The Power Of Prayer: Through Meditation, Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding

Thesis – Masters (Graduate Studies)

1. Introduction
2. Review of Literature
3. Methods
4. Findings
5. Discussion
6. Summary and Conclusion

Introduction

Introduction includes:

1. Thesis statement
2. Relevance of topic
3. Description of main points

Meditation has its foundation in ancient philosophy that continues to grow in popularity into present-day contemporary literature and practices.

Meditation affects the spiritual, mental, and physical, thus influencing persons’ decisions, desires, and actions. This ultimately leads to the recreation of an individual’s character. In addition, there are power and science in meditation: the energy generated from head to toe, followed by a component of complex vibration, and the development of heat and light energy during meditation. All these are indications of meditation’s power when practiced correctly. Three essential elements to fully engage oneself in a meditation process are wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. In addition, contemplation and mental exercises are necessary for the process to be perfected. Finally, controlling the mind and body is a fundamental step or a preference to lead concentration your way.

A healthy mind will have a healthy body. Healthy lungs will generate healthy breathing. Breathing controls the energy of the body during meditation. A clear mind will allow for clarity of thought, thus blocking negative behavior and preventing past issues from interfering with the process. When an individual is physically relaxed, the brain transmits the anticipated concentration more clearly and without blockage. Concentration must be free of mental distress or agitation, fear or worries, and no environmental interferences that would break meditational focus. In addition, proper arrangement and position of the body are necessary.

It is advisable to do meditation in a sitting position. This will lessen the human body’s tendency to fall asleep during a relaxed phase. Although relaxation of the body is a critical component of meditation, the mind must remain sharp and alert because meditation requires a conscious state of mind. Meditation is “a private devotion or mental exercise consisting of numerous techniques of concentration, contemplation, and abstraction, regarded as conducive to heightened spiritual awareness or somatic calm. Britannica Micropeadia stated, “Meditation is a practice that benefits mind, body, and Spirit. Through innerSpiritraSpiritmeditation awakens creativity, healing, and transformation.

Review of Literature

A review of the Literature includes:

1. Title, author, and credentials
2. Synopsis of book/article
3. The usefulness of resource/recommendation

Destructive Emotion – How can we overcome them? (2003) Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., co-chair of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in the graduate school of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. (2003) “One of the most exciting discoveries in neuroscience over the last five years is that the areas of the brain, the frontal lobes, the amygdala, and the hippocampus, change in response to experience. They are the parts of the brain dramatically affected by the dynamic environment in which we are raised and by repeated experience.”

Essential Philosophy – Everything you need to understand the world’s greatest thinkers. (2005) James Mannion, a former publishing professional and the author of several titles in the Everything series. He lives in Jersey City, NJ

Thomas Aquinas divided knowledge into two stages, sensitive and intelligent. Sensitive knowledge is simple awareness of something, and intelligence is grasping abstract concepts. In Stoic knowledge and wisdom, they have agreed with an Epicurean that all knowledge comes from sensory experience. The wisdom and knowledge of the sages of their time, their belief, revelations, thoughts, and results of their accomplishments were briefly discussed in this book. The core of Buddhism centers on what is called The Four Noble Truths. And the eightfold path to enlightenment is also covered in this book. This is a quick reference book.

DK Complete Bible Handbook – John Bowker (1998) was Dean of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1984-1991. He is a fellow of Gresham College, London, and an Honorary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral. He is also a Professor of Religion at North Carolina State University. Wisdom is the word used in the Hebrew Bible to describe a wide range of human skills, from embroidery to divination, and it means something like “know-how.” In Proverbs 1-9, wisdom is personified as a woman and is contrasted with the situation of the foreign woman who leads the unwary individual off the right path to death.

Aristotle (Revised 2004), translated by Hugh Tredennick, was educated at King Edward’s, Birmingham, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and received a double first in classics. He was a professor of classics at Royal Holloway College. Was a Dean of the Faculty of Arts at London University. He edited and translated Aristotle’s works, Xenophon’s “Conversations of Socrates” and Plato’s “Last Days of Socrates.”

