I wasn't asking for a link, I was asking for your opinion. You seem incapable of giving your own opinion.

Do you have anything to say?

I think it can depend on the person as well.

For me, it's something I'm still trying to figure out. I am intensely religious by nature and religious aesthetics and experience affect me profoundly. I'm particularly drawn to Christianity, partly because I was raised Catholic, and partly because I think Christianity has the most beautiful aesthetics and artistic history. But I just don't believe any of the Christian dogmas. I'm trying to find some middle ground, but I'm not sure where it is.

I don't associate my meditation practice much with my Christian faith. I feel that meditation is a tool that one can use to overcome certain mental distractions. Meditation, slowly, reveals who you really are. It shines a light on all the undesirable emotions/thoughts you experience.

When you go past the huger and torment
Calmness and clearheadness comes
You are just at ease

I personally find it much more interesting, going with the flow...!
The struggle is going against it
If you just go for it for those reasons you are missing big part of the result to put it bluntly

This post was edited by BebebBurns on Jun 27 2015 01:37pm

There is Christian meditation as well, though I don't know how effective it is comparatively. Meditation is actually a fundamental part of Christianity, e.g. in the Catholic Catechism: "The Christian tradition comprises three major expressions of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer. They have in common the recollection of the heart."

So... why did you call my mindfulness meditation masochistic?

I'll go easy on you since it's a meditation thread.

Oh sorry, just misassumed your post becuase you posted something that sounded like masochism on some other theard
But it's curious that you don't connect your religion with it
cosmic religion is the real religion imo

That's part of meditation, recognizing the pre-conceived notions we have and overcoming them.

I don't bring religiosity into meditation, though I believe it is a spiritual act. I feel closer to God after I meditate.

This dialog is important in the path that it led I bolded the phrases as they've worked for me. there is a big difference between bringing christian belief in God and bringing your religious beliefs into meditation. For me when I would prepare for my sermon I would read scripture . Then meditate prayerfully but in a one on one way with God as my center with no religious baggage hanging on. In a meditative state I would open myself up and give my self to God to use as he saw fit. I did this for 4-5 times a week for almost 5 years I never wrote a sermon down or read from notes. I earnestly felt God led. I think you need to drop the baggage of religion when you go in meditation though. keep it simply God and you.

There were and are many days that I meditate just for the sake of meditation and pain relief it works wonders for hat as well.

I don't think there is any reason you should connect religion to meditation. You can simply think of it as an exercise of concentration with proven cognitive and health benefits.