Notes for Session 1
Meditation? Kataphatic And Apophatic
In the Christian tradition there are, broadly speaking, two kinds of prayer. “Kataphatic” prayer has content; it uses words, images, symbols, ideas. “Apophatic” prayer has no content. It means emptying the mind of words and ideas and simply resting in the presence of God.
The word “meditation” can be used in reference to both kataphatic and apophatic prayer. Some forms of Christian meditation involve the use of images or words. For instance, Ignatian meditation is meditation on experience and engages the imagination. Lectio Divina is meditation or contemplation of scripture stories and the intellect and experience and the imagination are engaged.
In this introduction to Christian Meditation we will be talking about and practicing apophatic prayer. Our meditation will be about emptying our minds of deliberate thoughts and ideas so that we can rest in the Deeper Reality, in the Ground of Being, in the Presence of the One who is beyond words and ideas. We will begin to practice meditation as simply resting in God.
Receptive Prayer:
Another way of thinking about the meditation that we will be practicing is this: it is a receptive way of prayer. Our task here is just to be open, available, and alert. We have no other agenda than being open in the time set aside, open to the presence of God
Why Meditation?
In future sessions we will delve further into the theory of meditation, the whys and whats of meditation. But for today consider this: in signing up for an “Introduction to Meditation” or in leading this, we will all have an answer to the question “why meditation?” We all have been drawn to this for some reason. You might consider the questions: “Why am I here? What do I hope to find?”
Consider these words from James Finley in his book Christian Meditation:
The intention of your heart leading you to [explore meditation] is a witness to a transformative journey, not of your own making that is already under way…
Christian Meditation?
Meditation is often associated with other faith traditions. Some will think it comes from the New Age movement. Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewish Kabala and Sufi Islam all involve practices that resonate with the Christian practice of meditation. However, meditation is not foreign to our own faith tradition. The Christian tradition of meditation has its own long and rich history, one that goes back almost 2 millennia, to the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 3rd Century.
“What makes meditation Christian? The faith with which you meditate – some sense of personal connection with Jesus. Then the historical scriptural and theological tradition in which we meditate.” (From the community of John Main OMI)
What is distinctive in the Christian tradition is that, as we enter into receptive prayer, we are opening ourselves to the God that we see in our Scripture, the God revealed in Jesus, the God who moves in us and around us in the Holy Spirit.
How do we meditate?
James Finley was a Trappist monk, who was tutored by the great Thomas Merton. From Merton and the Benedictine/Trappist tradition he was introduced to the practice of meditation but as he writes, not to a method. In a sense there is no one method of meditation. But there are some common practices.
Practical Matters
The Body:
• Sit still. Be present.
• Sit straight. Relaxed alertness.
• Close your eyes or lower them to the ground. Your focus is interior.
• Breathe slowly, deeply and naturally. It can be helpful to focus on your breath as you begin. The breath of life. The breath of God.
• Place your hands in a natural or meaningful position on your lap. If you wish to express openness you may want to place your hands in an open position
The Mind:
• Be present, open and awake
• Neither cling nor reject anything. Thoughts, feelings and images will arise, be present and then pass away. Just be present and open to them. It’s like watching a sunset, or admiring a painting. Just be present. We neither think our thoughts nor try not to have them. They are like clouds floating by in the sky, or like leaves blowing past on a windy autumn day.
• Similarly let external noises come and go.
The Spirit:
• Compassion: do not judge or evaluate yourself as you meditate. As thoughts arise or feelings present themselves, receive them and how you react to then with compassion.
To quote James Finley again, meditation is perplexing: “What is more we must be willing to befriend our perplexity as a way of dying to our futile efforts to grasp the ungraspable depths that meditation invites us to discover.” So whatever we experience in meditation is okay. Be compassionate with yourself in meditation. And as we learn to be compassionate towards ourselves, we may grow in compassion towards others too.
St. Teresa of Avila once said the human mind is like a boat where mutinous sailors have tied up the captain. The sailors all take a turn at steering the boat and of course the boat goes around in circles and eventually crashes on the rocks. That is our mind, says Teresa, full of thoughts taking us off in every direction. She also says ‘Distractions and the wandering mind are part of the human condition and can no more be avoided than eating and sleeping’.
• Be patient: with yourself, with your experience of meditation. Just taking the time to sit quietly with God is a big accomplishment that will be fruitful
• We must let go of goals and trying to achieve anything. Try to set aside the modern mindset of utility and accomplishment: Don’t worry about doing. Just Be.
The Place:
• Create a space for meditation: a room, a corner of a room…
• Use candles, images, symbols…whatever helps you to create a “Sacred Place”, a place set apart for being open to God.
The Time:
• To begin you might mark the beginning of this sacred time: light a candle, offer a prayer, read from the Bible or from some spiritual writing…
• To end you may also mark the conclusion of this time set apart: extinguish the flame, close the book, utter a prayer of thanks for the time with God…
• Try to set aside 20 or 25 minutes each day or as often as you can…Many teachers recommend the early morning
• Use a timer so you can forget about the passage of time. IPods, cell phones all have timers with alarms.
• Carve out the time by telling those you live with that you will be unavailable for a few minutes. Maybe turn off phone ringers etc.
Helpful aids to being present in the moment:
If we are struggling to be present to the moment there are some techniques that we can employ:
• Focus on your breathing, on the rhythm of your breath until you are present again
• Mantras: A repeated word or phrase can be used to help you be present to the moment. Below are some suggestions. A Scripture verse, a verse from a hymn that you love, some wise words from the Christian tradition… these can become a mantra for meditation. Some possible mantras are listed below.
Homework.
Create a space for meditation where you live and then try to spend 20-25 minutes each day, or as often as you can, for meditation. Record your experiences of meditation. And be patient and compassionate with yourself in this. (This homework will not be graded and you needn’t self evaluate either) Just be in meditation and whatever your experience, it`s ok.
We meet next on Sunday January 23.
Mantras
My God and my All" (St. Francis)
Psalm 24 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.
Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
The Jesus Prayer—Perhaps the most time-honored Christian mantra prayer, practiced in the Eastern Churches for about 1600 years. There are many variations, ranging from: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner – to - Lord Jesus have mercy upon me - to simply the name of- Jesus.
The Lord's prayer: Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the Power and the Glory, for ever. Amen.
Let Nothing Upset You
Let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills every need.
– Teresa of Avila
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Maranatha.
The word Maranatha is the final instruction of St. Paul's teachings to the Corinthians, and is St. John's final instruction in the Book of Revelations. Thus, the last word, the final teaching of the entire Christian Bible is "Maranatha," which is Aramaic and means, "Come Lord."
Psalm 46:10“Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalm 37 “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him”
God is love
The Name of the Trinity: Creator, Christ, Holy Spirit
May Christ make his home in my heart (Ephesians 3)
Your grace O God is all I need (1 Corinthians 12:9)
My Lord and my God (John 20)
Jesus said: I will be with you always… (Matthew 28)