From here to Serenity – Four Principles For Understanding Who You Are  (2000) by Jane Nelsen Ed.D A licensed marriage, family, and child therapist and the author of the classic positive Discipline parenting series. This book provides a map that will lead you to the treasure inside yourself by understanding the four principles of the thought system. You will know you are in touch with your inner wisdom and inspiration when you read something and have that feeling, or upon reading something, you disagree; instead of having negative feelings, you are led to a higher understanding that makes more sense than the word in this book.

Methods

Meditation

Meditation is frequently confused with various forms of concentration. Concentration exercises focus our full undivided attention on a specific aspect of the functioning of our mind and the body to accomplish a specific goal or develop a particular skill. Exercises such as yoga, tai-chi, breathing exercises, and visualization are all forms of concentration.

In contrast, meditation is an exercise aiming to prevent thoughts naturally by deeply relaxing the physical body and then trying to keep the mind completely “blank” with no thoughts whatsoever. Depending on your skill, this state may be maintained for a few seconds or a few hours. The purity of the mind achieved during meditation is essential to gain access to the Higher Self. It seems that our Higher Self does not admit any impurities.

To reach the Higher Self, it is best to concentrate on the source of the “inner sound,” leading to the “inner light” – a nucleus of the Higher Self, which initially seems infinitely far “on the other side of a long dark tunnel.” When we get sufficiently close to our Higher Self, the inner light becomes much brighter than the Sun, and when we are allowed to join it, the bliss cannot be described in any human language. To get that far, we have to achieve complete purity of the mind during meditation, have pure intentions, and then concentrate intensively on the “inner sound” and “inner light.”

The most crucial role of a spiritual teacher is to show everyone their way to the Higher Self. Then, it is up to the individual to practice and reach the Higher Self.

From the above, meditation seems to be an essential skill to attain ultimate enlightenment. There are quite a few techniques for meditation. Most use the so-called “mantra,” composed of a few words or sounds. Mantra is repeated mentally to help us achieve and maintain a “blank” state of mind.

Contrary to popular belief, promoted by people who attract followers and charge money to teach meditation, the mantra has no sacred “meaning,” and no mantra is essentially better than any other. However, regardless of its content, the mantra has two essential functions, which may powerfully assist us in achieving and maintaining a meditative state of a blank mind.

1. Mantra is a straightforward thought. It becomes very familiar to us when we repeat it in our minds. This thought replaces any thought that may come to our mind. So whenever a thought comes during meditation, we use a mantra to replace it.

2. When we practice meditation regularly using the same mantra (whatever it is), we soon train our minds to associate it with a calm meditative state. This association is called an “anchor” by Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioners. After such self-training, even if we are agitated, a thought of mantra usually brings an immediate calm. This makes our mantra a potent tool to deal with stressful situations in our life, a tool in which we can develop ourselves as a result of regular meditation practice.

When we understand the above two functions of the mantra, it becomes clear that changing mantras maybe not be an excellent idea. Instead, changing mantras may be considered beneficial only in particular situations, for example, when we want to eliminate an undesirable meditation habit that prevents us from achieving a deep meditative state, and the current mantra is identified as related to that habit.

Also, it becomes logical that whatever mantra we use, we should keep it private and not tell it to other people. Otherwise, we give others a way to control our subconscious mind by telepathically transmitting our mantra. The best teachers will take time to give people individual mantras rather than teach everyone the same mantra.

Mantras usually contain alternative vowel and nasal sounds and may contain several words. The most widely known mantra is “ooohmmm” or “aaaaummm,” but any other similar word will do when we extend vowel and nasal sounds (home, room, zoom, moon, zen, boom, etc..). Therefore, it is best if the mantra is an exotic word or a series of words (syllables) not encountered in everyday conversation.

The posture during meditation is also essential. The most accessible posture is a comfortable sitting position, with your spine straight and erect. If you lie down, you will most likely fall asleep. Joining your hands and crossing your legs is desirable because you make the bio-energy field around you more compact and, therefore, more intensive. Cross-legged is another good position, but it requires some fitness and training. Yet another good position, although rarely used today, is a squatting position with your arms crossed over your knees, resembling the position of a fetus in a womb.

If you have never tried any meditation, try to find a quiet place and try the following technique:

1. Take a comfortable meditation posture, one of the postures described above.

2. close your eyes and relax all muscles in your body, including the face. A few alternate nostrils yoga breaths are very helpful at the beginning of this stage – breathing in through one nostril and breathing out through another, closing nostrils with fingers, and altering closed nostrils with each breath.

