BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Philosophy Meditation and thinking

Philosophy prizes thought. Thinking. The rational brain.

What do you think of meditation? It is a thought process? Or a letting go of individually-generated thought?

There was another thread about logic and intuition. Is there a place for meditation for the thinking man?

It seems to me that as I read biographies of men and women who were movers and shakers of this world, they often spent time alone, not only deep in thought but in meditative states. Many took long walks in nature or sat alone in a quiet place. Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Socrates.

Do you meditate? Or simply contemplate on your thoughts?

As a long-time meditator, I had to weigh in on this one...

First off, I think there are many different types of meditation, and some do involve concentration, at least at first, which might be described as trying to get down to 'one' thought - i.e. focusing on a mantra, visualization, etc.

But ultimately, I think of meditation as helping us get to levels of awareness that are beneath thought, and by doing so, we can open up new ways of seeing ourselves and situations. We can tap into intuition and other kinds of 'knowing'. And that then may be reflected in the thoughts we have, which is why so many creative problem-solvers are drawn to it I think (in addition to the spiritual component.)