Meditation has been around ever since ancient hunter-gatherer's sat around staring into the flames of their fires, which probably led to experiencing altered states of consciousness. Indian scriptures called "tantras" mention meditation techniques 5,000 years ago. Meditation had a resurrection in the west back in the sixties thanks in part to the Beatles when they took up with The Maharishi.

As a practicing Christian, and later as a student of eastern mysticism, I can say that I have had plenty of experience with meditation as well as with prayer. Both are beneficial but in completely different ways. I think it is up to an individual to find what works best for them. It really depends what you are looking to gain.

Here's the main difference between the two. Prayer uses thought and feeling, usually to petition a higher deity or spiritual entity. Meditation on the other hand side steps thought. In meditation the practitioner seeks to calm the active mind by placing their consciousness into a higher level of awareness than the mind. From this higher state of "beingness" the practitioner can observe the thought process without being a part of the process. In this way, the mind, in time, can be quieted and controlled. Once that happens the practitioner is able to experience the direct source of spirit. Some call it Nirvana.

The benefits, as well as the different types of meditation, are countless. But here is the main reason why I believe that meditation would be of great benefit to those of us in western culture....because we are all crazy! We are literally quite insane! How so? Because most of us have little control over our thought processes. Author Eckart Tolle makes the point that there is a fine line difference between those crazy people we see walking around on the streets talking out loud and the rest of us, who have learned to keep our crazy thoughts quiet. What we all have in common with the crazy guy is that most of us have little control over what we think or how we feel. We're just better at keeping these things to our self and we're better at controlling how we react to our thoughts and feelings.

Author Neal Donald Walsch makes the point that in order to gain control over the mind, you must be out of your mind. And he means that literally. By establishing your center of awareness above the thought process, you are above your mind (out of your mind) and only then can one begin to gain control over the mind. Meditation is one way to do this.

Of course you cannot live a normal life in a constant state of Nirvana. There is a reason we have a mind and an ego. Along with the physical body, these are the tools we need to operate in this world. The tools just work much better for us when we, and not the tools, are in charge.