3. disregard any thought as it comes – do not continue a kaleidoscope of thoughts – continue this for 20 minutes or so, maintaining your mind blank. You can use the mental sound “ooooohhmmm” (a mantra) every time you have a thought. Alternatively, you may keep counting thoughts, discarding each one as it comes without analyzing it. You meditate successfully when you go down to 2 or 3 thoughts in 5 minutes.

With practice, you should be able to attain a blank mind anytime and anywhere, even in a crowd of people or a stressful situation, with the help of your mantra. But do not use the mantra when stressed until you are positive that you practice meditation long enough and the thought of the mantra is firmly associated with your state of a calm mind.

One of the many benefits of meditation is that it opens your mind to new ideas. However, when the bowl is full, pouring more water into it causes an overflow. The same happens in our minds. There is no room for new ideas when it is full of thoughts.

Meditation is a very effective technique for improving your creativity and problem-solving capacity. “Talented” people do it naturally. Artists and poets call it “inspiration.” Many famous people, such as Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, were known to have practiced various forms of meditation.

Meditation is sometimes described as “listening to the silence between thoughts.” Our effort in meditation is directed towards consciously increasing the periods of such silence.

Meditating is also necessary to receive telepathic transmissions, including those from Higher Self and other people who may try to assist us. Without true silence in your thoughts, you cannot listen to the thoughts of others.

Before meditation, you may wish to define clearly what you want to learn and what you want to ask your Higher Self. Then, during the meditation, do not expect an answer (although it is likely that it will come when your mind is pure) – this is also a thought!

People who practice meditation regularly look and feel typically ten or even 15 years younger than others their age. Giving the mind a regular “break” and allowing our Nature to perform self-repairs daily makes all the difference. Self-healing and rejuvenation seem to be within reach of everyone prepared to learn meditation and meditate regularly daily.

© Dr Tom J. Chalko 1997

http://thiaoouba.com/medit.htm

Findings

Findings include:

1. Information from books on the subject (using your words/highlight with quotes)
2. Internet research
3. Interviews with experts on the subject

History of Meditation

Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. It usually involves turning the attention inward to a single point of reference. The word meditation comes from the Latin meditation, which initially indicated every physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning of contemplation.

There are two kinds of meditation: Physical and Spiritual. Physical meditations involve parts of the body. Physical, according to Merriam-Webster: “Having material existence perceptible, especially through the senses and subject to the laws of nature.”

The brain is the storage of thought with the power to form a mental image and the capability to dominate the whole body without the presence of the senses or even before the sense perceives awareness of the subjects or objects. The condition of the mind is essential in focusing on the subject and the object of imagination; the mind controls the recollections, intentions, dispositions, desires of the body, opinions, and moods. Mind and thought work hand in hand; side by side, one can not function without the other. It is the ways and the means to make it a whole or make it as one. According to Thomas Aquinas in Essential Philosophy (2005),” Mankind did not need divine intervention to think profound thoughts. One can ascertain the Form by observation of reality. We can conceive of the exalted notions of Truth and Beauty without a celestial nudge. Thomas Aquinas and the Aristotelian both view that physical reality is simultaneously composed of both its actuality (what it is) and potentiality (what it will become).”

Spiritual meditation is not only for believers of God but also for nonbelievers. The word wish or hope, such as” I wish I have the gift to know the future” or “I hope I win the lottery this coming Thursday,” is already a form of prayer and thought. This thinking is already part of our knowledge stored in our memory, like a computer hard drive that when you click to retrieve what you need, the availability is there to access. Our brain gathers those memories from past and presents experienced through education, sharing, and from what we heard and read since childhood, and it implies belief in the Supreme Being that may grant us the answer to that request. Deepak Chopra, Stated on his website that “Past actions (karmas) create memories, which generate desires (sanskaras), which in turn lead to new actions (vasanas). The seeds of these memories and desires are present at the level of our soul. This “software of the soul” propels us to make choices that define our lives. Meditation helps us recognize that we can make conscious choices that enable us to experience greater peace, love, and success.”

All human beings have belief instincts, and due to the freedom to think and discover the truth subconsciously and consciously, we automatically enter the quest for spiritual enlightenment. Prepared or unprepared, whether we choose it or not, we have already started the search to satisfy our desire for the inner help that only meditation brings. God is Spirit, and to communicate with Him, we need to communicate with Him through Spirit.

