Meditation

Discussion Questions: 

• What are some of your first reactions to the idea of meditation? What is your background experience in this area?

• What is the basic difference between eastern meditation and Christian meditation?

• What threatens you most about mediation? (modify, “if any”)

• What is the value of thinking through the specifics of time, place, and position during the meditation experience?

• What are the dangers in concentrating on time, place and position in the meditation experience?

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• How would you define meditation?

• What key elements do you think belong in a definition of meditation?

• In addition to a definition, might there be a picture or an analogy that conveys or portrays meditation?

• How does meditation compare and contrast to other spiritual disciplines you’re more familiar with?

• Do you understand meditation enough to practice it?

• Do you understand meditation enough to teach it? If so, to teach it at what level?

 

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Initial Application Options:

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• Meditation Through Journaling: Have a conversation with God through journaling. Instead of just writing down thoughts, think your thoughts as an open ended conversation with God. Take on the writing voice of speaking directly to Him (officially referred to as direct address or second person communication).

  • reflect on your day, or a particular thing that you notice taking up most of your thoughts throughout the day or week.

  • read a passage of scripture until something stands out. Start your journaling session as soon as something stands out. Or highlight things that stand out from an entire passage, then go back and choose one or several of words/passages and have a conversation with God about those. 

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• Use Prompt 4 from Celebration of Discipline study guide, but with a Psalm of your choosing or one fo the ones listed below:

  • Psalm 1

  • Psalm 63

  • Psalm 77

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• Do the “Palms uUp, Palms Down” exercise mentioned in the reading. Note anything you learn about yourself. 

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• A Meditation on Meditation: Spend meditative time specifically dedicated to understanding meditation by engaging/answering the following:

  • How would you define meditation?

  • What key elements do you think belong in a definition of meditation?

  • In addition to a definition, might there be a picture or an analogy that conveys or portrays meditation?

  • Where does meditation stop or start compared to different activities/practices/disciplines?​

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