The most common issue modern people face with meditation is how to quiet the mind and attain the calm and repose they have heard daily meditation can provide. There are a variety of ways to approach this challenge.

I do like the Soto Zen practice wherein the practitioner does not bother with trying to quiet the mind or attain deep states of peace. Rather the practice is to attain a good posture and to focus on “just sitting” and then being attentive to whatever is happening. If the mind is peaceful, than focus on that. If the mind is jumping all over the place then let that be OK too and be fully present to the experience of “monkey mind.”

For other approaches, in the Vipassana Buddhist tradition there are 3 primary modes of practice to choose from that will help quiet the mind: the path of loving kindness, the path of insight, and the Jhana concentration exercises.

It is the first path of loving kindness that I want to focus on in this talk. In the west many refer to this practice of as the way of unconditional love.

In this mode of practice the person spends their time in meditation offering love to all that they know and then to all they know of, whether they deserve love and forgiveness or not. It takes a while to be able to offer love and best wishes to those who are really nasty and evil. Consequently, one needs to approach this practice at a reasonable pace. It may take months. It may take years. But gaining the ability to simply focus the mind on offering love and kindness to all living beings is an excellent way to concentrate the mind. This is an important point to grasp. By concentrating the mind on a single wholesome focus, the mind will grow steadily more quiet, calm and clear.  Also, the body will relax, the breathing will slow, and people will experience more of the peace and refreshment of spirit they are seeking.

A great advantage of this practice is that it can be engaged by anyone whether they are a fully committed atheist or they have a God centered faith in divine love.

As a digression, oddly enough it is this practice of unconditional love, which I learned from atheist Vipassana teachers many years ago, that inspired me to develop the “Art of Loving God.”

This development occurred while I was writing the sixth chapter in my book, “The Simple Path of Holiness.” As I outlined the process of developing skills with unconditional love to all beings, I realized something. After one went through the list of all people they know or know of, and then broadened the circle of those they were offering love to include all living creatures, another realization came to me.

One could proceed with this process by then offering their love to the saints they have been inspired by and then to angels (assuming people believe such beings exist).

Incidentally, it is worth noting that the senior North American Vipassana teacher Joseph Goldstein tells a story of one of his seminal teachers Munindra-ji of India. Munindra-ji would tell his students of experiences he had with, “light beings.” He would say, and I paraphrase, “You do not need to believe in such things to achieve liberation, but these stories about ‘light beings’ are true nonetheless.”

The term “light beings” is close enough to angels that it is hardly worth quibbling over whatever differences may exist in the minds of teachers. The fact that at least certain atheist Vipassana teachers believe in angels (or “light beings”) is an interesting point I will return to at another time.

For me the insight came that I could complete the process by turning the focus of my mind and intentions of my heart to offering love to God.

Given my further exposure to Greek Orthodox teachings after Christmas, I was inspired to fine tune this focus to offer love to Jesus Christ. Somewhat to my surprise this has become a central theme of my meditation practice. Those following other God centered traditions are welcome to adapt this practice to the God or Goddess or their understanding and faith. Those who really are atheists can simply proceed with offering love to all living creatures, all who ever have lived, and all who ever will live. No harm now foul.

Over the past few weeks, in my daily meditations, I developed the opening prayer I call the “Chaplet of Divine Love.” I will post this next week as I am trying to keep these posts a bit shorter if I can.

If in the meantime you wish to have a free copy of the “Chaplet of Divine Love” please send me an email or call and I will send a copy to you.

What is important to remember in “The Art of Loving God” is that the suggestion is made to clear the mind of any images of God that are punishing, harshly judgmental, or violently rigid. Rather, see if you can simply use your creative imagination to craft an image of God as being perfectly kind, loving, and luminously radiant. It will be much easier to gain the sense of wonder and awe that will naturally inspire a desire to silently love God in this description.

Peace,

Will

will   at meditation      practice    dot     com ( spelled out to limit spam)

774-232-0884

Seven weeks ago I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

At present it is time to conclude this series. I hope you will have time to read the posts of the past week or two, or if possible the entire series. When time permits I will present material of this kind as a complete course. I think it is more likely more people will review the material if it is presented as a course rather than as a long series of blog posts.

But for now let me sum up the salient points.

I began this series with a general comment on the Vipassana Buddhist teachings on mindful awareness.  In this meditation tradition the student is encouraged to cultivate a simple clear awareness of what is happening moment by moment both in the formal times of silent meditation as well as during the active hours of life.

When I talk about meditation for atheists, this is one of the primary practices I have in mind. This practice does not call for any belief in God, yet it still can be very beneficial if practiced diligently. But I do have one general concern as these teachings become better known in western culture.

My general concern is that many people who take these meditation classes still retain a belief in God even if they have little or no involvement with organized religion.

In my experience neither they nor the atheist teachers of this form of meditation stop to think about how very different meditation practice is for those who retain a traditional, or at least a general, belief in God or universal spirit.