Stoicism, founded by Zeno of Cyprus ( 334-262 B.C.) in the book of  Essential Philosophy (2005), believed in” Divinity that shapes our ends, everythiSpiritpens for the best and Spirit expect the worst. For stoic, if you were spirited to a life of sufferSpiritou could deal with it and still live a life of goodness. Meditation is a quintessential distillation of stoic thought and practice.”

According to the Meditation Society of America, “A practitioner must not believe in God to gain benefits from meditation. In fact, by meditating, an atheist could become aware of their hypocritical prayers, and a believer could see the contradictory nature of their verbalizations of doubts about God.” So any belief or religious upbringing an individual had, whether you agree or disagree with their God or gods and goddesses, we are in accord with the way we use meditation practices.

As we grow our ways or techniques in our spiritual meditation, our fellowship with our Creator gets more robust, and the bonding and relationship are much closer. There are so many paths to wisdom, and none of them is better than the other because they all deserve to be recognized as one unit; our ability to acquire peace, love, and joy is wisdom’s Nature as the earth evolves so as the human’s consciousness. Our consciousness is not limited to the degree of what we accomplished but the desire for what we want to achieve. Our will controls our minds and thoughts, and it is our freedom to use it. We are not contained in one level of meditation. We can grow as we go on.

There are no limits to the knowledge we can acquire through spiritual meditation; At the same time, the earth tirelessly keeps on spinning, the sun keeps on shining, and the moon continues lighting the darkness of the night; there is hope from our living God that, in His way and in His time, He will grant us peace and unity. Our forefathers and us in the present time hope for this unity, one body, one mind, and one judgment. Spiritual meditation unites us for one common goal to have Enlightenment. Whether spiritual or physical, we are all seekers of enlightenment in meditation.

The Dalai Lama, as quoted by the author of Destructive Emotion- How can we overcome them? (2003) “One of the most exciting discoveries in neuroscience over the last five years is that the areas of the brain, the frontal lobes, the amygdala, and the hippocampus, change in response to experience. They are the parts of the brain dramatically affected by the dynamic environment in which we are raised and by repeated experience.” Whether the results came from a religious subject or not, it shows a connection between the two, the fruit of meditation.

Understanding this quote depends on how you were raised while you were young or your self-development as you mature. Could it be more acceptable to you the reasoning of science, or could it be more acceptable if it is spiritual? A good example is these two debatable distinct beliefs of creationism versus evolutionism. If your heart is in science and you deal with it, it will not be tough to decide which one to accept. It is a matter of what you understand and not what you believe. If you are in a group of Scientists, are you a Scientist? How about if you are in a group of Ministers? Are you a Minister?

Discussions

Discussion includes:

1. Synthesis of your research
2. Speculations, personal views, and opinions
3. Applications of your research
4. Benefits of your findings

Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding Defined

Wisdom

In the wisdom literature of the DK complete Bible handbook by John Bowker ( 2001),” its sense is very general, and it is used alongside terms like knowledge and understanding to describe the ability to discern the proper course of action. Wisdom acts as a guide, enabling those who follow her to stay on the proper path through life on which they will enjoy divine favor and protection. In proverb 1-9, wisdom is poetically personified as a woman.”

In the book of Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (revised 2004).” Wisdom must be the most finished form of knowledge.   The wise man must know all that follows from the first principles and have a proper understanding of those principles.”

It is clear, then, from what has been said, that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding go hand in hand, side by side, and can be interchangeable and coordinated. It is said the one that knows fewer claims to know more, and the one that knows more tends to speak less. The wise said he is not wise if he lacks knowledge or understanding. Socrates is said to be wise, but he does not consider himself wise. The expertise of others can not be his expertise. That is why people call Anaxagoras and Thales, and men like them wise but not prudent when they observe them as ignorant of their advantage.

Nobody deliberates something that deliberation has no bearing and can be proven possible. Knowledge is more useful in combination with experienced and experiments. It is not just learning the basics or fundamentals of truth and stopping from there need to experience the application and the results that will come from it.

During my school days and when time permits, we always talk about logic, ethics, and anything that involves philosophy. We always end up in unsettled arguments. We enjoyed it caused it is part of discovering wisdom from other’s standpoints. Wisdom could be natural or artificial, factual or consequential, and it could be just an opinion.

