MEDITATION AS A FORM OF PRAYER

     Silent prayer, sometimes known as meditation, has been practiced by saints and sages from all the spiritual traditions of the world. It may sound less personal than verbal prayer, but actually it is more intimate. Like the relaxed silence between two familiar lovers, anything said would just break the spell of the unspoken closeness. The Hindu sage Swami Chetananda describes this state in beautiful everyday language when he writes: “When you are with someone you love very much, you can talk and it is pleasant, but the reality is not in the conversation. It is in simply being together. Meditation is the highest form of prayer. In it you are so close to God that you don’t need to say a thing – it is just great to be together.”

Reference: Timothy Freke, Encyclopedia of Spirituality, 67.

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