This is where I believe Brother Lawrence’s teachings “Practicing the Presence of God” are important. In the same way that Buddhist teachers encourage people to maintain a meditative awareness throughout the day and night, Brother Lawrence also encourages people to maintain a constant awareness of God’s life and ways throughout the day. The fact that he was able to maintain his meditative awareness while working in a busy monastery kitchen for many years makes his story all the more relevant for those of us who have busy 21st century work and family responsibilities.

It is true that I feel the Buddhist approach of mindful attention throughout the day is simpler in that it does not need to involve words or concepts of any kind. Neither does it need to find an explanation of where God may be found in the midst of suffering and devastation.

But for me, I believe the God centered practice to be fundamentally more correct. I believe this because I believe the universe is not some big dead place. The universe is not some random phenomena without life or consciousness of any kind other than the complex neural delusions arising in the mind-organ of a few scraggly creatures such as ourselves.

But admittedly following a God centered practice of seeking God’s life and grace a hundred times or more a day has the great disadvantage of seeming to be utterly ridiculous at times.

In an age of incredible sophistication in science and technology, how can one say to highly intelligent people that they should “practice the Presence of God” even in those times, especially in those times, when there is no felt experience of any God’s presence of any kind?

Who could blame atheists for their scathing critiques of people who seek God’s love in the midst of the nightmares of suffering that erupt all too frequently in human and animal life?

All I can say is this.

As you progress in the ways of humility, sacrifice, charity and the trials and joys of a life devoted to unconditional love for all beings, there will be times when the doors of wisdom and experience open wide for you.

Even when they appear to slam shut again, even if you can’t explain how your heart has awakened to these mysteries, or what these mysteries and graces are, even when you still find yourself from time to time moaning in pain or numb with despair; you will know what hundreds of millions of others have known down through the ages.

There is much more to life than stars and planets and galaxies.

And you will be able to make contact with this “something” more and more frequently.

If you feel the atheist approach is more correct than choose that way.

But if you too feel there is “something” more to the fields of nature in April and May and the night sky when viewed far from the lights of cities and towns, then explore this idea..

Spirituality is about a relationship between you and the mysterious life that permeates all reality and every moment including the reality of your body and mind. Meditation can be cultivated as a way to deepen your experience of this relationship. As you make meaningful progress with your love, charity, faith, and surrender see if this relationship does not become more accessible to you moment by moment.

See if you can find ways to make contact with the hidden reservoirs of spirit and light. See if you can draw upon the resources of the hidden reservoirs of life to find ever more creative ways to diminish suffering in your life and in the lives of others.

See if you can find ever more effective ways to teach others to experience more meaningful experiences of this relationship with less of the confusion and struggle that so many of us go through on this most uncertain of journeys.

In this general effort, despite some of the confusing or highly dysfunctional passages in Brother Lawrence’s writing, I have learned a great deal from the simple notes others saved about his teachings. For that I am grateful to him and to those who preserved his writings.

Will

will  at meditation   practice  dot com  ( Spelled out to avoid spam)

774-232-0884

Six weeks ago I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

Please read the posts of the past week or two (or preferably the entire series) for more background. As always in my comments on any topic, people are encouraged to adapt to their chosen tradition of faith, or atheist philosophy, those insights they find to be relevant and to set aside the rest.

Last week I began to reflect on the way Brother Lawrence wrote about his teachings on surrender in his daily efforts with meditation. The general direction of his comments is to encourage a person to surrender the outcome of their efforts with meditation.

In the context of his theme “Practicing the Presence of God” one aspect of the surrender teachings is to surrender the outcome of whether a person has any felt presence of God in any particular moment or not. In short try to not be too discouraged when there are no peaceful, mellow feelings arising from your efforts.

Certainly everyone prefers those times when there is a strong sense of the sacred beauty of the living presence of God in their heart. But to only have faith in God and that God is present when there is such confirming evidence would, in Brother Lawrence’s view, indicate a superficial understanding of both practice and faith.

Many people are willing to have faith that God exists in the midst of good fortune. But the deeper vocation is to sustain one’s faith in God, and open their heart and mind to God, in the midst of boredom and “spiritual dryness” as well as those times of real trials. When one is able to do the latter, as well as the former, they will have progressed a great distance towards their ultimate goal even if the “rewards” of their efforts are not immediately evident at first.

With this note we enter into the most difficult part of meditation practice for anyone who believes in a benevolent God. This issue is also one of the central themes of my book, “The Simple Path of Holiness.”

How can we talk about such issues as “Practicing the Presence of God” when troubles are piling up and faith is crumbling into doubt, or more seriously, turning into real despair, or anger at God.

Quite understandably, atheists and cynics will think any of these efforts to be nothing short of ridiculous. No one could blame them for such sentiments. Rather these efforts are for those who want to deepen their faith or those who are trying to see if there is a way to have faith in God in the midst of yet another violent age.

