Difference Between Prayer And Meditation

Difference Between Prayer And Meditation

• Prayer is talking to God; Meditation is listening to God
• All can pray but only a purified mind is really able to meditate
• Righteous conduct, moral and ethical values, quality in work, fulfillment of duties, unselfishness, etc. purifies the mind.
• Repetition of a holy name, Japa or brief ‘prayer’ or mantra, prayers for good of all, etc. purifies and calms the mind and prepares its launch into meditation
• We are slaves of memories of past experiences and consequences of our own past good and bad deeds, which we ourselves impress upon and store in our minds; these make the mind restless and unable to meditate.
• Prayers purify the mind by pouring of holy thoughts, just as an ink-bottle is purified by pouring fresh water!
• Only a pure mind can really be controlled
• The highest prayer is when mind flows spontaneously towards God
• Prayers become more effective when we can establish a relationship with God – as mother, father, friend, family member
• Since God is all-powerful, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, full of consciousness and ananda or bliss, the best prayer is: “may all beings be happy, may all beings be peaceful, may all beings be blissful”

2.       Role of prayer in health:

• Since prayers calm and purify the mind they are positive influence on our health

3.       Role of prayer in disease

• Prayers have been known to cure disease also; but perhaps depend upon factors beyond our full comprehension

4.       Should hospitals have prayer rooms?

• Yes, certainly; all educational institutes, offices, factories also.

5.       Should doctors pray along with their patients?

• To labor is to pray; best professional services offered without selfish motives is the highest prayer for all professionals.
• This spontaneous feelings of love, care, concern for others has to be developed and cultivated by daily routine of prayers and meditations, which purify the mind and help us experience ‘perfection’ and ananda, which is already within us.

Swami Vivekananda has described the essence of education and religions based on the essential nature of man: Each soul is potentially divine (our swaroopa – our inherent, unchanging nature is Perfection, goodness andananda personified – divine). The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature external and internal (our mind). Do this through work, devotion and prayers, meditation and knowledge (of all-pervasive divinity)

(Contributed by: Sunil Kumar, Member, Managing Committee,Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi)