According to North American sources i.e. Wikipedia, word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study, and to practice. However, if we look to the Eastern cultures, I believe we come closer to the true meaning of meditation as originally intended. Swami Rama from Yoga International claims that meditation is "a precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from the normal waking state." My favourite explanation comes from Geshe Lobsang Dawa, teacher at the Buddhist School of Dialectics Dharamsala. First, he says that the the Tibetan word for meditation is "Gom" which can be translated as familiarizing or habituating with a positive state of mind. Geshe-la reminds us that meditation is not just closing eyes and relaxing, but rather the goal of meditation is to develop highly concentrated and clear state of mind. The purpose of meditation is to investigate the nature of reality, tame the “monkey mind,” and use the mind as a tool for creating health and happiness. Dr. Joe (Dispenza) describes the meditation cycle as described in the diagram below.