For me the answers begin with not getting stymied by old errors and comments such as “God has a plan for each life, it is just that we cannot understand that plan.” If someone is beaten and raped there simply is no way to see this is somehow part of God’s plan for their life. I think clearing away such confusing perspectives is an essential reform of the traditional theologies of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim teachings however disruptive such a reform may be.

In short, a central theme of my entire life and vocation is to come up with better ways to think about the search for God’s presence exactly when it seems that God has abandoned the innocent to a wasting sickness, or cruel exploitation, or the savage violence that sometimes breaks out in this world.

My first suggestion is this: if there are times for you when it seems God is near, or may be near, make the conscious choice to open your heart and mind to experience this presence more intimately. Over time this will give rise to more and more experiences of the felt presence of divine life. With this stronger foundation of personal experience, it is more likely you will be able to maintain your faith when troubles start to pile up.

But when troubles do start to mount can you notice when faith begins to crumble and doubt begins to arise. Can you be clear when doubt has arisen and notice if fear and anger are also arising.

When doubt, anger and fear arise there are several choices. The most common is to be swept along by the surge or these powerful feelings and resort to old patterns of reactivity. This, lamentably, is what I often do.

The most uncommon choice is to see if you can quell through skillful practice the surge of doubt, anger, and fear and say something like this:

“God I believe you are here somewhere. Help me to see or feel where or how you are present in the midst of these troubles.” Keep repeating this if you are willing to do so and see what, if anything, you find.

This series of steps is what I refer to as the research work of meditation or as the preparatory exercises of unconditional faith.

Can you develop sufficient strength of mindful awareness and skillful action to diminish surging emotions such as doubt, anger, fear, shame, greed, aggression, and the like?

Can you develop the sufficient ability to clear the mind of any answers you feel are bad attempts to explain the numbing contradiction between the teachings of a loving God juxtaposed with the reality violence and suffering in the world?

Can you be intrepid enough in your faith to search with an open heart and mind to see if you can somehow make direct contact with God, or at least through faith in God, in the midst of suffering?

If you can make direct contact with God in the midst of suffering, can you find ways to draw upon the resources of divine life which are present but hidden- in ways that are analogous to the way a tree draws water and nutrients from the soil and sunlight? Can you search for new and creative ways to diminish the suffering in your life and the lives of those around you?

Please let me know what you think. It would help me out a great deal if you were willing to try these concepts out and to tell me what you find when you do.

more next week.

Will

will  at meditation   practice  dot com  ( Spelled out to avoid spam)

774-232-0884

Five weeks ago I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

Please read the posts of the past week or two (or preferably the entire series) for more background. As always in my comments on any topic, people are encouraged to adapt to their chosen tradition of faith or atheist philosophy those insights they find to be relevant and to set aside the rest.d

This post touches on a more general perspective that is central to the teachings of Brother Lawrence and other important writers such as St. John of the Cross. Like many aspects of the mystical tradition this general consideration can be more than a little perplexing, at least it is for me. Here is some background:

What attracted me to meditation was the prospect of high states of peace and rapture I read about in books. In my late teen years I was inspired by Herman Hesse’s “Siddartha”, and Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi.” In my mid-thirties, when I became interested in Christian spirituality, I was deeply moved by the middle chapters of William James’ “Varieties of Religious Experience” and, to my great surprise, by the great Catholic narrative-St. Teresa of Avila’s “Autobiography.” Still later in life, in my mid-fifties, I found the Buddhist teacher Bhante Gunaratana’s commentary on the Jhana practices in the late chapters of his book, “Eight Steps to Happiness,” to be another seminal influence.

In short I was chasing after altered states of consciousness such as what St. Paul called, “…the peace that surpasses all understanding.”  (Phillippians 4:7)

I have heard many stories of what are called “Peak Experiences” of great peace and joy told by many ordinary people in various groups I have attended. In truth I have found that the number of people who experience such exalted states is quite a bit higher than most may presume. Indeed when people think of mystic states of consciousness, and the “presence of God” often it is such states of great peace and rapture they have in mind. Most teachers of meditation do nothing to dispel this notion.

But Brother Lawrence and St. John of the Cross are very clear on this point.

The spiritual path is not about having special consolations as proof that God is present.

Comments such as the following by many teachers are common: “If such high states of consolation arise, that is great. Enjoy them as they arise and let them go when they pass.”

The real goal of Catholic mysticism is not high states of peace and rapture however wonderful and important such experiences may be. The real goal is to deepen faith to the point that one remains fully open to God’s life and will and cooperative with God’s grace whether there is any felt experience of God or peace one way or the other.

Central to Brother Lawrence’s approach to the spiritual life is to be fully present and accepting of God’s will and the conditions of one’s life that are not amenable to change moment by moment.