Aristotle distinguishes two kinds of wisdom, theoretical wisdom and practical wisdom.

According to Aristotle, theoretical or philosophical wisdom is “scientific knowledge, combined with intuitive reason, of the things that are highest by nature” (Nicomachean Ethics). For Aristotle, theoretical wisdom involves knowledge of necessary, scientific, first principles, and propositions that can be logically deduced from them.” Aristotle’s idea that scientific knowledge is knowledge of necessary truths and their logical consequences is not well accepted but can be discussed or argued with what we have available now.

Theoretical wisdom is the knowledge that has already been around and perfected by authors and inventors. It has a consistent outcome but missing perfection. On the other hand, practical wisdom is the application of that knowledge base on experience. How could we differentiate these two together? By experimenting with the two and comparing the results. Theoretical is more on scientific value, more on facts, and open for improvements.

While practical knowledge is more about experience and consequences, which is a significant factor in contributing to theoretical perfection, some inventions happen by accident. All started on theories, and when we base after the fact of a successful experiment, it becomes a practical application. So we can conclude that without the theory, there are no practical results. This wisdom, in my opinion, exists parallel to each other, with benefits to both when applied in its ability to coordinate.

For Aristotle’s practical wisdom, knowledge of contingent facts helpful to living well is required.” With these two kinds of wisdom, according to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics book nothing more that we could discuss that has already been discussed but to generate a new discussion for the sake of argument and to update the circumstances and compare our time and their time.

Knowledge

To attain a desired level of consciousness is to acquire Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding; three meaningful words must be present in our Spirit, soul, and body. You found not only the desired pathway to a quality life, but you can also quantify it by sharing your newfound discovery to help others. Meditation helps us to recognize that we can make a difference in this time of conflict. By doing this process, we can control our Spirit, angerSpiritdesire to a bare minimum. We will then experience how great it is to have peace, love, and success. I love to say this: “I got it free, and I’ll share it free.” When I got Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge, I did not keep them to myself; I shared them so that everyone could enjoy the gift of sharing and the law of love. Love conquers all, and everyone that has it is unique to our Creator. Obedience gets them all. Obedience means love. When we love one another, we will take care of everything around us then we will have a healthy body and a peaceful mind living in a healthy environment. Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding are traits of human intellectuals. Aristotle said,” We praise wise man on the ground of his state of mind.”

Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding are the three pillars of perfect meditation. One will not function perfectly without the other. The purity of the mind, collection of information, and application are three distinct powers of meditation. Three independent possessions of the mind but collectively working as one to meet the desired concentration. The mind is also the arena of meditation where filtration, acquisition, and translation occur. The place where the desired direction is being manipulated. It is the epicenter of confusion, struggle, and solution. Scripture often uses the words knowledge, understanding, and wisdom interchangeably, but occasionally they are spoken of as separate and distinct. Thus, it may be helpful to attempt to define the differences in meaning. Those with knowledge can collect, remember, and access information. According to the Encarta dictionary, “knowledge is the information in mind: general awareness or possession of information.”

Some scholars may know God’s word literally, but interpreting it in Spirit will be a struggle if it is not in them or inside them. They may know and lack the understanding and wisdom possible; to have the facts but have no clue as to the meaning, what to do next, or how to apply is another explanation for them to find out.

“The fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or associatiSpiritquaintance with or understanding of science, art, or technique. The fact or condition of being aware of something,” as stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary

You acquire knowledge by reading, searching printed media, the internet, schools, and the very experience of other individuals. During my early school days back then in my country of origin, we carried a bundle of books packed in our bags and sometimes on both arms to and from school, and that is every day not a single day we are free from that labor. The schools are not providing lockers, unlike here in the United States. At that time, I never had it in my mind that I was laboring in the book of knowledge; I knew it was just a book that our teacher wanted to see every day. Until recently, it came into my mind if that knowledge was not written or shared, and now that those individuals have come to pass, what are we now? What would the world be today if those gifted individuals kept to themselves what they discovered, invented, and researched and leaving us nothing? We may still live in a period of ignorance, and the progress of civilization might still be slow-moving.

