IS MEDITATION OKAY? [2 of 4] The Hindu technique of mediation is something Jesus warned us about. He told us not to pray like the pagans, who babble on and on. The Greek root is almost a direct translation from "barbar," referring to the barbarians who lived in foreign lands. The Greeks called them barbarians because when the Greeks heard them speak, it just sounded like, "brah, brah, brah, brah, brah, brah, brah…” So, Jesus is telling us not to be like the pagans, who sound like barbarians when they pray to their idols. And meditation’s mantras (chanting words or phrases) are just repetitious babbling. Jesus said not to do it, because it’s not the same as biblical prayer. When we Christians pray, obviously it is not about the Hindu practice of focusing our mind on repetition of meaningless words or phrases. We pray directly to God, speaking to Him using our mind and intelligible words—we have a conversation—telling Him how much we love and appreciate Him, as well as requesting help.