Perhaps meditation is a formal way of relaxation, wherein, one sits quiet and observes own mind and the process of thought production. Once one becomes one's own observer, one becomes focused on real productive activities and thus extremely wise -  un-confused and un-distracted.

Dear Jeanan

Thinking means putting full attention to your imagination and feelings, transforming and materializing the situation imagined in practical life

Meditation is silence. It's just being, listen to your innate wisdom and your inner 

Meditation is the discovery that the goal of existence is always achieved in the present moment. (Alan Watts)

If you want to moderate the process of thought consider them reactions to what is happening around, we ourselves produce thoughts.

But may meditation exist without thoughts?

Thanks dear Nelson,

Does that mean Meditation is not able to be transformed and materialize in practical life?

Everyone may need to concentrate and think often. But there probably isn't enough relaxed, soul-searching meditation occurring. People need to "Stop and smell the roses."  We need balance. 

Dear Enzo, 

This is the point " may meditation exist without thoughts?" as you asked

or meditation is thinking process in a different level?

Dear Jeanan

Meditation is a powerful approach that anyone can use to help themselves cope with health problems, stress and anxiety. Meditation helps you become aware of negative thought patterns and discipline helps the mind, amplifying contemplation and reflection. Meditation can be considered a source of wisdom and healing

• When you are lost in thought, racing along with your mind, you are thinking.
• When you holding yourself and directing your thoughts, you are concentrating.
• When you are holding yourself and witnessing your thoughts without actually being in your thoughts, you are meditating.

"Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. This is a profound spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation."

http://www.how-to-meditate.org/

http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-thinking-and-meditating

Thinking is more analytical whereas mediation is more reflective. I hope this comment will appear publicly. I am still learning how to use this interface.

Thinking requires a clear and focused mind that meditation can help build and improve.

Meditation comes from MEDITATIO Latin and refers to the action and effect of meditation (focusing intently thought to account for something). The concept is associated with the concentration and deep reflection.

The notion of meditation is common in religion and spirituality. It is a practice of focusing attention on a thought, an external object or conscience.

According to the theoretical definition, the thought is that which is brought to reality by means of intellectual activity. Therefore, we can say that thoughts are produced by the mind products that may appear rational processes of intellect or by abstractions of the imagination.

Thought can encompass a set of operations of reason, such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization and abstraction. Moreover, keep in mind that it is manifested in language and even determined.

Perhaps meditation is a formal way of relaxation, wherein, one sits quiet and observes own mind and the process of thought production. Once one becomes one's own observer, one becomes focused on real productive activities and thus extremely wise -  un-confused and un-distracted.

We think to make reasonable decisions and to perform a process while we meditate not to perform but  to seduce our cognitive faculty to be in a quite and deep thought process of vertical consciousness,  to acquire a sensation of weightlessness and levitation from the ground we sit and be disconnect from forces of the physical world around. Although both activities use our cognitive faculty, the goals or intentions make them different and be performed differently.

We need our students to develop skills of critical thinking skills through the education we offer them to solve problems of society and their own. 

We think to solve issues. Thinking has an outcome. Thinking is an art of positive act as a need forward. meditation is another way of thinking as feed back to your body and mind awareness. It is a process to reduce negative energy.  

I think 'relaxation' is the main difference because you are completely relaxed while doing meditation.

Thinking creates stress on Brain,

Meditation makes relax of the Brain and Body.

*Thinking means it is of one or many of thousands of life problems, solutions and challenges.

*Meditation means- thinking of one spiritual thing which keeps you out of life problems, at least during meditation period.

Mediation can take place whether thought is there or not. A state of meditative awareness exists beneath the thinking you experience in the mind, because the mind is always there, which means thought is always there. The difference between meditation and the waking consciousness is what you give your attention to. Your awareness of thinking is what actually connects you to the meditative state.

Meditation is really about cultivating awareness. Awareness that I am thinking, that I am sitting, that I am breathing. We learn to be aware of all feelings and sensations, like awareness of your feeling something to do with your job or partner or the tingling in your legs when you sit that way. The most significant awareness is that of ‘I AM’. The key to cultivating awareness is to lovingly, and gently, (as opposed to forcefully) disengage your mind from judging and engage it with the act of observation and acceptance.

