Prayer and meditation are two forms of communion and communication with the Supreme God. No matter which faith you belong to, the way to reach your inner self and attain peace with oneself and God is often through prayer and meditation. True happiness is when one is at peace with himself and the energy of the body and the mind are balanced. The way to achieve this balance is through prayer and meditation. As these methods are similar and often overlapping, there is always confusion in the minds of the believers. This article attempts to clear all doubts by differentiating between meditation and prayer.
Prayer
Prayer is the way developed by believers to talk to the Supreme God, tell him about one’s sufferings, and ask HIM to provide relief and solution to problems one faces. Prayer is looking inwards to focus upon Himself, open and pour our heart in front of HIM. Prayer reminds us of the duality between god and ourselves as we sing His praises. In short, prayer is a ritual made to connect with god in every religion. It makes one feel important as this ritual allows one to communicate with the divine. Though prayer was not meant to be asking for material and physical things and was intended to provide a link between god and man, it has become a means of asking for all worldly things and solutions to one’s problems and sufferings.
Meditation
Meditation is another means of communicating with God, although it is largely practiced in the eastern world, Hinduism and Buddhism being two major religions that preach meditation. Christianity and Judaism in the west preach prayer as a means of communion with god and talk little about meditation. Meditation is a practice where an individual tries to concentrate on one’s inner self by removing all outside distractions. It is when no discordant sounds inside your head you are able to listen to the sound of God. When mind stops weaving thoughts and is able to concentrate upon a divine symbol or a chant, you are in a state of meditation as you sit close to your mind rather than using it which is what you do all day long. Meditation is not done with a purpose in mind; it is not to attain anything. The goal of meditation is to attain a deep sense of relaxation, a feeling of letting go.
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What is the difference between Meditation and Prayer? • Prayer is a method of speaking out our heart to the divine while meditation allows one to be able to hear His voice. • Prayer preaches duality of the believer and God while meditation preaches oneness of god and the believer. There are two in prayer while there is only one in meditation. • While praying, you feel like talking to God while meditation makes you feel like a god yourself. • Prayer is asking god for something while meditation is listening to his voice and command. • During prayer, the believer is like a child in front of his mother or father while meditation is just sitting in His company.
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