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Meditation is firmly associated in the average person's mind with Eastern religions. However, if we look at the history of this term, we will find that it is... entirely Christian.
The word itself has Latin origins. The term meditatio, meaning “reflection,” “intelligent action,” “contemplation,” as well as “whispering,” “muttering,” “uttering,” in the Latin translation of the Bible is the equivalent of the Hebrew הָגָה (hāgâ) and the Greek μελετάω (meletáo). In ancient Greek and Latin, the word also means “to care,” “to be engaged,” “to exercise,” i.e., it also reflects an aspect of spiritual practice, sādhanā (e.g., in 1 Timothy 4:15).
Is there an equivalent of this word in Sanskrit? Yes, but it is not complete, only partial. The word ध्यान (dhyāna) means “mental contemplation,” “reflection.” It is one of the stages of Ashtanga Yoga, directly preceding samadhi, i.e., the state of “enlightenment,” a complete immersion of consciousness in the Absolute.
However, Vaishnavas use the term “meditation” not only in relation to dhyāna but also to practices that are not strictly dhyāna. For example, the so-called meditation on the Hare Krishna mantra, whether in the form of japa or kirtana, is not called dhyāna in Sanskrit. In Vaishnavism, one might consider the repetition of the Gayatri mantra and other diksha mantras as dhyāna, though even this is usually referred to in Sanskrit literature as upāsanā — a part of the process of worshiping a deity, not dhyāna.
It is important to note that both the Catholic and the Orthodox Church have had meditative practices for many centuries, and they can be found as early as the time of the apostles. In the sense of specific spiritual exercises, the term meditatio was first used by the medieval Catholic monk Hugo II (second half of the 12th century) — the head of the Carthusian order and author of the letter on contemplative life.
Moreover, Catholics also have another term — contemplatio (Latin: contemplatio, Greek: θεωρία), meaning a deeper state of meditation — the state of mental contemplation of the divine Reality, trance. Contemplatio is analogous to samadhi. However, since the word has an adequate Sanskrit equivalent, it did not enter the Vaishnava lexicon.
In other words, meditation is entirely a Christian term that found its way into the lexicon of Hinduism because it described the phenomenon more precisely than the existing Sanskrit terms.
This is far from the only term that Vaishnavas have borrowed from Christianity. The same has happened with terms like “hypostasis,” “expansion,” “(re)incarnation,” “incarnation,” “energy,” and many others. To use this terminology correctly and meaningfully, we recommend that Vaishnavas study the Christian philosophy behind them thoroughly. And, while using it, they should remember the source of the borrowing and give it its due credit.
First published on the page of the Vaishnava-Christian dialogue community Satya Dharma Path.