When you notice you have wandered off into thinking about something, then in that very moment of noticing this you have a profound opportunity to deepen your awareness and thus to deepen your experience of meditation. In that moment the awareness arises, "I was sitting here watching my breath, and then I got caught up in thinking about something. ‘Hey that’s pretty cool! It’s in this awareness that takes you further into meditation.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Meditation_Thinking.html

I think that critical thinking needs concentration and meditating and thus students  should be encouraged to do all of them.

Thinking is using actively all the faculties of the brain but thinking is analogous to TENSELY utilizing the wheel and the gears of a pilot.  You have a target destination and command strongly And consciously on the the avenues to go to.  Meanwhile meditation is being on the driver's seat On Autopilot.  You are the RELAXED driver, but you do not touch d gears.  You name the target (example: analyze the real source of anger with your wife) then the plane (your consciousness steps back to let your deeper consciousness take over for an allocated time to convey the unconscious thoughts to reveal themselves) steers on autopilot.  You, as the quiet seated pilot, observe through the windows of the plane, the revelation of thoughts, images and memories.  The knotty snarls around the target starts to unravell the images, conversations and memories that are strongly inter connected.  Enlightenment would then take place on understanding the source /s of your anger. 

There is a tremendous difference between meditation & thinking. Thinking occurs by the transfer of the perception of an object to the mind, followed by recalling stored information in the memory, and then reasoning or judgment. You & I may think in the same manner on a particular object. Meditation involves imaginations beyond the mind in a calm setting eliminating thoughts, plans, and worries. Therefore, we meditate differently. After thinking, the mind may become restless & agitated. After meditating in Yoga, the mind & the body are supposed to cool down.

We may think the goal of meditation is to empty the mind. It's not about clearing the mind; it's about focusing on one thing. When the mind wanders, the meditation isn't a failure. Our brain is like a wayward puppy, out of control. Catching it and putting it back to the object of focus is the mediation.

"Meditation Isn't Clearing the Mind; It’s Focusing on One Thing."

http://lifehacker.com/meditation-isnt-clearing-the-mind-it-s-focusing-on-on-1643101622

I think that meditation is more about focusing than relaxing especially when practicing martial arts. For example, I need a focused mind to transfer "Qi" into power or strength and "Qi" in turn helps balance the meditation process. But relaxation could be a good byproduct of meditation only after the practices not between.

My opinion is that capital difference between Thinking and Meditation is absence or presence of Inner dialogue. The inner dialogues bring about a snowball effect. The more you conduct them, the more you become chained to them, unable to stop them specially if you have some deadlines to respect. When the emotions are also evoked, more power, energy and attachment are added. Meditation is a practice of  concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement and been relaxed.

Meditation is working your thinking.

I think (!) thinking. Meditation is nice, but makes people more passive and sometimes is not the suitable solution for emergent problems, it is rather more for our internal balance.

@Demetris: anyone who claims that meditation is "nice" hasn't experienced the pain, the regret, the anxieties and fears that surface when we sit and pay attention to the experience of the present moment. Letting your mind wander is "nice", but paying attention in a non-judgemental way to what is happening within you and without you is difficult and often requires courage. 

Television is the opposite of meditation. It makes people passive and postpones the business of being alive, often until it is too late. Meditation is the terrible silence when the TV goes off. 

And it's hard. 

• Meditation is state of concentration where no thoughts are present; while the body is in a state of rest.
• Thinking is flow of thoughts while the other parts of the body are in its normal usage.

Dear Krishnan,

Nice definitions. But I´ve no experience in this kind of meditation. But I know I often let my body rest if thinking, I concentrate and deactivate to many influences from outside.

Thinking is staying in the dominion of thought. In thinking the pursuit is very dear. Meditating is moving through the realms of thought towards the conscious self. Meditations involve concentration, focus, or contemplation tend to deactivate the brain's default mode network. The way of meditation and realted experience can be different to different person.

interesting! 

