The History Of Meditation

Archaeologists affirm that the history of meditation actually dates back to prehistory. They believe that before written records of meditation in the civilized world existed, early human beings had already discovered the positive effects of gazing into the flickering flames of a bonfire that has brought them to an altered state of consciousness. Since then, many types of meditation have become common among primitive societies.

The earliest records of written meditation techniques are Hindu scriptures called tantra’s that are said to be written 5,000 years ago. A yogi figure demonstrating the practice of yoga proves the existence of meditation in the first ever Indian civilization located in the Indus Valley.

The spreading of meditation techniques across Asia can be attributed to the advent of Buddha in around 500 B.C. Each culture that came to adapt Buddha’s teachings developed their own interpretation and techniques of meditation. This resulted in many different variations and styles, in several cultures, across the continent. Buddha used to be known as Siddharta Gautama. He was able to attain Buddhahood by his experimentation in different forms of meditation. Because of this, he was able to develop jhaanas or supranormal skills until such skills became a practice known as samatha. By practicing these skills, he was able to calm down his inner thoughts and develop in himself the power of concentration. This type of meditation became known as the vipassanaa – the ability to see the nature of life and the universe by means of meditation. Through vipassanaa, one is able to attain Nirvana.

The history of meditation must not be attributed merely on the Buddhists and the Hindus. The Muslims also claim that meditation has become an Islamic practice, dating back to  the time of the Prophet Mohammed. This is according to the beliefs of the Sufis of Islam.

Western religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Jainism also have there place  in the history of meditation as well. However, meditation is not widely practiced or taught in these religions, when compared to the Middle Eastern and Asian traditions.

In ancient times, meditation was performed for spiritual and cultural purposes, though its effects on a person’s physical and mental well-being have long been documented. It took thousands of years before the western civilization took meditation seriously. It became popular in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Even celebrities practiced different forms of meditation. The Beatles are probably one of these groups who were very vocal about their meditation practices. People who idolized the band also tried to assume the same lifestyle. As a result, they found the benefits of meditation to be quite substantial.

Probably, one great leap in the history of meditation also happened during the 60s and 70s. It wasn’t just hippies learning about meditation, the medical and scientific community started conducting studies on meditation. Most of the studies, if not all, discovered that meditation had some significant health benefits. Because of this collection of findings, the western civilization started accepting meditation as a form of therapeutic remedy to alleviate physical and mental ailments. Soon after, meditation became the first ever alternative, or holistic form of healing, widely accepted in the medical world today.