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There are many different types of meditation techniques that are based on numerous religions of the world. Indian schools of religion and philosophy mention the Sanskrit word Yoga. Yoga means to yoke or unite the soul (the real Self) with God (the higher Self). Yoga has two facets – Intelligence (God) and Unintelligence (material world). Man as part of this creation has both these two facets. At the physical level, man is surrounded largely by the material world or Maya (unintelligence) and has forgotten his real identity as part of God.
In the Hindu religion, Lord Krishna in the holy Bhagvad Gita, mentions three ways to unite the soul with God. The three ways include concentration on God, detachment from the material world and transcendence from the outer self to the inner self. Sitting in a quiet place, a Hindu follower recites holy mantras to focus his attention on God, thereby performing sound meditation while chanting the name of the Lord. Prayer beads are used at times to enhance the concentration level.
Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion teaches three things, one of which is Naam Japna. A Sikh follower does his daily Simran, sound meditation on the name of the Lord in the wee hours of the morning from 3am to 6am (known as Amritvela). In Christianity, the Old Testament says “Be Still and know that I am God”. A Christian follower meditates by the divine reading of the Bible and focusing his thoughts on the love of God. Meditation here gets related to four Latin terms lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio (i.e. read, ponder, pray, contemplate).
As a path towards enlightenment (Nirvana), followers of Buddhism meditate daily through methods that develop mindfulness, concentration and include visualization. In Islam, meditation is interpreted as the remembrance of the name of God and involves breathing control and repetition of holy words.
Both in the east and the west, many people meditate in different forms that include breath meditation, transcendental meditation, light & sound meditation, chanting & repetition of the name of God, visual meditation and many more.