Nowadays, in contrast, Eastern Gurus are flocking to the West to teach Meditational techniques and even Kabbalistic teaching is more accessible to the masses..

Despite the many well documented health and relaxation benefits of meditation, easing of stress, realisation of potential, one of the main objects is the stilling of the mind and getting a sense of a state which is beyond the day to day mundane physical existence. To find out “Not what God is, But what He is not.”
King Solomon in Eccliastes 2:1-2 tells in detail how he spent much of his life chasing after the satisfaction of his egotistical and physical pleasures, of fame, fortune, wine, women, horses and palaces, until he realised it was all worthless. “Chevel” meaning air or nothingness (AYIN). He changed and said “the only thing man can do Is praise God (EIN SOF) and do your duty.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Meditation is a way of doing just that. 

Cluttered mind
Our minds are like a room cluttered up with useless, old furniture. The virtue of a room is that it has space to use. Removal of all the furniture has a twofold benefit. Firstly it eliminates what is useless and secondly it provides a space for something new to enter. This is the essence of meditation!!.

Benefits

Meditation is a different way of using the mind.

Mind is usually narrowing, focusing onto the specific and trying to acquire new things Meditation is a way of seeing everything simultaneously, as if from the top of a mountain.

Imagine seeing a train below in the valley traveling past forests lake and over bridges. From the top of the mountain you can where it has been and where it is going, in one glance. You can see past present and future in one glance.

Hence G-d’s name , the Tetragramaton contains the words for past present and future, perhaps indicating that the divine view is beyond time.

Mozart knew this and said “I hear all the parts of the symphony all at once” Jung had the same experience as below

Jung Memories, Dreams, Reflections Page 327 Fontana 1971
We shy away from the word " eternal," but I can describe the experience only as the ecstasy of a non-temporal state in which present, past, and future are one. Everything that happens in time had been brought together into a concrete whole. Nothing was distributed over time, nothing could be measured by temporal concepts. The experience might best be defined as a state of feeling, but one which cannot be produced by imagination. How can I imagine that I exist simultaneously the day before yesterday, to-day, and the day after to-morrow? There would be things which would not yet have begun, other things which would be indubitably present, and others again which would already be finished and yet all this would be one. The only thing that feeling could grasp would be a sum, an iridescent whole, containing all at once, expectation of a beginning, surprise at what is now happening, and satisfaction or disappointment with the result of what happened. One is interwoven into an indescribable whole and yet observes it with complete. objectivity.

We are creatures of habit and meditation cuts across bad habits

Meditation enables you to discover your uniqueness

People want to know where they are…meditation gives you some guidance as to your place in the universe
You don’t need to travel to India or become a Buddhist to find yourself

Medical research has shown it to be panacea for all ills. It has been shown that during meditation, blood pressure is reduced. Breathing slows down. Heart rate slows down. Well documented in an article In Time Magazine Aug 4 2003. In summary the stress manifestation of adrenaline has dropped. (see stress and adrenaline)

Improves memory

Reduces stress

Perfectly safe for all ages.

There is a two-fold benefit from meditation. Meditation reveals the chaotic state of most people’s minds and, at the same time gives one a taste of a more relaxed and conscious state

Perfectly safe for all ages.

There is a two-fold benefit from meditation. Meditation reveals the chaotic state of most people’s minds and, at the same time gives one a taste of a more relaxed and conscious state.

Definition
7 levels
We are told that there are 7 gates of heaven and 7 gates of consciousness. We all have experience of four gates which are, Firstly the sleeping state, secondly the waking state and thirdly the state when we are aware of what we are doing when we exercise care, like if we carefully lift a baby or try to make a beautiful flower arrangement or keep our eye on the ball when we play a competitive ball game. All these require that little extra effort to keep your attention on the task in hand and stoop mind from wandering. Death is another level of consciousness
Sayings
Meditation is the practice of the theory of the Kabbalistic concepts of Ayin and Ein Sof
The universe exists in the absolute space between absolute all and absolute nothing which is The Kabbalistic concept of Ayin and Ein Sof which we will be discussing in more detail
It is often said that thinking is perfectly natural and should not be interfered with. There is no argument with this idea, but if you are hungry and want to grow potatoes you have to choose to remove the weeds otherwise no food will grow. The mind is often compared to a patch of earth where the beautiful flowers you are trying to grow are being smothered by the thick layer of tenacious weeds (analogous to the thoughts) growing quite naturally

THE PRACTICE.
There are many different methods of meditation
from moving around to sitting still. From shouting, chanting or singing to remaining quiet. Usually a teacher guides the pupil in meditation,, similar to a guide that you need when you want to climb up a mountain.