But given the way spiritual books write about high states of bliss or altered consciousness it is understandable that one would say, “Yes that is what I am after too.”

The difficulty is that God’s life, will, and presence manifests in very different ways to different people. For most of us God’s gifts are not some dramatic “peak experience.”

Rather the gifts manifest in other way’s that are not as dramatic, but equally profound and meaningful.

Coming to realize that an absence of “peak experiences” does not relegate you to a second class status as a meditator or spiritual seeker is important, at least if has been so for me.

Surrendering, really letting go at deeper and deeper levels to God’s will means learning to be open to the gifts you are given. Also to see over time there are more expansive dimensions to the gifts you have been given than you may have first believed.

Paradoxically, letting go of the outcome of your dedicated efforts with meditation practice, this surrender and detachment and non-striving, will bear unexpected fruit. Those states of peace, love, sacred beauty, and insight that are available to you will become more and more refined and sustaining over time.

And these experiences will arise even as you do incredibly tedious and ordinary things such as scouring pots with baked on grease and fat in a busy monastery kitchen as Brother Lawrence did or as others do in modern houses for the homeless.

More next week.

Please send in your stories. I would love to hear from you.

Peace,

Will

will  at meditation   practice  dot com  ( Spelled out to avoid spam)

774-232-0884

Four weeks ago I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

Please read the posts of the past week or two (or preferably the entire series) for more background. As always in my comments on any topic, people are encouraged to adapt to their chosen tradition of faith or philosophy those insights they find to be relevant and to set aside the rest.

The general practice Brother Lawrence calls “Practicing the Presence of God” is to maintain an awareness of God’s life throughout the day. The question raised in earlier posts of this series is, “What are the best ways to do this?”

The subject of this week’s post is the suggestion that you find sacred texts, or books on meditation, you can study in a practice of daily reading. Here is the challenge I am working with as I make this suggestion.

To gain any real depth of experience and insights I feel it is important to go very deeply into at least one tradition, and to have a general knowledge of at least one or two of the other established faith traditions of the world.  As one does this it is necessary to share the insights they have gained without any dogmatic sense that their way is “the only true way.” There are many true ways, although all true ways will share certain common and essential features.

What I feel can work is to share a process of study that people can adopt to support their own search regardless of the beliefs and traditions they feel called to explore. My core suggestion is that when you discuss what you have found to always be ready to say something like, “Here is what I have found in my tradition. But, I do not assume that you will agree with the foundation assumptions of my tradition, and I understand you may be conducting your own search in ways that may be very different.”

For my practice of daily reading I make a careful study of the Hebrew and Christian Bible. I also read, on a daily basis, writers such as Brother Lawrence, St. Therese of Liseaux, The Philokalia, Bishop Kallistos Ware, Thomas Merton and many others.  I set aside those passages I find to be dysfunctional, downright unintelligible, or just plain wrong. I keep looking for those passages that are superb and clearly divinely inspired such as the 23rd Psalm, or the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:1-9, or Corinthians 1:13, or Isiah 2.

You may very well choose another theist or even a non-theist tradition as your vision of life and focus of daily reading. But what I am trying to say with all these careful preludes is that an immersion in the literature of a venerable tradition allows one to engage the best spiritual or philosophical writing at a uniquely visceral level. You can work with the key phrases or images that you find as your way of maintaining practice throughout the active hours of the day.

The practical steps in the study are to make a careful search for a key word or short phrase in those passages that strike a chord within you. In the Catholic tradition this is called Lectio Divina or divine reading.

As you conduct your studies you will find from time to time a suitable short phrase which you can use as the prayer of the day or week or month. Several times throughout the day, or more if you wish to, you can recite this brief phrase silently within yourself without any strained emotion or fanfare. Rather the intent is to call to mind great and noble sentiments throughout the day amidst the hassles and joys of every day work and life. Maintaining this steady awareness of divine life throughout the day, through a variety of practices such as this, is the essence of Brother Lawrence’s practice and teachings.

Here are some examples of passages that are meaningful to me:

“My hope is in the Lord who made heaven and earth.”  (my own paraphrase)

“Those who drink the water I give them will never thirst again.” (John 4:14)

“I shall dwell in the house of the lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” Mathew 5:8

“Into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46)

But as I give this suggestion I do so with this qualification:

It is important to remember there is no single tradition that is free from error and dysfunction. As noted, my suggestion is that you set aside passages that seem to be disturbing or just plain wrong. Keep looking for those superb brief phrases or images which speak to you at a mysteriously deep level.

And remember, any sincere person, whether they follow a God centered path or a Non-theistic path, can find a way to know the halcyon joy and freedom that is possible in this life. But there are some common traits that all valid paths will have.

A high level of diligence and personal integrity needs to be applied to the study of virtue, compassion, love, wisdom, and concentration.

Let me know your thoughts. Is there a short phrase you have been repeating quietly within yourself over the past few weeks during the day and evening?

