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Meditation and Centering Prayer

Meditation and Centering Prayer. Rick Fredericks. What is Meditation?.

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Meditation and Centering Prayer

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  1. Meditation and Centering Prayer Rick Fredericks

  2. What is Meditation? Meditation is an ancient mental exercise often associated with several religions throughout the world. Some religions use meditation as a means of reaching enlightenment or for getting closer to the Divine, but it has also been used as a method of calming the mind.

  3. Centering Prayer • Lectio Divinia is the most traditional way of cultivating friendship with Christ. • This is a way of listening to the texts of scripture as if it is a conversation with Christ and he was suggesting the topics. Lectio Divinia

  4. Centering Prayer Contemplative Prayer • Contemplative Prayer is the opening of the mind and heart to God. • Contemplative Prayer is a process of interior purification leading, if we consent, to divine union.

  5. Centering Prayer • Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to cooperate with this. • It isn’t meant to replace other forms of prayer, it puts them into a new perspective.

  6. Centering Prayer Guidelines • Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within. • Sitting comfortable and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within • When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word. • At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

  7. Centering Prayer Explanation • The sacred word • The sacred word should be chosen during a brief period of prayer asking the holy spirit to inspire us with one that is especially suitable for us. • Once chosen, the word cannot be changed during the period, because it would mean we began to think again • A substitution for this would be to look inward towards God’s presence

  8. Centering Prayer Explanation • Sitting Comfortably • This means to sit in a comfortable position, but not so much that it causes you to fall asleep. • You can sit however you wish, only requirement is you do so with a straight back. • If you do fall asleep, continue the prayer session after you wake up if you have the time. • Close your eyes and let go of what is going around you and within. • Introduce the sacred word inwardly and gently.

  9. Centering Prayer • The minimum time for Centering Prayer is 20 minutes • 2 periods of Centering Prayer is recommended a day • One first thing in the morning • Second in the afternoon or early evening • The principle effects of Centering Prayer are experienced in daily life, not in the period of Centering Prayer itself.

  10. Buddhist Meditation One of the religions the practice of Meditation is most associated with, Buddhists use meditation to calm their mind, to help them reach enlightenment, and to assist them in finding peace in their lives.

  11. Buddhist Meditation Devices • In Buddhist Meditation, its possible to use objects to help focus the mind during the meditation. • These objects of focus could be things such as a candle flame, a hole in the wall, or some sort of metal object.

  12. Buddhist Meditation Prayer Beads • Although not unique to Buddhism, prayer beads are used for repetition of a set formula, such as repeating certain phrases in several religions during prayer. • In Buddhism, it can be used as a means of holding the attention and purifying the mind

  13. Buddhist Meditation Metta Bhavana • Metta Bhavana is the most universally beneficial form of discursive meditation, and can be practiced in any conditions. • With steady perseverance it is possible to reach a point in which you can’t have a single thought of ill-will. • True peace can only come to the world through minds that are at peace.

  14. Buddhist Meditation Metta Bhavana • Cultivation of benevolence must begin with oneself. • Metta bhavana begins with the thought: “May I be free from enmity; may I be free from ill-will; may I be rid of suffering; may I be happy.” • After this, this exact same thought must be applied to someone you naturally have a feeling of friendship for. • This “someone” should be a living person • Shouldn’t be of the opposite sex • This is to avoid the thought turning towards “sensuality”

  15. Buddhist Meditation Metta Bhavana • Next, your thoughts should be directed towards someone who you have no feelings (good or bad) towards. • Then, you direct your thoughts to someone that you don’t like (example: Some guy that hit your car) • This is a difficult point in the meditation to deal with, and its suggested you break down the person into the impersonal components, beginning with the body, and moving onto parts of their personality until you feel no hatred towards them • If this doesn’t work, regard them with compassion

  16. Buddhist Meditation Metta Bhavana • When the thought of loving-kindness is the same in quality and degree for these 4 people (yourself, a friend, someone you are neutral to, and an enemy) the meditation is successful. • Next, one must widen and extend the thought in 3 ways • First, is without limitation • This extends to: all sentient beings, all things that have life, all beings that come into existence, all that have personality, and all that have assumed individual being • This meditation embraces all without particular reference to locality.

  17. Buddhist Meditation Metta Bhavana • Next is with limitations • This is the same as before, only instead of to beings, it extends to the seven groups which form the objects of meditation • All females, all males, all Noble Ones, all imperfect ones, all Devas, all human beings, and all beings in states of woe

  18. Buddhist Meditation Metta Bhavana • Next, it is directed to all beings in the ten directions • The directions are: North, South, East, West, NE, NW, SE, SW, Above, and Below. • Finally, the 12 groups above can be dealt with separately for each of the 10 directions

  19. Sufi Meditation • Sufism is a group of Muslim Mystics that focus on spirituality and love of god, they use meditation to connect themselves to both the divine and others.

  20. Sufi Meditation • Step 1 • Feel yourself in presence of the Sahykh Give your greetings Eyes closed See through Eye of Heart Don’t look for a face, just his Aura

  21. Sufi Meditation • Step 2 • Eyes Shut, ask for Permission to connect his light to your heart and your light to his heart. • Imagine a two way connection and then recite above mantra or awrad • When someone sits for Meditation and closes his eyes, the person doing Meditation focuses his mind on a single point.

  22. Sufi Meditation • Step 3 • Positioning: Kneeling • Smallest things count • keeping on knees • Closed Eyes-Mind Meditation • Tongue up • Breathing Controlled • Ears listening to Quran, Salawat, or Mellow sounds • Room Dark

  23. Sufi Meditation

  24. Sufi Meditation • It is important to keep the hands clean • Hand use is very important during Sufi Meditation

  25. Sufi Meditation • Step 4 • Position of Hands: • Thumb to index spelling out “Allah Hu” position for most power. • Hands are coded with number codings, Right hand “18” Left Hand “81” both add to 9 and two 9’s make 99. • Hands are dressed with Allahs Beautiful Names. • 99th name of Rasul is Mustafa

  26. Sufi Meditation • Step 5 • Breathing • Breath through the nose, imagine a white light entering through the stomach • Exhale • Exhale through the nose, imagine blackness as all the bad actions being purged from you as you exhale.

  27. Sufi Meditation • Step 6 • To carry the dress of the Shaykh: • 3 levels of continious struggle • Keep his love (Muhabat) • Keep his Presence (Hudur) • Execute his will upon ourselves (Annilation or Fana)

  28. Sufi Meditation • Step 7 • To be, a thing non-existent, crystal clear vessel for whomever wishes to fill your being from Allahs Divine Kingdom • In the state of ‘Oneness with the Holy Prophet’ a spiritual associate because of his passion, longing and love gradually, step by step, assimilates and cognizes the knowledge of the Holy Prophet.

  29. Sources • Sufi Meditation Muraqaba- Illustrations and Information on meditation http://nurmuhammad.com/Meditation/Core/naqshbandimeditationillustration.htm • The Method of Centering Prayer of Thomas Keating- Source for Centering Prayer information in this presentation http://www.concentric.net/~Cosmas/centering_prayer.htm • Buddhist Meditation by Francis Story- Source of Buddhist information http://www.geocities.com/ekchew.geo/bl015.html • Stpaulsperish.org: source of picture used in Centering Prayer section http://stpaulsparish.org/Contemplative%20prayer.html • Buddhisminindia.com: source of picture of prayer beads http://www.buddhisminindia.com/photo-gallery.html • Beifan.com: source of buddhist monk picture http://beifan.com/shaolin-monk/059kungfuwales/page-m001.html

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