"I'll meditate on it"

I see the phrase ‘meditate on it’ or ‘I’ve meditated on it’ around a lot on this forum, usually in a place where someone doesn’t understand something or is struggling to deal with something.

However, I also often see people say ‘I’ve meditated on it for X hours but…’ and a comment that it didn’t come to anything.

The phrase doesn’t really come with any explanation, or any direction as to what you are supposed to be doing when you’re ‘meditating on it’ which makes the phrase a little meaningless… Usually during meditation you bring your focus to something, either your breathing, or a sound or a chant of some kind, or perhaps a visualisation exercise, as a way of training the mind and sorting out extraneous thought. So if you’re just sitting with your focus on what the problem is, you’re not going to find a solution.

I believe that dealing with topics that bother you perhaps isn’t best looked at during meditation when you really should be looking at those problems actively. If you’re struggling with an emotion, perhaps anger or jealousy, these feelings need to be ‘got out’ and examined.. you need to look at what causes them and how you feel so that you can see what needs to change. If you need to make a choice but don’t know how to, then the options need to be weighed, the outcomes considered. I personally don’t believe that you can do this during meditation.

There are some here who will probably disagree with me, and that’s fine, but if you’re finding that meditation isn’t helping you solve the issue, then take a more active approach, I think you’ll find it more successful.

I agree with you, Edan, but perhaps not on your definition of what meditation it.

I know that when I meditate, I don't try to empty my mind, focus on anything in particular, or ignore what's bother me. I instead allow my mind to wander. I let my thoughts explore whatever issue may be on my mind and open myself to the Force and let it guide my thinking toward a solution to whatever problem I may be dealing with.

So yes, I do meditate on issues, but sometimes I don't even need to go to my bedroom, cross my legs and close my eyes. Sometimes it only takes a minute to take a deep breath and open my mind.

I've recently come to believe that to meditate "on" something, for me, is to meditate to allow my mind to become distant from the topic at hand. If it is something that is causing me anxiety than I'm probably not thinking about it clearly. Therefore, if I meditate and then look at the problem again I might be able to see it more clearly. Or it is possible that in not thinking about it I find the answer. It is quite common for me to come up with answers to one problem while thinking about something else. Like knowing that you've seen something in your house a thousand times but you can't find it when you look for it.

"meditate" is a western word that originally meant "think about" or "reflect on"

in understanding and explaining eastern practices such as dhyana which comes from root dhyia (which means "contemplate") the word "meditation" already existed in western lexicon and seemed accurate - and in some cases it is but, often not. anyway in the west we have a long tradition of "meditating on it" as you say in your post Edan

if you look up "meditation in christian tradition" for example, youll find its very old and very different from say mindfulness meditation or trataka meditarion

but since it was the word most analogous to the eastern traditions, we also use the word to refer to mindful meditation or trataka meditation ect

thats where the "mix up" comes from

I think I've used it in that way to mean something other then conscious analysis; to mean trying to opening myself up to intuition, or letting my subconscious processing come to some conclusion. Perhaps the difference between 'searching' ones feelings versus just listening to them. But yes, for me it has an active component but as Goken points out that might be achieved by distracting my conscious mind entirely (perhaps to free up the subconscious mind to work on it). Otherwise it might just also be an excuse for taking a bit longer to think about it!!

But focusing on the problem in some calm clear manner might be an important phase of it, to phrase the question to ones own mental capabilities - that is if you believe the mind can process information outside of conscious awareness. I tend to believe that multitasking capability through incidental experience of it, but I haven't really bothered to confirm or deny it yet. Computer analogies to the animal mind might not be the best, but in terms of information processing they probably have some merit... so I tend to end up going there often enough
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I think meditation is calming your mind for it to free flow, no focus. Meditating on something is reflection with a purpose.

Edan wrote: Usually during meditation you bring your focus to something, either your breathing, or a sound or a chant of some kind, or perhaps a visualisation exercise, as a way of training the mind and sorting out extraneous thought. So if you’re just sitting with your focus on what the problem is, you’re not going to find a solution.

This presumes there is only one way in which meditation can be practiced. As others have mentioned there are other ways one can meditate which differ to the common understanding of the practice.

However meditation tends to be a very specific kind of practice which one does, so if someone said "I meditated on this", when they really meant "I thought about it for a little bit" then it's very misleading without any further qualification. "I meditated on..." shouldn't become a prop phrase which people appropriate into everyday language just so they can sound more spiritual.

@Edan - I believe this is a matter of definition. For me, as well, meditation is some sort of formalised exercise. Considering a complex subject matter, I'd call "contemplation" rather than "meditation" - but I'm aware that this is a hugely subjective matter. I'm sure contemplation can also contain meditative elements - e.g. one could use the principle of thesis, antithesis and synthesis in a formalised problem-solving session, while maintaining a high level of concentration and focus. Personally, I consider this more of an application of skills previously developed in, for example, walking meditation or vipassana, but other people may see this completely differently.