AP

基督教冥想

初學者指南

我把平安留給你們，把我的平安賜給你們，我賜給你們的平安不像世人給的平安。你們心裡不要憂愁，也不要害怕。（約翰福音 14:27）

任何人都能冥想。問題是，你希望它有意義還是無意義？

東方的冥想模式被一些西方名流視為典範。但情形並非一直如此。直到一兩個世代之前，基督教冥想都是西方的冥想模式，並且至今仍是世界各地數百萬人採用的方式。 兩種冥想的主 要區別在 哪裡呢？

印度教等東方宗教旨在通過日漸複雜和自律的冥想來達到更高的精神境界。 然而，今天在西方， 這種冥想主要用於日常事務開始前或結束後尋求身心平靜。通常的做法是保持身體靜止，找到 一個自己的口頭禪，無意識加以重複以停止思考——關閉大腦。一切為了讓你感覺好一點。

這種簡化的方法幫助一些人通過呼吸練習來應對日常壓力，並以阻止思維來與世界隔絕。 自相矛 盾的是，有些人發現這很難做到。這是因為神沒有把我們設計成不會思考的受造。我們最大的福祉不是停止思考，而是盡可能最好地思考。基督教冥想因此有了用武之地。不需要冥想虛無（或停止思考）以達到更高境地，基督教冥想有意識地從一個更高的境界去獲取什麼。一種方法是倒空思想，而另一種方法則去發掘豐富美好的想法。

十分鐘的個人冥想時間大約相當於一天清醒時間的百分之一。如果你真的希望它能影響你一天中剩餘 99% 的時間（或幫助你睡眠），你應該進行豐富而非貧乏的冥想。

以下是關於如何進行基督教冥想的建議。找一個安靜、偏僻不被打擾的地方。兩種不同類型冥想的相似之處到此為止。選擇一節經文或簡短的聖經段落。網上有大量每日聖經靈修的資源。 另一 個（也是更好的）方法是尋找適合的經文。可以在白天花一些時間閱讀新約聖經某一章，以從中 找到一節經文作為當晚或第二天早上的冥想片段。

閱讀幾遍這節經文。慢慢地再讀一遍，認真專注於每一個詞。考慮文本中對你來說最重要的一個 或多個詞彙。捫心自問，這些詞告訴我上帝怎樣的屬性——他是誰，他說了什麼， 做了什麼； 它 們也告訴我自己的秉性——我是誰，我說了什麼，想了什麼，做了什麼？並非所有問題都有解答， 但至少會有一個答案。結合經文的上下文及其中最佳詞彙思考這個答案。 在腦海中思考這些 想法。向上帝做一個簡單的禱告。用聖經的話回應祂，並呈獻任何突然湧現的想法。 把一切交托 給祂吧。你的冥想就此結束。 你會感到更加神清氣爽  （甚至更有動力），而不僅僅是平靜。

這種冥想方法可以根據個人情況加以精練以適合每個人。對於如何做到這一點，沒有任何約束的規則。但現在，你不是主觀地向內審視，而是客觀地對外尋求。

如果經文讓你感到不安，那是好事。它會引導你更好地思考。它讓你思考最高的境界。你會遠離大腦的停頓。它幫助你從更現實的角度看待一切。這當然值得。你會前所未有地被活力充滿。

——韋恩·理查茲

Christian Meditation

A Beginner’s Guide

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

Anybody can meditate. The question is, do you want it to be meaningful or meaningless?

The Eastern form of meditation has come to be assumed in popular circles in the West to be the defining model. This has not always been the case. Meditation in the west until a generation or two ago was Christian meditation and it continues to be for millions of people around the world today. What is the chief difference?

Eastern religions like Hinduism and others have a goal of reaching some higher spiritual plain through more and more complex and involved meditation disciplines. Nevertheless, today in the West it is chiefly applied as an attempt to calm the body and mind before or after tackling daily living. The instruction is often to be physically still and find a personal mantra to repeat mindlessly to stop you thinking – to kill the brain. This is supposed to make you feel better.

This simplified approach has helped some people cope with daily stress through breathing exercises and blocking out the world by shutting down the mind. Paradoxically, some find it hard to do. This is because we are not designed to not think. Our greatest wellbeing is found not when we stop thinking but when think the best we can. This is where Christian Meditation comes in. Instead of seeking a higher plain by emptying oneself by contemplating nothing (or not thinking), Christian Meditation intentionally dwells upon a higher plain to gain something. One method is empty of ideas while the other discovers an abundance of lovely thoughts.

Ten minutes of personal meditation time is around one percent of your awake day. If you really want it to impact the remaining 99 percent of your day (or help you sleep) it needs to be rich not impoverished.

Here is a suggestion of how to meditate Christianly. Find a quiet, solitary place where you will not be interrupted. This is the end of any similarity between the two different types of meditation. Select a verse or short Bible passage. There are plenty of online resources featuring daily devotional Scripture readings. Another (and better} way of finding a verse is to take some time during the day to read a chapter of the New Testament with the intention of locating one verse from that chapter to be your next meditation piece for that evening, or for the next morning.

Read the verse to yourself a couple of times. And read it again very slowly, concentrating carefully on every single word. Consider the most important word or words to you in the text. Ask yourself, what does this tell me about God – who He is, what He says, what He does; and also what does it tell me about myself – who I am, what I say, what I think, and what I do? There will not be an answer to every one of those questions from your selected text, but there will be at least one answer. Think on that, together with the context and best word/s found in your selected verse. Mull those ideas around in your head for a little while. Use this to form a simple prayer to God. Speak the Scripture words back to Him, with any other thoughts that pop into your heart. Leave the matter with Him. Your meditation is finished, and more likely you will feel refreshed (or even motivated) rather than just calmed.

This method of meditation can be personally refined to suit each individual. There are no binding rules on how to do it. But now, rather than looking inside subjectively, you are looking outside objectively.

If Scripture disturbs you then that is a good thing. It will lead you into even better thinking. It has you thinking on the highest plain possible. You are far from being brain dead. It helps to put everything into a more realistic perspective. It is certainly worth the effort. You have never been more alive.

Wayne Richards, translated by Sonia Liang

– Wayne Richards