"a rose by any other name will still be a rose"...William Shakespeare

Fr. Thomas Keating said: " centering on prayer consist of choosing a sacred word, like God, Father , Abba and sitting comfortably, focusing the mind on the word, taking care to banish extraneous ideas or disturbances. In this way, a new world appears within and around us and the impossible becomes an everyday experience. The same essence with meditation.
Meditation stills the mind and brings it a level of awareness not possible under our ordinary waking state. In scientific terms, meditation or contemplation slows down the brain waves from the usual Beta frequency of around 14 to 21 cycles per second to around 7 to 14 cps. At this lower rate, of alpha ( or even slower than theta) , the brain waves of the left and right neocortex are synchronized. This synchronization brings a new level of awareness to the person meditating.