Stages
There are two distinct landmarks, that even the novice will notice. The first landmark is to discover that you are thinking instead of practicing awareness. This is a most important part of meditation and has major importance. It is almost identical to waking up in the morning. You suddenly realise you have been sleeping and now you are awake. You have changed your level of consciousness, from being asleep to being awake. The same language is used about meditation, you realise that you have thinking and now for a moment

you stop thinking and try to get a sense of yourself and surroundings by being aware of the body or the breathing. You have been thinking and now you have stopped. 

You will sooner or later again return to thinking and repeat the whole cycle

The Time Paradox
It may be a little confusing at first to consider that present time is the interface between the past and the future and as such has no dimension, and even more confusing to consider that the moment NOW of present time is eternally present. The ancient Greeks depicted this paradox of “no time eternally present” as in the adjacent diagram above. The circumference depicts passing time called Chronos but the “instant moment of no duration (Ayin)” is called Kairos and is eternally present Ein SOF.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Herman Hesse’s book Siddhartha illustrates this point when Siddhartha asks the River Ganges ”What is the meaning of life? In answer, he identifies the flotsam coming towards him as the future and the flotsam passing him as his past history. His next question is “What is present time?”.
How and when and where does the past change into the future, and what is the duration of present time. How much of the river is passing NOW.
Hard to get this question clear, but it has an important clue as to the nature of a different level of consciousness between Ayin and Ein Sof .
Consider that the river is always flowing, but the answer to the question of how much of the river is passing in the moment NOW, Is, “none or nothing or Ayin”, but that moment NOW is eternally present ( Ein Sof). It is always NOW. The river is always flowing past.

Anonymous Writings

Another beautifully written description of Meditation can be found in the “Cloud of Unknowing.”
Written anonymously sometime in the 14 Century and considered by many to be the finest of the devotional classics of Christianity. Why anonymous, we ask. Because the writer was familiar with the need to avoid the egotistical trap of claiming the writing as his own. Moses could be considered to be exposed to the same problem, when God offered to destroy the Jewish people after the Golden calf and start a new nation, just with Moses. Exodus 32 :10…He refused..
Similarly Jesus was tempted by Satan to satisfy his ego, by “accepting the world, in exchange for bowing down to Satan” Math 4:8. He refused
Why then does the author write, apparently ignoring this stricture? Perhaps because of the urgency of the times, but with as much care as can be mustered…

The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Essay on Meditation

MEDITATION

While meditation offers definite therapeutic benefits for those seeking relief from stress, contemporary meditational courses incorporate practices that border on idolatry. An acceptable alternative is a clinical, value-free meditational technique devoid of any religious associations.

Adapted from an address by the Lubavitcher Rebbe 13th Tammuz 5739 translated by
SICHOS IN ENGLISH
788 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11213
Student's Translation — Unedited

MEDITATION

The so-called meditation movement has become remarkably popular. There are any number of courses offered in meditation, and millions of people over the world are taking them, with Jews of all ages liberally numbered among its adherents. Eretz Yisroel is not exempt, and it too has many flourishing meditation groups.

Benefits of Meditation
The beginning of "meditation" is usually innocuous, a means of relief from the strain and tension of everyday life. People live under constant pressure, endlessly competing with others in work and society. It is a cliche that life has become increasingly complex, but cliches often contain a great deal of truth. It is increasingly more difficult to cope with pressures and worries, and mental health suffers as a result.
Meditation is offered as a way to cope with such stress. The opportunity to withdraw, at least for a while, from the tumult and clamor of everyday life has definite benefits. The mind is rejuvenated, the soul refreshed, nerves calmed, and in general, one is at peace — with oneself and the environment. Fortified by sessions of meditation, people have found they are able to face the tensions of the world with increased success.

Judaism does not frown upon the practice of meditation. It can even be a positive force in one's spiritual growth. Meditating on G-d's greatness and kindness for example, brings a person to more devoted service to G-d. Thus our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchok, and Ya'akov, were shep¬herds, finding the accompanying solitude conducive to con¬templation and communion with G-d. With such a definite goal in mind, and set within proper limits, meditation can help strengthen the bond between man and his Creator.

The main use of meditation today, however, is moretherapeutic than as a means to come closer to G-d; to gain peace of mind rather than commune with the Divine. Again, Judaism is not adverse to this. It is almost axiomatic in Jewish teaching that the health of the soul and physical health are interdependent. The body and mind are not to be mistreated, and if meditation can heal the physical, then by all means it should be used.