Understanding

There is also understanding and good understanding, the qualities of which people are said to be understanding and of good understanding. They are not entirely the same as scientific knowledge or opinion (for then everyone would be understanding), nor is it one of the particular sciences, such as medicine, which deals with health, or geometry, which deals with spatial magnitudes.   Understanding is concerned not with things that are eternal and immutable, nor with any and everything that comes into being, but with matters that may cause perplexity and call for deliberation. Hence its sphere is the same as that of prudence, but understanding and prudence are not the same because prudence is imperative (since its end is what one should or should not do), and understanding only makes judgments. (There is no essential difference between understanding and good understanding or between people of understanding and people of good understanding).

One can know without the corresponding understanding, and one can have understood without the corresponding knowledge. How can wisdom intercede or interact in this independent thought to settle this argument? Understanding is directly factual in the case of propositional understanding and indirectly factual in the case of objective understanding.

The Dalai Lama suggested when asked by Howard C. Cutler, author of the Art of Happiness at work, “If someone wants to develop greater self-understanding or self-awareness on this conventional, day-to-day level. How does one begin to do that? The Dalai Lama responded “if people wish to have a greater understanding about the level of their knowledge or technical skill in their particular field or profession, then they may want to voluntarily take a certain test that may help them find that out. I think that would help increase one’s understanding of what one’s capabilities are, at least on the level of technical skills, proficiency, or the type of knowledge that can be objectively measured.”

Understanding, then, is neither the possession nor the acquisition of prudence; but just as the act of learning is called understanding when one exercises the faculty of scientific knowledge, so too in exercising the faculty of opinion to judge another person’s account of matters within the scope of prudence (and judging about it rightly, because ‘well’ is equivalent to ‘rightly’), the act of judging is called understanding. Indeed this sense of the word, in virtue of which people are called good at understanding, is derived from the use in the case of learning; because we often say they understand instead of learning.

Applying this answer to meditation at a deeper level requires the skill to control the direction of the imagination. Skill development can be achieved by understanding what you are trying to reach. Time and space, in my opinion, are needed. To give you a consistent time to develop your skill and enough space or place to avoid distortion and unnecessary interruption.

The struggle can lead to understanding. Some people can stumble or may have a negative impact once they hear this principle. Humans have no problem adapting to anything new even though we are habitually addicted to the present possession of that certain wisdom.

The wisdom to do, the understanding to follow, and the knowledge to operate the given task. In the book from here to Serenity by Jane Nelsen (2000), “Thought systems that each person possesses try to figure things out; they can not imagine solving problems any other way. Further, they are used to blaming circumstances for causing their feelings and are accustomed to seeing that it is their way of thinking about circumstances that create their feelings.”

Misinterpreting the principles may mean abandoning the way our thinking goes. And just become dependent on others’ interpretations and thus, which results in surrendering our freedom of thinking. This will also lead to reprogramming our thought system that is already embedded and back to being a slave of others’ thought systems. Once you truly understand the principles, you will stop being fed and regain the freedom you once before, and thinking as a function becomes your subordinate. If it is a master-servant relationship, then thinking as a function will be your servant. When you enslave yourselves to your thought system, there will be a missing link to access the inner wisdom of your heart or spiritual source, resulting in a restriction of your understanding and awareness of infinite possibilities.

We will never stop thinking as long as blood circulates in our brains. Trying not to think to avoid facing the problematic glitches in our thought system will not work, for our thought system is a function the same as our heart that is dependent on its beating. To fix the glitches in our thought system, we must understand that thinking is a part of our consciousness and survival in this violent world. Understanding its usefulness is like a gift never opened or a prayer that has never been heard and left unanswered because of little or no knowledge and understanding of how to pray correctly.

In the book From Here to Serenity by Jane Nelsen, I took the following excerpt “Humans rarely stop thinking, even in their sleep. The point is not to stop thinking but to understand that thinking is a function because that understanding helps you dismiss troublesome thoughts and use your thinking ability to experience the wonders that come to you from your heart or spiritual source. Understanding frees you from the slavery of your programmed thought system.”

In the book of Psalms and Proverbs in the Holy Bible (NJKV), as our spiritual source, we cannot neglect the Scripture written and given by the inspiration of our Heavenly Father.

