History of Meditation

Though meditation has been around for thousands of years, it’s fairly new in the Western world. During the 18th century, western scholars began to translate the teachings of ancient philosophers from the Hindu and Buddhists religions. Suddenly, all these mystical teachings were available to the average person. Many individuals found the teachings interesting and wondered if practices like meditation would really work.

The Beginnings

In 1922, Herman Hesse published a book called “Siddhartha.” It was an intriguing story of the Buddha’s spiritual journey. It told of his teachings and his struggle of self-discovery. This book made the teachings of Buddha readily available to people all over the world. One of his regular practices was meditation. He believed that it helped humans to clear their minds of all their worries and concerns so they could focus on important spiritual concepts.

How to meditate

Not only books like this have become more prevalent all over the world, but people continue to discover the healing that meditation can bring. This practice is easier for some people than others. In order to begin, get in a quiet place with no distractions. It may help to light a candle or use essentials oils. Certain oils like lavender help to calm us. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Clear your mind of everything! This takes time to perfect. Some people will find it difficult to stop thinking about the cares of life and just be at peace.

Though the practice of meditation may seem simple from the outside, it can take years to get it exactly right. The hardest part for most people is to find a place of perfect peace where they no longer think about their lives, their family, work, spouse, kids, job, and money problems. If you struggle with this, then just keep at it until you can perfect the philosophy.