Passage Meditation helps the meditator to contemplate and spiritualize the meaning of a sacred prayer or text, to discover the divine inspiration that lies within its words(1).

As meditation deepens, compulsions, cravings, and fits of emotions begin to lose their power to dictate our behavior. We see clearly that choices are possible: we can say yes, or we can say no.

-Eknath Easwaran

Introduction

Passage Meditation involves the practitioner focusing on the meaning of sacred texts(2). The meditator can choose any passage designated by holy scriptures and concentrate on the sound of each word or the meaning of the chosen verse. As the practitioners’ focus deepens, the knowledge behind the words is revealed to them(2).

Passage Meditation is similar to Christian Contemplative Meditation in its method. The practice will help you open your mind, emotions, heart and body(3). It has the possibility of allowing one to transcend beyond words and thoughts, opening their whole being to God(3).

History/Origins of Passage Meditation

In recent times Passage Meditation is a methodical practice developed by Eknath Easwaran, based on his personal experiences(4). He did not base it on any established tradition. According to him, the passages used for his method did not belong to any dogma or creed. They emerged from the experiences of people who had found the deeper and higher reality of the world, beyond that of the five senses(4). He created the Passage Meditation method as a way to draw the wisdom of the passages and apply them to daily life(4). In Eknath Easwaran’s own words, “Passage Meditation can be followed equally well in any religion or in none(4).”  

Christian Contemplative Meditation is a similar practice and it has a prominent presence in both the Old and New Testaments(5). It is a form of meditative prayer, still practiced today among Christians(5).

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.

-St. Saint Francis of Assisi

Benefits of Passage Meditation

According to a research article(6), daily practice of Passage Meditation has multiple health benefits. It reduces perceived stress and burnout, while promoting mental health and overall psychological well-being. Another article published in the Journal of Health Psychology(7) suggests that practicing Passage Meditation is particularly beneficial to health professionals as it improves their caregiving self-efficacy. 

The findings of another study(8) shows that Eknath Easwaran’s method of Passage Meditation has made significant contributions to the field of Indian psychology. His method emphasized the importance of the choice of meditative focus, offered universally framed support for devotional orientations to spirituality, and supplied tools to improve how spiritual diversity is addressed in modern institutions like schools, healthcare and other organizations.

 

Reference

  1. Yogoda and Sat-Sanga | Whispers from Eternity: Universal Scientific Prayers and Poems by Swami Yogananda
  2. SkyLight Paths Publishing | Meditation and its Practices: A Definitive Guide to Techniques and Traditions of Meditation in Yoga and Vedanta by Swami Adiswarananda
  3. Bloomsbury Academic | Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Keating
  4. Nilgiri Press | Passage Meditation – A Complete Spiritual Practice: Train Your Mind and Find a Life that Fulfills by Eknath Easwaran
  5. Wipf & Stock Publishers | From the Stone Age to Thomas Merton: A Short History of Contemplative Prayer by Larry Hart
  6. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology | Volume 74, Issue 4 | Passage meditation reduces perceived stress in health professionals: a randomized, controlled trial by Doug Oman, John Hedberg and Carl E Thoresen
  7. Journal of Health Psychology | Volume 13, Issue 8, | Passage Meditation Improves Caregiving Self-efficacy among Health Professionals: A Randomized Trial and Qualitative Assessment by Doug Oman, T. Anne Richards, John Hedberg and Carl E Thoresen
  8. Psychological Studies | Volume 63 | Eknath Easwaran’s Mantram and Passage Meditation as Applied Indian Psychology: Psycho-Spiritual and Health Effects by Doug Oman and Jill E. Bormann