Peace,

Will

will  at meditation   practice  dot com  ( Spelled out to avoid spam)

774-232-0884

Three weeks ago I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

Please read the posts of the past week or two for the opening remarks of this series.

As always, in my comments on any topic, I encourage non-Christian believers to adapt the language, images, and perspectives discussed in this series to the context of their chosen faith tradition. For those who are secular humanists or atheists please know I have no interest in asking you to change your views. One of my goals is to simply share information from many different traditions with people of many different beliefs to increase respect among sincere people who happen to have very different visions of life and truth.

The general practice Brother Lawrence calls “Practicing the Presence of God” is to maintain an awareness of God’s life throughout the day. The question raised in earlier posts is, “What is the best way to do this?”

I believe Brother Lawrence’s practice offers a viable alternative to such practices as the one called for by Greek Orthodox monks in the Jesus Prayer (See my series from February-March 2015). With his approach there are several features:

Maintain an awareness of God’s life in a simple natural way throughout the mundane and the fascinating tasks of life. As noted in other posts, for me this sense of God’s life is clear of any of the conflicted messages of divine rage and punishment that are such common features of organized religion. For me this sense is also free of any delusional thinking that God or his angel’s will act as a force field preventing bad things from happening to me or those I care about although sometimes it seems like this does happen.

This is a subtle point but an important one. A close relationship with God in Christ is not some magic force that shields me or others from disaster. Yet when one’s faith in Jesus becomes unshakably strong, one is definitely able to tap into resources that help with both practical and esoteric needs. Still, what we call bad things can happen to the best of people. What we call good things can happen to what we call the worst of people. What is gained by a life of deep faith is an ability to endure that which must be endured with greater courage and fortitude than most people have. Also one gains an ability to overcome more readily a wider range of trials than one previously could as well as a far more delicate and intimate sense of what is meant by the words love and grace.

Practicing the Presence of God is an intuitive search by the mind and the spiritual heart for God’s presence moment by moment. This is conducted when things are going well, when things are very ordinary, when troubles are mounting, or when real catastrophe strikes. This is conducted in times of deep faith and surging doubt.

Throughout the day can you turn your attention to the thoughts of your mind. Is your current thought something essential or just more random mind chatter? If the latter, can you make the conscious choice to turn your thoughts to the beauty and the glory of Jesus in the transfiguration, or the image of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, or laughing with children, or some other favorite scene?

Throughout the day can you turn the attention of your mind to the intention of the thoughts or acts you are considering. Is your intention something base and petty or vindictive? Or is your intention to remember it is possible to give your love to your higher power in the silent chambers of your spiritual heart in both the ordinary and the extraordinary moments of life.

In the traffic jam, when you are running late for an important meeting, in the business meeting when the fate of the company or your job is being discussed, in the conversations with friends or co-workers about current events in the news, in arguments with those you are closest to, is it possible to step back from your ordinary thought processes and repeat a simple prayer or word?

Is it possible to turn your attention to the tone of your spiritual heart, what I referred to last week as the subtle energy Hindu’s call the heart chakra? Are you able to choose the intention of allowing your love to stream from your spiritual heart to your higher power with simple adoration as you pause for a moment in your mind in the midst of reviewing a menu at a restaurant or doing your grocery shopping?

Instead of thinking of God only during meditation or in Church can you open your heart and mind to God four times a day?  How will your spiritual practice deepen if you are able to remember to remember to do this four times an hour or twenty times an hour?

At times such reflections may be just a simple openness to communion with God whether there is any felt sense of presence or not. At other times this reflection may be of the devotional sort where you give your love to God in the midst of ordinary events.

More on the practical aspects of this practice next week. But in general, please remember to keep your efforts simple and natural.

Let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

Peace,

Will

will  at meditation   practice  dot com  ( Spelled out to avoid spam)

774-232-0884

Two weeks ago I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

Please read the previous two posts for my introductory remarks on this subject. As always, in my comments on Brother Lawrence, I encourage non-Christian believers to adapt the language, images, and perspectives discussed in this series into the context of their chosen faith tradition. For those who are secular humanists or atheists please know I have no interest in asking you to change your views. Rather my hope is to simply disseminate information and facilitate dialogue between different spiritual traditions as well as between people of faith and non-believers as well. After all, one does not need to believe in God to appreciate the music of Bach or Palestrina, or the architecture of Notre Dame, or the paintings of Raphael. The same is true for the writings of a distinctive personality such as Brother Lawrence. Nor does one need to be an atheist to appreciate the genius of Darwin, Einstein, or Heisenberg.

