Meditation

Universal origin

Meditation appears in all the great spiritual traditions: Hindu (already in the Vedas, 1500 BC), Buddhist (the Buddha himself meditated 6 years before his awakening), Taoist (sitting meditation, qi gong), Christian (early desert fathers, contemplative monasticism, Hesychasm), Sufi Islamic (dhikr), Jewish (Hitbodedut). The convergence of so many cultures on similar practices is significant: human beings have universally found that prolonged contemplative attention transforms consciousness.

In recent decades, meditation has crossed the border of the religious and entered the therapeutic and scientific field. Programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) of Jon Kabat-Zinn (1979) demystified Buddhist meditation, secularising it for medical use. Scientific studies have documented effects on the reduction of cortisol, blood pressure, anxiety and depression; on the activity of the prefrontal cortex; on the volume of the amygdala. Today there is medically respectable evidence on its benefits.

Main schools

Mindfulness / Vipassana (Buddhist origin): observe sensations, thoughts and emotions as they arise, without reacting. Cultivate equanimous attention. Samatha-Shamatha (Buddhist): concentrate on a single object (breath, image, mantra) cultivating mental tranquillity. Zen (Japanese Buddhism): sitting meditation (zazen), often with no specific object — being open to direct experience. Includes meditation with koans (paradoxical questions).

Trascendental Meditation (Hindu origin, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi): silent repetition of personal mantra. Loving-kindness meditation / Metta (Buddhist): cultivate compassion towards all beings. Christian contemplation: silent presence before the divine, repetition of Jesus prayer. Visualisation (esoteric, tantric, Jungian): work with active inner images. Walking meditation, tea meditation, etc. Each school has its method but coincides in the basic objective: bring complete attention to the present.

How to start

For beginners, the recommendation is simple: 1) Sit comfortably with straight back (chair or floor), eyes closed or slightly open. 2) Bring attention to the breath: feel how the air enters and leaves. 3) When the mind goes (and it will go, again and again — that is normal), gently return to the breath without judging yourself. 4) Start with 5-10 minutes daily and gradually go up to 20-30. 5) Be regular: 10 minutes a day is more powerful than 1 hour weekly. The benefits begin to be noticed in 2-4 weeks of consistent practice.