I should think that meditation is the good flow of thoughts that liberate Endorfins, whereas pure thinking is less addictive, more frequent, and sometimes bad or wrong. (In this way, meditation , as a free flow of thoughts, doesn't need to lead to resultant new ideas.  Meditation would produce corporal consequences, and thinking would produce brain consequences.

But only our dear Eastern friends do know this better than Occidentals.

Dear Jeanan,

On the one hand, meditation is witnessing your thinking. In other words, it is to move through the realms of thought towards the conscious self. On the other hand, thinking is to stay in the realm of thought and to race along with your mind. Finally, to concentrate is to hold yourself and direct your thoughts.

Dear Ronan, I prefer the 'thinking man' from the 'meditating man', since after thinking comes action and we need more action than self-happiness. If you care only about yourself, then the process of thinking → acting is too tiring to adopt it.

PS As for pain: please don't make such generalizations.

We are human beings under a MIND & SOUL within us .Our Mind is a thinking process & carry out our action with our conscious & subconscious mind .Our thinking process is our basic end of our life .

Thinking & Meditation both go hand in hand .Our thinking process is a nourishing path of our meditation.Meditation depends full concentration under a systematic mode of behavior for which we have to make our thinking process under a control of mind & we have to get read of our negative forces of Action -Greed-Anger -Attachment ,Jealousy -Ego etc which may help us to keep our mind  calm & quite .

This is the only way whereby we can carry out our meditation for making our life line comfortable & rosy .

Meditation is a workout for your brain that strengthens your ability to focus.

Better focus leads to better performance, higher creativity, reduced stress, and presence: the ability to be fully immersed in a situation.

I also think that meditation is a good way to train self-discipline.

When thinking is taking place, usually there are goals involved (although it may not seem that there are any).  When meditating, typically thinking to solve anything is not taking place.  Rather, a "zoning out" (or "zoning in") is occurring.  During this, the idea is to not let any thinking take place, or at least to not carry on to any great extent, to avoid attaching to a directionality of thought or emotion.

Meditation is witnessing your thinking !

"A man of meditation is happy, not for an hour or a day,                                             but quite round the circle of all his years."    

                                                            ----- Isaac Taylor -----

http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-thinking-and-meditating

Yes, Roland. Meditation can also reinforce self-discipline.

I like your deeper explanation, Roland.

Our mind is crowded with different thoughts, worries, plans, etc. so is restless and agitated. It is bondage because it can never get away from the forces which make it work. In meditation we try to go far beyond the mind where there is eternal peace, eternal knowledge and eternal light and bliss abound. This means becoming able to direct our thoughts, to switch thoughts and abandon thoughts, and to wind back mental activity at will. Meditation is the most perfect way to learn relaxation and attention at the same time. Focusing on the body relaxes it, and the act of focusing calms the mind.

• Posture - Whether you sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, make sure that your spine is upright with head up.  If your body is well-balanced, your mind will also be in balance.
• Eyes -Try and keep you eyes open. Open eyes allow you to be more present. However, it’s important to do what is comfortable for you. Some people find closing their eyes much more effective. It’s good to experiment and see what feels best for you.
• Focus - Attention comes from nowhere. It has no cause. It belongs to no one
• The breath -Paying attention to the breath is a great way to anchor yourself in the present moment.
• Counting you breath-If you are having difficulties settling, you can try counting the breath – which is an ancient meditation practice.
• Thoughts -When you notice thoughts, gently let them go by returning yous focus to the breath.
• Emotions - It’s difficult to settle into meditation if you are struggling with strong emotions. This is because some emotions tend to breed stories in the mind.
• Silence -Silence is healing. I know that there are is a lot of ‘meditation music’ around, but nothing beats simple silence. Otherwise the music or sounds on the tape just drown out the chatter in your mind.
• Length -Start with 10 minutes and only sit longer if you feel that that is too short. Don’t force yourself to meditate longer if you are not ready to do that.
• Place- It’s lovely to create a special place to sit. You can even make a shrine or an altar that you can face when you sit in meditation.

