It would be fair to say that Centering Prayer is nothing new. The Rosary is one means to quiet oneself in order to be "centered" on the divine. What Ron Del Beane describes as "Breath Prayer" has its origins in the Jesus Prayer described in the spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim. In a sense then, Pennington (and others) rediscovered a rich part of our heritage by going to India and seeking ways in which Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions might enrich our own.
As we saw in yesterday's Zen Mondo, Buddhist meditation practice is centered on the breath. I have described my own practice previously, but it essentially involves breathing in and out, and ignoring stray thoughts or other distractions. This latter point is an ideal, of course; it is almost impossible to "empty" the mind. Of the seven minutes I currently spend in contemplative prayer, there might be 45 seconds where the mental chatter is truly quiet — and that's a liberal estimate.
Karen titles her entry "Why I Meditate", and I think that's a fundamental question. I believe motivation has a profound influence on the results. If I spend time in Contemplative Prayer in order to achieve a "spiritual experience", then my ego may well provide signs of a spiritual experience - burning heart, rocking, etc. And once I have experienced those signs, I may believe that I have achieved the goal of becoming a spiritual person.
When self-hypnosis is much more likely.
I sometimes wonder about the people who pray over their meals in public. Here, in the buckle of the Bible Belt, it's not unusual to see people holding hands around a table while one person prays. And I wonder whether they remember Jesus' admonition to "pray in secret".
Jesus' point - which relates to my point about motivation - is that people who make displays of how prayerful they are have already received their reward. In other words, if what they seek is the notice of others, that is all they will achieve. If the motivation is to evangelize through their public display, then they have prayed as much to others in the restaurant as they have to the divine.
Notice that I do not make an assumption concerning the motivation of those restaurant prayers. I also pray over my food in public. The difference is my prayer is either silent, or - if shared with a friend - very brief: "For what we are about to receive, may we be truly thankful, and may we always be mindful of the needs of others. Amen."
My goal in contemplative prayer is to listen to God. I don't expect to hear God speak to me, necessarily - again, there is a risk of self-deceipt. The hope is to still expectations and daily cares, to become aware of the Divine Presence.
Because self-hypnosis and self-deceit are a persistent risk in any spiritual practice, it's important to have a spiritual director or spiritual friend. This person is part cheer-leader, part coach. This person will weep with you and rejoice with you. This person will not, necessarily, say what you are doing is wrong; they will,ideally challenge you to question your motives and always look deeper.
Someone working with me might remind me that I am neither saint nor the greatest sinner - depending on which end of the cycle I happen to be on at the time. That person might remind me that walking the walk is sufficient, especially in the dry times.
It's frustrating, but we don't ever really "arrive". The practice and the discipline are, in themselves, the goal.
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