Psalm 1:2—Should Christians meditate, or is this a Buddhist practice?

Problem: David declared here that the righteous person “meditates day and night.” However, meditation is associated with Eastern religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, which are contrary to Christianity. Should Christians engage in meditation?

Solution: There is a significant difference between Christian meditation and mystical meditation found in many eastern religions, popularly known in western forms as “New Age” religions. The differences are brought out in this contrast:

(See Geisler and Amano, The Infiltration of the New Age, Tyndale, 1989, 135)

There is a big difference between emptying one’s mind to meditate on nothing and filling one’s mind with the Word of God to meditate on the Living God. David said he meditated on God’s “law”—the Word, not on the void. His purpose was spiritual fellowship with Yahweh, not a mystical union with Brahman or the Tao of eastern religions. The two forms of meditation are entirely different.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.