Meditation and Prayer in Comparative Context

The course will explore in theory and practice various types of meditation and prayer of major religious traditions, including: Christian Lectio Divina, Recollection/Centering Prayer, Taize. and Quaker Worship; Buddhist Mindfulness/Insight meditation; Sufi Contemplation; Hindu Mantra meditation; and certain kinds of Yoga. It will outline and analyze the practices and goals of these types of prayer and meditation, with attention to: particular similarities and differences; their effects on the body, emotions and mind; and their relationship to other aspects of these religious traditions. It will attend to questions pertaining to the possible relevance of prayer and meditation to interreligious dialogue and comparative theology.