Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to become aware of and reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study, and to practice. Christian meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God.
Gospel of Matthew, c. 1700
A monk walking in a Benedictine monastery
Saint Teresa of Avila depicted by Rubens, 1615. She is often considered one of the most important Christian mystics.
Saint Francis de Sales
Meditation is a 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.
Young children practicing meditation in a Peruvian school
Man meditating in a garden setting (19th century)
The āsana in which Mahavira is said to have attained omniscience
Bodhidharma practicing zazen