The question I posed over the past two weeks is “How can the busy modern tradesman, professional, or business person put into action St. Paul’s encouragement to ‘Pray without ceasing.'” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Most modern people have a hard enough time setting aside any time in the morning or evening for meditation. The idea of maintaining a meditative awareness and practice throughout the work day may seem to be way too much. But I think there is a way to do this, regardless of how much time a person has for formal meditation practice. I also believe Brother Lawrence’s approach of “Practicing the Presence of God,” offers a more viable approach for modern people than does the form of practice suggested by Greek and Russian Orthodox monks (see previous two posts). I feel this way because his approach is less verbal and is not tied to a constant repetition of a mantra.

My description of this approach varies somewhat from Brother Lawrence’s but not too much.

Whatever your specific practice or mantra during meditation is, when you get up from your meditation cushion or chair, maintain a simple openness to see if it is possible to see or to feel God’s presence as you enter into the activities of the day.

Another way to engage this practice during the active hours of life is to turn your awareness from time to time to observe, “What is the tone of your spiritual heart? This is what the Hindu’s call the Heart Chakra. It is an area, or a circular field of subtle energy, that for me is in the center of the upper chest. While you may have a different way of engaging this “Prayer of the Heart”, I have come to believe (rightly or wrongly) that this field of subtle energy in the center of the upper chest is a connection point between my life and God’s divine energy. It feels like a field of shared energy and life.

I do not know if this subtle field of energy is some imagined sensation or if there is some physiological basis western science is not able to measure at this point. Certainly the Hindus, Daoists, and eastern medicine professionals feel this and other places of subtle energy in the body are very real phenomena. What I can tell you is the sensation of this circular field of energy and spirit seems real to me.

When I talk of loving God it is from this field from where the love I offer to God originates within me and streams forth to God. The following is one way to imagine this streaming of love and worship/

“May my prayer rise before you as incense in your sight” (Psalm 141:2)

When I talk about being joined in union with God it is in this place where a living communion between my life and God’s life is felt and sustained.

While I am surprised that my practice has developed in this way, my sense that this is a favorable direction of practice is very sincere.

The specifics of what works for you (if any of this is of interest) may be very different. If you are interested, what is important is to be very, very open to allowing God’s guidance and inspiration to develop within your feelings and intuition as you move through the activities of your life and during formal times of meditation.

Whatever may be the specifics of your beliefs, I believe you will find the following is true:

As you realize there is room for very real improvement to be made in your ability to love without compromise, and as diligently labor to refine your skills with love, your meditation practice will progress. This is just as true for Christians as it is for Non-Christians and atheists.

The willingness to turn to your awareness to your heart and feelings throughout the day to see what you are giving and receiving to yourself and others will help with this process.

It is simple. Is your heart open or closed? If it is open, consent to let it open more. If it is closed see what you can do to let it open.

More next week on the practical aspects of working with this “Prayer of the Heart” in the midst of a busy 21st century work and family life.

Let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

Will Raymond Author of “The Simple Path of Holiness” host of Meditationpractice.com will    at   meditation    practice   dot com   (spelled out to limit spam) 774-232-0884

Last week I began a series on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite monk who lived and served in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris.

The only writing of his that survived is, “Practicing the Presence of God.” This very slender book has one section with notes made from four conversations Brother Lawrence had with his superior in the monastery. The superior felt the remarks in the conversations were very valuable and so he wrote them down. The 2nd section includes fifteen letters Brother Lawrence wrote to close acquaintances. The 3rd section presents what Brother Lawrence called his “spiritual maxims.” Please do not be fooled by the brevity of the book. As with all spiritual masters, there is great spiritual depth compressed into deceptively short passages.

Last week I wrote some cautionary notes about the sharply self-denigrating comments Brother Lawrence occasionally made that are of the kind which appear frequently in Medieval and Counter-Reformation Catholic books. I suggest people note such comments but not to be so turned off by them that they miss out on the very important insights Brother Lawrence offers elsewhere. At some point I will return to additional cautionary notes about some of Brother Lawrence’s other spiritual perspectives. But for now I want to explain why I think Brother Lawrence’s form of practice is an important counterpoint to Greek Orthodox contemplative prayer which I wrote about at length in February and March.

Here is the primary reason:

Greek Orthodox contemplative prayer calls for a continual repetition of the name of Jesus either as a single word or in a mantra such as “Lord Jesus have mercy on me.” (Those of other religions would adapt this form of prayer to their own words or imagery.)

This repetition is to be practiced not only during meditation, but throughout every moment of the day.

What I find to be very helpful about this suggestion is the reminder to maintain a dedicated focus on prayer and adoration throughout the entire day. I know from personal experience that this degree of steadiness of practice in a devotional context is indeed highly efficacious. But I do think such a strong commitment to continual practice may only be suited for the special environment of a monastic setting. For example, in a monastery the work of the day tends to be fairly simple and repetitive acts like making woven baskets, or brewing beer, or baking and packaging cookies. I can see how it would be possible to maintain the repetition of the Jesus Prayer mantra in this context.

