymology
The word comes from the Latin meditatio, meaning exercise or deep reflection. Meditative practice is documented in the oldest Hindu texts: the Vedas (between 1500 and 500 BCE) mention concentration techniques, and the Upanishads codify the practice of dhyana. Early Buddhism, from the historical Buddha in the 6th-5th century BCE, developed samatha (concentration) and vipassana (insight) meditations. In the West, medieval Christian meditation (lectio divina, prayer of the heart) and Jewish meditation (meditative Kabbalah) constitute distinct but structurally comparable traditions. Chinese Taoism and Japanese Zen have their own forms inherited from Buddhist transmissions.
Evolution and tradition
Three main families of techniques can be distinguished. Focused meditation concentrates attention on a specific object: breath, mantra, image. Open meditation or mindfulness observes without judging what arises in the field of consciousness. Compassionate or metta meditation intentionally cultivates benevolent emotions. Western diffusion accelerated in the 20th century with D.T. Suzuki for Zen, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Transcendental Meditation, 1958) and Jon Kabat-Zinn (MBSR program at the University of Massachusetts, 1979). Contemporary neuroscience, notably the work of Richard Davidson, has documented measurable effects on the brain of seasoned meditators.
Practical use
A regular meditation practice generally consists of sitting in a stable posture, observing the breath, and returning attention to the chosen object whenever the mind drifts. A few minutes a day are enough to start. On Tarotoui, meditation is documented as a universal spiritual practice, sometimes associated with the contemplative reading of a tarot card or an esoteric symbol. Meditation in front of a drawn card — gazing at the image, following the associations that emerge — is a common technique in contemporary tarot practice that extends divination through symbolic integration.
Going further
Confusing meditation and relaxation is a simplification. Relaxation seeks to release tension, meditation seeks to train attention, which can on the contrary be demanding. Note also that not all meditations are equivalent: Christian contemplative meditation, Zen and MBSR mindfulness share a family but are not interchangeable. Choosing a school and sticking to it is generally more effective than multiplying practices.