“My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.” (Proverb 49:3)

“The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding, He established the heavens; by His Knowledge, the depth was broken up, and clouds drop down the dew.” (Proverb 3:19-20)

“Through wisdom, a house is built, and by understanding, it is established; by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (Proverb 24:3-4)

Arguments made to clarify things are a positive method to strengthen the foundation of our understanding. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” Even though we have a warehouse full of information, we still need the help and company of others to confirm that what we read and hear is factual and not an illusion. We must have a complete understanding and acceptance of the things we ought to build, the foundation that will lead us to acquire knowledge and then back to the wisdom that would help us discern the situation. We should not let ourselves be influenced by our surroundings. Make your existence known, be opinionated and subjective, and express your desire to learn. Influence them to of that desire.

We do not catch the ball, but we also throw it. Sharing is a good way of learning. We learn what they know and share what we know. It is a given and takes to acquire a complete understanding of what we possess and what we want to possess. Remember years ago when the sharing of free music on the internet was rampant? Some said that they did not get enough sleep downloading the music. You can feel the harmony at that time in a friendly environment. Everyone feels that they know each other personally; the unity among them, the openness of those that shared their collection just for their delight, and some just having fun sharing it and meeting new friends. Why was it stopped? Because some individuals made it a business for profit.

Some have broken the wisdom to share, and the function of sharing was infected and needed to be terminated. In this experienced, the understanding was missing here; they have little or no knowledge that it is only allowed for free sharing and not to make a monetary profit. It is copyrighted and protected by the law of the land. So, even in this scenario, we have to have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and come complete when they are used together.

Those with wisdom know which principle to apply. Understanding without wisdom can appear contradictory. Let us put it in a statement “He who thinks twice is not free from making mistakes” is a valid principle, the same as: “Decision is Action.” We can see the truth in both of these statements. But which principle should we apply first? Those with wisdom know what will be the next thing to do, the way to go, and the right thing to do. On the contrary, many possess excellent knowledge and understanding but consistently do things wrong. Wisdom is the goal to achieve first, then knowledge and understanding, which has value as they result in wisdom, or the result we end up doing.

Personal Experience

Meditation is for the human mind, and the success of the desired meditation depends on Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. These three pillars of meditation, I should say. Practice makes perfect a long time saying but significantly important—peace of mind, clarity, and purity of the mind. Do not exhaust your mind. Wisdom is the first important to start a smooth meditation: the ability to discern and judge rightfully in any situation. In meditation, you can feel better when your mind and body are relaxed. Let the flow of the imagination go its way, then slowly control the direction of your desire. There comes a time when interference will occur, especially for those with dual personalities or still living in the shadow of the past; you probably are too relaxed to let it happen. Pause for a few seconds with both eyes closed, and do not quit. Just change gears.

You acquire knowledge by reading and searching printed media, the internet, schools, and the very experience of other individuals. During my early school days back then in my country of origin, we carried a bundle of books packed in our bags and sometimes on both arms to and from school, and that is every day, not a single day, we were free from that labor. The schools are not providing lockers, unlike here in the United States. At that time, I never had it in my mind that I was laboring the book of knowledge; I knew it was just a book that our teacher wanted to see every day.

Until recently, it came into my mind if that knowledge was not written or shared, and now that those individuals have come to pass, what are we now? If those gifted individuals kept it to themselves, leaving us nothing, what would the world be today? Our knowledge depends on them, we got it from them, and the foundation is from them. The books of gifted individuals shared their knowledge not for money and prestige but for the hope that those who read, studied, and learned from it will benefit and be profitable to our world. Their knowledge that they sow will reap a golden harvest.

Bibliography

Daniel Goleman Ph.D., 2003, Destructive Emotion – How can we overcome them? Bantam Books; New York, New York, USA

James Mannion, 2005, Essential Philosophy – Everything you need to know to understand the World’s Greatest Thinkers; Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company; Avon, MA, USA

John Bowker, 1998, DK Bible Handbook – Wisdom Literature in the Bible; DK Publishing; New York, New York, USA

Hugh Tredennick, 2004, Nicomachean Ethics – Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding; Penguin Books, England

Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., 2000, From here to Serenity – Four Principles for Understanding who You Are; Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, USA

Internet Resources

• http://chopra.com/meditation?gclid=CJ-B5YDjqo8CFQqZggod7ww7SA
• http:// www.meditationsociety.com
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#Christianity
• http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861624343/knowledge.html
• http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=knowledge