But I believe there are significant obstacles for a modern tradesman, or industrial worker, or administrative personnel, or someone in one of the professions to constantly repeat a mantra or sacred word as they go about a busy day. I concede it is possible for someone to maintain a mantra in such contexts but it can be awkward, draining, and even jarring at times to try to do so.

But I believe Brother Lawrence’s practice of maintaining an awareness of God’s presence in the midst of work activities may be a far more viable alternative to the proposition that one repeat a mantra throughout their work day.

My reasoning for focusing on these different methods is to explore how Christians, and those of other God centered faiths, can put into action St. Paul’s counsel to “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 16-18)

Indeed the Buddhist practice of mindful awareness of all moments is another way to fulfill this important counsel. In many ways Buddhist mindfulness practice is simpler than either the Greek Orthodox Hesychastic prayer or Brother Lawrence’s “Practice of the Presence of God.”  It is simpler because, on one level, what is asked for is a continual clarity of awareness of the body and the mind as well as whatever is happening nearby. For busy modern people a simple but clear mindful awareness of each passing moment is a great way to maintain one’s meditation practice during the active hours of their day.

But for those whose meditation practiced is centered in a relationship with God, the labors of maintaining one’s focus throughout the day will be significantly different than it will be for the Buddhist Vipassana or Zen practitioner. I am not saying it is better. Rather I am highlighting the simple fact that maintaining continual awareness and engagement of a living relationship with divine life is different than the moment-by-moment mindfulness practice of Buddhist meditation which in most traditions is a non-theistic, or atheist practice.

For the God centered practitioner I believe the challenge is how to maintain a sense of connection with God in the midst of the active hours of one’s life, while still being able to meet the responsibilities of a demanding modern job.

More on the specifics next week. (Or, please feel free to call. I would be glad to talk with you about any of these forms of practice to see what, if any, of these subjects is relevant to your life.)

Will Raymond Author of “The Simple Path of Holiness” host of Meditationpractice.com

will    at   meditation    practice   dot com   (spelled out to limit spam)

774-232-0884

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection lived as a monk in the Carmelite Discalced order in the 17th century at a monastery near Paris. He is nowhere near as well-known as other Carmelite luminaries such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, or St. Therese of Liseaux.

Perhaps the reason for this is he did not leave extensive writings. But it may just be due to the random course of history. But the writings and method that were handed down are among the priceless treasures of the world’s contemplative literature. The only book we have of his is, “The Practice of the Presence of God.”

This slender book, well under 100 pages, was assembled by Abbe Joseph de Beaufort in 1692, the year after Brother Lawrence died. Abbe de Beaufort was the superior in the monastery where Brother Lawrence lived and served.

It consists of 4 conversations Abbe de Beaufort had with Brother Lawrence and 16 letters Brother Lawrence wrote to people who sought his counsel.

Before proceeding, as is the case with many similar notes in many Catholic writings on contemplative prayer, some of Brother Lawrence’s comments will probably strike progressive modern readers as being quite unwholesome. Unless you feel such comments as the following are somehow to the point, please do not be deterred by  scattered passages where he writes sharply self-abasing comments.

For a good example of what I am referring to please note this quote from Brother Lawrence, “I regard myself as the most wretched of all men, stinking and covered with sores, and as one who has committed all sorts of crimes against his king.”

The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, an Image Book published by Doubleday New York 1977 page 55

It is true that he quickly moves on to write very positively, “But this King, filled with goodness and mercy, far from chastising me, lovingly embraces me…..(and) gives me the key to his treasures and treats me as his favorite.”

Ibid page 55.

Still, to me the language and imagery in the first quote passes beyond the point of merely being unhelpful. Rather I think it is destructive. I hope that comments such as the first quote do not turn you off so much that you miss the rest of what is being presented. While it is easy for me to see why this might happen, I hope it does not.

What is so valuable about Brother Lawrence is the pure simplicity of his most positive comments and the level of dedication he brought to his practice of meditation which was not conducted in the kind of peace and quiet one often associates with monastic life. Rather his job in the monastery was in the kitchen which is a work environment as hectic and stressful as the work settings many of us modern people have to bear with as well.

This is not a monk or nun who had the luxury of long periods of silence and solitude free from worldly cares. Rather he had to find away to maintain his search for peace amidst the clamor of preparing 3 meals a day for a community. If you have ever needed to prepare meals for a dozen or more people 3 times a day for a few days let alone for many decades, you will know what I am referring to.

It is the fact he was able to attain such heights of spiritual insight and experience in the midst of a stressful job that is so relevant to those of us in our very busy day and age. For this is the challenge many of us face as well. How can we sustain a dedicated awareness of God in the midst of our busy days? Once the limited times of silence in meditation are over how can we maintain our practice during the morning commute let alone during the rest of the hours of work and family and civic responsibility?

I suggest you start with Brother Lawrence’s letters rather than the four conversations. It will only take a few pages of the letters to get a sense of the depths of his devotion and surrender to the God of his understanding. It will also only take a few pages to understand the benefits he gained by such a persistent and carefully cultivated practice of radical faith.