Associations with Idolatry
But, and this is a serious word of caution, popular forms of meditation today are not limited to that. Meditational techniques as commonly practised today are adopted mainly from Eastern practices, and they carry with them many of the rites peculiar to Eastern faiths. In the East, meditation is not regarded as just a therapeutic device. It is an integral part of religious practice (notably in Hinduism and Buddhism), and many of the ceremonies associated with it are religiously nspired. The uses of incense and bowing for example, that ire present in many meditational disciplines, are not dispen-;able appendages but form an intrinsic part of these religions Ind their associated meditational practices.

Even more striking is the association of meditation with particular cults and gurus. It is not unusual to find adoration for the guru and homage to him as normal routine of a cult. It would be difficult to maintain in such cases that these are trivial appendages to the primary aim of meditation.

Such practices are emphatically prohibited by Jewish law. They are either simple aaodah zorah, idolatry, or derivatives of it, either way clearly forbidden. Adoration of a guru comes dangerously close to idolatry, while practices such as the chanting of mantras and offering of incense, flowers, or fruits to an idol or picture, are definately derivatives of idol worship. While perhaps the person performing such rites does not intend them to be idolatrous, it makes no difference. They are intimately connected with religious beliefs, and cannot be disassociated from them. All claims to the contrary, that various meditational techniques are free of religious associations, are simply incorrect. These practices stemMeditation
directly from Eastern religions with all there overtones of idol worship.
Needless to say, it is a violation of Judaism's principal tenet of belief in one G-d.

Does this mean that Jews must renounce any form of meditation? Not at all. The objection is not to meditation per se, but to the religious trappings which invariably accompany contemporary meditational techniques. Should a Jew con¬sider himself in need of the benefits that can be aquired through meditation, he is free to avail himself of it, with a vital proviso we shall discuss in a moment. Judaism requires a healthy body and mind, and if everyday living is too full of stress and strain, then he may turn to meditation as an acceptable solution.

It is necessary to insert a stipulation at this point. Even without any of its alien religious trappings, meditation is not to be used indiscriminately. It is undoubtedly useful for those who wish to relax and rejuvenate themselves. In such cases it is regarded as 'medicine' to heal one's battered spirit. But it is a different matter for healthy, non-stressed people. Man, Judaism teaches, is made for work, to achieve, to build and be productive. Except when used specifically in one's service of G-d (contemplation of G-d's greatness etc.) — and then within definite limits — withdrawal and isolation from life has no place in Jewish thought. One must constantly seek to influence one's environment, and withdrawing into a life of meditation is to defeat that goal. Meditation is only for those who find themselves unable to cope with their situations, and then it has a definite therapeutic value.

Value-Free Meditation
How can meditation be practised in an acceptable manner? If contemporary meditational practices are pro¬hibited because of their association with avodah zorah, what should take their place? A logical corollary is a meditational technique completely stripped of all religious associations, and directed to one goal — relieving tensions. It should be incorporated as another tool in the repertoire of the mental health field.

There are many branches of medicine which deal with the mental health of patients. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychoanalysts occupy important positions in healing. Mental health professionals do not commonly use meditation as a tool for treating their patients. Obviously, the mental problems of some patients are far more complex, and require greater assistance than mere reduction of stress. But many could be helped in no small measure through the benefits accruing from meditation. Many patients of mental health professionals are not 'sick' in the accepted sense, and medita¬tion can be a valuable help for them. For those whose only need is relief from stress and tension, to learn how to cope with everyday life, value-free meditation can be of great benefit.

The alarming rise in cults demands strong immediate action. Medical professionals must develop meditational techniques that are value-free and can be used by all in need, as a valuable adjunct to their tools of healing. Besides the great benefit for their patients' mental health, it is a sacred
duty to prevent people from falling into idolatrous practices. It must be emphasized again that such meditation should not be associated with any religious practices. It is the doctor's calling to help the patient get well, and his interest lies only in the mitzvah of healing. While a Jew can use meditation in furthering his Divine service, this should not be the goal of medical professionals when treating stress and tension
related problems. They must help those who come to them with clinical, value-free methods of meditation and relaxation, to promote a mentally healthy life style. Their work should be a purely medical alternative to current meditation. With training, mental health professionals can acquire
knowledge in clinical meditational techniques. Using their professional knowledge, they can develop a value-free method of meditation, totally devoid of any Eastern , cultic, or guru techinques, and an effective alternative to current meditational courses. Indeed, so important is this subject that
these professionals should not be content with treating only their immediate patients. The idea that a value-free Meditational course exists and is available must be publicized and disseminated. People in need should know that there are alternatives, and they can get the benefits of meditation without recourse to those associated with alien religions.

Adapted from an address given on 13th Tammuz, 5739