Question: “Sorry if I sound horribly uneducated but, do you have to be a Buddhist to practice meditation and things like that? My sister says so and she says that if I do, I’m not staying true to my religion and such. Also, can you be Buddhist and Christian? Sorry again if I sound dumb.”
There’s no such thing as a dumb question; just dumb people who don’t ask questions! 🙂
What is meditation? It’s simply a practice of concentration and focusing your mind on one thing. So if you think about it, a lot of what you do on a daily basis is meditation! Driving, taking a shower, getting ready, working, etc., everything you do that has one objective can be considered meditation. Prayer is also a form of meditation! A lot of Christians meditate on prayer because it’s calming, relaxing, and eases their mind.
So no, you don’t have to be Buddhist to meditate. General meditation has nothing to do with Buddhism. On the other hand, practicing Buddhism – not being Buddhist, but just practicing practices of compassion, loving-kindness, appreciative joy, and equanimity, will make you a better person, a better practitioner of your own religion.
So go ahead and practice meditation all you want! With practice you will discover that it will bring you closer to yourself and to god.
Smile and be well!