MEDITATION – is not quite a proper term. It became widespread in the West when the champions of eastern self-development methods (Svami Vivecananda, Shri Chin Moy, and others) just borrowed this word from the vocabulary of European theosophical community.
As homage to western mentality, it was done to ease understanding of some terminology for western people.
Although the word “meditation” may be used to describe psychophysical “medium” between sleep and being awake, it reflects the main point not to the whole extent. Besides, psychophysical states practiced by theosophists of the 19th century, Europe did not have much in common with the states practiced by Eastern Masters.
The word meditation originates from the words medium and media that mean “the middle” and “something or somebody who stands between”. In this connection we may remember the mythical sorceress Medea.
This way theosophists and mystics of Europe used to stress their ability to contact the supernatural during their trance and to be the mediators between that “weird” world and “this”.
Later, the Chinese Qigong Masters used the word meditation as a term while teaching western students.
Often meditation is understood as concentration, in other words – exertion of mind and attention.
But here, the proper state is total and complete relaxation.