Prayer, Meditation and Enlightenment

Prayer, meditation and enlightenment mean many things to many people and are practiced by individuals independently and with religious and spiritual groups. But what are they, and what is their purpose? 

In the Spiritual View prayer is wholeheartedly seeking to be aware of the good of spiritual qualities with sincere interest in expressing them in our lives.

Meditation in the Spiritual View is similar to prayer as it is the practice of turning away from personal concerns and seeking the mental freedom of understanding the value of spiritual qualities. The purpose of prayer and meditation is self-transcendence. It occurs in the moments when there is more interest in spiritual qualities than ourselves.

Self-transcendence is the door to enlightenment, which is the pure awareness of what is good. Enlightenment is not a destination but is available moment to moment. These moments of enlightenment come and go, and with the Spiritual View we are looking to expand them in our daily lives. As we become aware that these moments of understanding are the source of our happiness and well-being, we are drawn to them more and more.