Vipassana is an insight that cuts through conventional perception to perceive mind and matter as they actually are: impermanent, unsatisfactory, and impersonal. Insight meditation gradually purifies the mind, eliminating all forms of attachment. As attachment is cut away, desire and delusion are gradually diluted. The Buddha identified these two factors— desire and ignorance— as the roots of suffering. Insight meditation is concerned with the present moment— with staying in the now to the most extreme degree possible. It consists of observing body (rupa) and mind (nama) with bare attention.

http://www.vipassanadhura.com/whatis.htm

Meditation is a way of relaxation and a path to enlightenment. If we dissolve our attachment with the outside world and bring our minds to rest, well-being, positivity and enlightenment arise. Meditation takes to an inner silence state. Presence or absence of thought activity during meditation is not an issue rather, what matters is the degree to which ones thought activity is driven, unconscious and fixated. Most of us are literally addicted to thinking and cannot abide even for a few seconds without some sort of "thought fix." If there's nothing significant to think about, we fill the void with fantasy and trivia. Meditation breaks the addiction to thinking. One is then in a highly desirable situation. Breaking the compulsion to think simply means that the thinking process is no longer scattered by distracting forces. So when you turn your mind to some topic, you can penetrate that topic with great clarity and vigour. To draw a metaphor from the physical world, when thinking is no longer at the mercy of scattering forces and becomes like a penetrating beam of coherent light. This state of meditation can makes one a better thinker, problem solver and can raise ones IQ.

Excellent insights, I cannot but agree. I read from time to time "Guru's" insights moving from thinking to meditation.

Meditation is deep thinking and at the same time trying to be unified with nature.

I agree with Costas. I think that harmony and natural flow are the key to one's meditation. 

“The Way to do is to be.” ― Lao Tzu

According to Chinese tradition, Laozi lived in the 6th century BCE.

http://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/2622245.Lao_Tzu

Lao Zi is one of the greatest Chinese philosophers from that time era. "The way to do is to be" exactly describes that one should be in one with the nature, which also is the fundamental foundation of Tai Chi.

In my opinion,

Thinking: doing some serious work

Meditation: taking some good relax

I understand meditation as "art as a technique",using "die Verfremdunoseffekt" by B.Brekht.You see "the hero" as if from outside and reflect.It leads to undermining the illusions through "self-reflective language, achieving self-conscioussness"(Vikentyev I.L).Comments are our experience,associations,images.It results in "critical catharsis,awareness of unconsciousness"  (vikentyev I.L.)http://vikent.ru/enc/5469/

Thinking is the process of our mind .It is our day to day exercise .Our thinking part has quite good areas from our family life to social life to our official life & the important part of which also remain our hobbies .

Although above should part our thinking process but as human being we cannot afford to accumulate our thinking areas .We have our  own mind & thinking exercise with a power of discrimination .

It is this that may help us to take a line of action our life .For this with our thinking ,we have to contemplate & decide the course of action .

In order to generate the said area our mind tunes with the higher self & this helps to process our mind by selecting the area according to our liking & this may become a part of our meditation .

For meditation we require practice with the self ,disciplinary action for our concentration .While sitting with our calm & quite mind it is very likely that we may take the help of power of prayer or to control our faith from our within.

Without going into the details of meditation the above practice with faith & belief may turn our life to our desire end with successive result .

Thinking is a rational approach of what is going out in the world. Meditation is an irrational deep view of our inside.

According to earliest treatise on self and societal management, mind has to be trained to stay focused, rather than go grazing in oblivion (maya). Meditation is a technique to train the mind to stay focused on an entity, which is the best and perfect in this world and the next. Doing so, our body machine is directed by our chiseled mind to become most productive, constructive, happy in all situations, etc. As 'perfection' does not exist around on earth, this Treatise (Bhagwad Gita) advises man to stay focused on 'brilliance of uncountable suns shining together' or an image of God Almighty (Vasudev Hari, Vishnu/Virat), This treatise guarantees the meditator to reach permanent pinnacle of success, bliss, peace, eternal youth, perfection, wisdom and powers to deal with any situation, etc.

Let me give you the Greek rendering for meditation: "αυτοσυγκένρωση"~

 auto-concentration. This may give finally the substance of meditation!