The Major Differences Between Prayer And Meditation.
There’s a huge discussion about prayer and meditation going on, these discussion isn’t only by theists even atheists to get involve because it is believed that prayer and meditation are the same. To understand if prayer is different from meditation or if both practices are the same you need to look no further than read this proper analysis of both prayer and meditation, here we try to explain the difference between prayer and meditation. They both seem alike or the same but when properly observed it becomes apparent that there is just enough reasons to classify prayer and meditation differently.
Definitions of prayer and meditation
To have a proper discussion on the difference between prayer and meditation we need to go through the definitions of these two similar but different practices and see if you can spot any differences or similarities:
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Prayer
This means making an appeal in a humble manner to talk to God or a god with confession, adoration, supplication, or thanksgiving.
Meditate
Meditation means getting involved in a mental exercise (to concentrate on your breathing or reiteration of your mantra). Its purpose is to reach an amplified stage of spiritual awareness.
The mind is used for both activities, and they require concentration; however, their goals are different.
Theoretically, there are 7 billion distinct prayer and meditation types.
Everyone has a different goal for a prayer or meditation session. Tons of various prayers exist, so does meditation.
They both can be done silently or aloud.
Try to generalize all types of prayers and meditations in a certain way is a silly idea.
At this point, we will be going to address the facts about the two actions.
Difference Between Prayer and Meditation
The main difference between prayer and meditation is that prayer in a nutshell involves you talking to your God while meditation is about you listening to your God or your inner self.
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Similarities Between Prayer and Meditation
Basically, prayer and meditations are similar. People sit silently and reflect in both actions. Most of the time, they both have good intentions. Also, both of them help you become better.
However, results aren’t the focal point of prayers and meditations.
We do them because we are conscious of our surroundings. Both our actions and our thoughts will create a change in the world.
The summary of this text is: meditations like in, and prayers look up.
No matter your reason for prayer or meditation, it will turn your life around for the better.
Scientific Reasoning On Prayer And Meditation
Scientific studies carried out on meditations are widespread and maybe because meditations are considered to be unspiritual.
Some prayers can have a bad meaning, and prayers between congregations, denominations, and religion can be different.
What do studies say about meditations?
- Meditation boosts self-control
- Meditation creates empathy
- Meditation helps you forgive yourself and others
- Meditation reduces stress
The studies carried out on prayers have pointed out these:
- Prayer aids forgiveness
- Prayer relieves stress
- Prayer helps with self-control
The Facts On Prayer And Religion
Prayer is an essential aspect of monotheistic religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
When the worshippers are praying, their thoughts are sent to God or Allah in praises.
The most popular type of meditation is mindfulness meditation, and it is one of the easiest to learn. You just sit and flow with your breath.
These prayers are centered on forgiveness. A part or all the components are included in most prayers. For instance, Jesus talked praises and asking for God’s blessing and safety in the Lord’s Prayer.
Instead of sending thoughts to God, thereby turning outward, most meditations place focus on the person’s soul in a bid to attain a heightened sense of spiritual awareness.
Meditation is practiced around the globe, particularly in Eastern religions. The majority of these meditations originate from Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), the founder of Buddhism.
Prayers are made for the sick and less fortunate ones because they may be capable of doing that.
While meditating, there is a certain pattern to be followed, you sit in silence and ruminate on certain things (or nothing) in your mind.
Prayer and meditation have a few differences. What are your scientific thoughts towards them?
That’s it about the differences and similarities between prayer and meditation, am sure you’ve gotten enough idea as to how and why these two practices are different and similar, but there are still people who ask lots of questions regarding the topic of prayer and meditation, we’d like to answer some of their frequently asked questions below.
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FAQ
- Is prayer and meditation the same thing?
No, prayer and meditation are not the same. Though similar they’re really different as explained up in the article.
- Can you pray while meditating?
Yes, you can certainly pray while meditating, it all works according to what religion you practice.
- How do you pray and meditate?
There’s a procedure on how to pray and meditate at the same time, this is according to experts in the field;
- Get Quiet. Begin by sitting in a posture as for meditation.
- Greet and Offer Praise. Spend a moment or two setting the stage with a prayer of invocation or praise, or an offering of gratitude.
- Speak Your Truth. Acknowledge your interior truth for that moment.
- Connect.
- Make a request.
- Let Go.
- Immerse Yourself in the Sacred.
- What is the difference between thinking and meditation?
The difference between thinking and meditation is mostly in the goal of the both practices. The goal of think is mostly so as to understand an event, situation or an entity. While the goal for meditation is to cause your conscious mind to stop thinking and creation of meaning or the habitual placement of abstraction on top of the world that we experience. The goal of meditation is also to cause your mind to stop everything on focus on your soul.
- Can meditation be dangerous?
Yes, meditation can be dangerous. There have been reports of meditation resulting in different side effects that affects the individual’s emotions, sensory perception, social interaction, sense of self. This many times lead to hallucination and a lot others.
- Is it bad to meditate at night?
No, it’s not bad to meditate at night. There is no fixed time when you must have to meditate. It is not advised to meditate in the night because of the chances of falling asleep while meditating.
- Is meditation a form of worship?
No, meditation isn’t by any means a form of worship, because no religion has ever equated meditation to prayer or worship.
- Can meditation change your personality?
Yes, meditation can change your personality in so many ways. It is believed that meditation is linked to higher levels of extraversion and openness to experience and lower levels of neuroticism.