By the way I bought a copy of “The Practice of the Presence of God” for $7.95. It is an incredible bargain.

More next week

Will Raymond Author of “The Simple Path of Holiness” host of Meditationpractice.com

will    at   meditation    practice   dot com   (spelled out to limit spam)

774-232-0884

Over the past six weeks I have been writing a series on Hesychastic Prayer as taught by the Greek Orthodox tradition. If you have a moment, please see at least the last 2 posts for the introductory remarks on this subject.

Please see especially my notes for those who follow other religious traditions as well as those who are committed non-believers. For those of other traditions, none of my comments are ever intended to suggest you should change your views or your affiliations. Rather my intention is to share insights and experiences I have gained from my studies of the world’s monastic cultures. Another intention is to show the commonalities in many of the world’s monastic practices even if the specific teachings of those cultures appear to be very different.

The comparisons between the Christ centered Greek Orthodox teachings of the Jesus Prayer and the atheist, Vipassana Buddhist Jhana practices are one of the best examples. Could any two cultures appear to be more different?

Yet the higher stages of the Jesus Prayer and the Jhana practices are in some ways strikingly similar even if there are important differences in other respects.

Another benefit of these kinds of comparisons is that one of the world’s monastic cultures may have a better treatment of specific aspects of practice than does another. By better I mean one culture’s teachings on a specific practice may be much clearer and more effective than are the teachings of another. In this way, if one finds a technique of another culture that is clearer and simpler than the corresponding technique of their own culture, then a person can adapt the other culture’s technique into their own practice.

A good example of this is the role that awareness of the breath plays in the Greek Orthodox practice of the Jesus Prayer as compared with Vipassana Buddhist practice.

First and foremost, the Greek writers do not go into the details of how the meditator is supposed to integrate the saying of the Jesus Prayer with the inhale and exhale of the breath. The specifics are omitted from all the writings I have seen. Rather one is supposed to find a master of the Jesus Prayer from which to learn the techniques. But where can one find such masters? The end result is that even after reading several well respected books on the subject I still cannot find specific treatment of the details of this aspect of practice. In addition to the frustratingly incomplete comments about techniques related to breath practice, the Greek Orthodox writers talk about specific postures such as dropping the head so the chin rests on the chest with the gaze is directed to the heart. This practice of letting the head droop is a fairly significant variation from comments on posture from Buddhism and Hinduism and should be reviewed carefully before one adopts this suggestion. My sense is the Buddhists and Hindus are correct on this point.

Vipassana Buddhist writers are much more specific about breath practice and there is nothing left out of their books even if it is still strongly recommended that one find a senior teacher to study with. Understandably though, those people whose practice is centered in Jesus will find Buddhist comments about “no soul” and “no God” to be both confusing and, at best, misguided.

What I can suggest for Christians practicing the Jesus Prayer is this:

As you develop your own variation of the Jesus Prayer, find a way to match the repetition of the prayer with an awareness of the breath as you inhale and exhale. As your breathing slows after a few minutes pay particular attention to the end of the exhale in the pause before you inhale again. Let this pause be as brief or as long as is natural before the inhale starts in again.

As a reminder the most traditional form of the Jesus Prayer is “Lord Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on me.”

For me I have developed this variation of the Jesus Prayer.

“Ever more deeply with you O Lord Jesus Christ.”

As I breathe in I recite the first half “ever more deeply with you..” As I exhale, a recite more slowly..”O Lord Jesus Christ.” If the pause after the exhale is elongated I may repeat “ever more deeply with you…” or not. Key to this is a sense of awareness of all that is implied by the words Jesus Christ. It is the very personal and intimate sense of communion with Jesus and of love given and received that is the key to this practice rather than any mere mechanical repetition of the words or awareness of the breath. It is this awareness that appears to be a very real difference between Greek Orthodox and Buddhist practice although in the higher stages of practice of both cultures even this difference fades away.

Linking the repetition of the prayer, or Mantra, with a clear awareness of the breath and with a clear and sustained choice to blend your life with the life of Christ without reserve will contribute to the slowing of the heart and the breath and the general calming of the body and refinement of consciousness.

As Christocentric as the above paragraph is, I acknowledge that those following Islam or Judaism or any valid spiritual culture will use other words and images for the Holy One. But the process, and the integration of all the different layers of surrender and devotional intent into the process will prove to be equally efficacious.

Please do not hesitate to call or email with specific questions about any of these details. Please also feel free to call if you know of a bona fide master of Greek or Russian Orthodox practice of the Jesus Prayer.  I would very much like to speak with such people to get more specific information from them.

All the best,

Will Raymond Author of “The Simple Path of Holiness” host of Meditationpractice.com

will    at   meditation    practice   dot com   (spelled out to limit spam)

774-232-0884