Category Archives: Christianity

Un Ejemplo del Camino de la Sabiduría y del Camino de Amar. -Ejemplo de Transformación

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Uno de los ejemplos  hermosos de la transformación de la sabiduría es cuando comenzamos a aprender a reemplazar la conversación binaria con la amplitud de la conversación en mosaico.

A menudo, no nos damos cuenta de hasta qué punto llevamos a la conversación cotidiana la suposición de que para que una persona tenga razón, la otra debe estar equivocada. Como resultado, contrarrestamos los puntos de vista de otros con una respuesta sutil, si no abierta, que busca reemplazar su punto de vista por el nuestro. Vamos de un lado a otro, como en un partido de tenis, y cada uno de nosotros controla discretamente quién ganó ese punto y cómo avanza el partido. Sin embargo, a diferencia del tenis, donde las reglas de enfrentamiento son claras y los participantes han aceptado lo que constituye ganar y perder, en nuestras conversaciones no hay reglas de enfrentamiento claras y nadie está obligado a reconocer la derrota, por lo que la discusión a menudo termina en un punto muerto que sirve para fortalecer a cada uno en la convicción de su propia posición y dejar la relación entre los contendientes incómoda, irresuelta y sintiéndose distante y desconectada.

En lugar de suponer que para que uno sea “correcto” el otro debe estar “equivocado”, podemos suponer que es posible que dos o más observaciones aparentemente contradictorias sobre la realidad sean verdaderas al mismo tiempo.

¿Cómo es esto posible? Se vuelve posible y obvio cuando reconocemos que hay muchos puntos de entrada a la búsqueda de la verdad, como muchas facetas de un diamante. Cada uno nos llevará a una perspectiva diferente de la verdad y cada uno tiene un derecho de validez. Al igual que el elefante proverbial que el ciego percibe como áspero y peludo cuando le toca la espalda y suave y terso cuando el ciego le toca la oreja, ambas afirmaciones son correctas, sólo que incompletas. La verdad es como un mosaico en el que cada persona aporta una pieza. No está completo hasta que se aportan todas las piezas y encuentran un lugar en la imagen, es decir nunca: siempre hay espacio para una más. Este es un ejemplo del principio de no dualismo, que es un principio básico de la manera de ver las cosas de la Sabiduría.

Nos escuchamos con curiosidad y apertura mientras se nos ofrece una visión de algunas piezas del mosaico que nunca antes habíamos considerado. Jugamos con la forma en que las piezas encajan, cambiándolas entre sí de múltiples maneras. Debido a que confiamos en que lo que decimos será aceptado y no juzgado, nos encontramos arriesgando nuevas perspectivas que nunca antes nos habíamos atrevido a considerar. Y como nunca buscamos contradecirnos, la palabra “pero” adquiere un significado diferente. En lugar de implicar “Lo que voy a decir contradice lo que acaba de decir”, simplemente significa “Aquí hay una pieza más para agregar a la imagen”. Los conversadores de sabiduría describen esto como “pensamiento y/o ambos”. Me gusta pensar en ello como “pensamiento arcoíris”. En lugar de limitar nuestro pensamiento a la suposición de que sólo se ve en términos de blanco y negro, permitimos que se abra  un arco iris de posibilidades que no tiene fin en sutilezas y facetas.

El resultado de este enfoque en los círculos de conversación sobre sabiduría es que la discusión nos acerca más, en lugar de construir un muro entre nosotros. Salimos sintiéndonos más conectados unos con otros, sintiendo que todos somos, como las piezas del mosaico de nuestra discusión, parte de algo mucho más grande que nosotros mismos. Esto es un principio básico de la transformación de la Sabiduría. Lo que he descrito hasta ahora puede denominarse “la forma sabia de ver o de conocer” o pudiéramos expresarlo como “el Camino de la Sabiduría de Conocer”.

Ahora bien, ¿Cuál es el Camino Sabiduria de Amar? A medida que interactuamos unos con otros de esta manera abierta y sin prejuicios, no sólo se abren nuestras mentes, sino también nuestros corazones. Debido a que nos sentimos escuchados y en lugar de contradecirnos o descartarnos, llegamos a confiar cada vez más unos en otros y queremos construir nuestras relaciones. Y como nos escuchamos unos a otros y nos esforzamos por ver el mundo a través de los ojos de los demás, en realidad sentimos más compasión unos por otros. A medida que crecen la confianza y el respeto mutuos, a pesar de las diferencias, poco a poco se convierten en una celebración de las diferencias y en un aprecio mutuo; en otras palabras, en el amor incondicional. Y a medida que la capacidad de amor incondicional se extiende por todo el grupo, nuestra tendencia a juzgarnos a nosotros mismos se reduce al mismo tiempo que nuestra tendencia a juzgarnos unos a otros. Esta reducción del juicio sobre uno mismo conduce al coraje de asumir más riesgos al compartir nuestra autenticidad unos con otros en una espiral continua de reducción del juicio hacia nosotros mismos y hacia los demás y un aumento de la capacidad de amor incondicional. Así, los principios de nuestra bondad básica y de nuestra interconexión que son fundamentales para el Camino de la Sabiduría de Conocer se afirma en forma vivencial y se convierte en el Camino de la Sabiduría de Amar. Nuestra experiencia afirma que cuando el acceso a nuestro corazón no está bloqueado por todas las defensas que levantamos para protegernos, naturalmente buscamos conexión y sentimos compasión unos por otros. Cuando ya no nos sentimos aislados, vulnerables y separados, podemos sentir la realidad de nuestra interconexión.

Suena muy parecido a la enseñanza básica de Jesús, ¿no es así? Amar a nuestro prójimo como a nosotros mismos. Sólo que en lugar de ser un principio moral, un “debería” por el que debemos trabajar, se convierte en el resultado natural de la transformación de la Sabiduría porque el mecanismo está integrado. Así es como estamos hechos. Sólo tenemos que acceder a él.

El Espíritu De Dios Ora en Nuestros Corazones

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El reino de los cielos es como un comerciante en busca de perlas finas; al encontrar una perla de gran valor, fueron y vendieron todo lo que tenían y la compraron.
– Mateo 13:45-46

St. Agustín, después de pasar muchos años infructuosos buscando la verdad fuera de sí mismo, hizo el descubrimiento que le cambió la vida de que lo que estaba buscando estaba dentro de sí mismo: allí en las profundidades de nuestro ser están la verdad, la bondad y el amor. En sus confesiones proclama: “Estabas allí ante mis ojos, pero yo había abandonado incluso a mí mismo y no había encontrado al Dios de mi propio corazón”.
 
La clave del descubrimiento de Agustín fue su comprensión de que el silencio nos revela a Dios como nada más puede. Si viajamos en quietud al centro de nuestro ser, nos dice, encontraremos a Dios “que está más cerca de nosotros que nosotros de nosotros mismos”.
 
Llegó a  un punto para Agustín y, a nosotros como buscadores contemplativos, también, cuando no se pueden encontrar las palabras correctas, o cuando las oraciones conocidas, hermosas perlas en sí mismas, no tocan ningún acorde en nuestro corazón y no nos acercan a Dios. Es entonces cuando simplificamos nuestra oración y pasamos de muchas palabras a pocas palabras y de pocas palabras a una palabra y de una palabra al silencio. En la quietud y el silencio abandonamos todas las palabras y la reflexión y descansamos. Nos ponemos en las manos de Dios, esperamos y escuchamos escuchar el espíritu de Dios orar en nuestros corazones.

The Mind of Christ

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This week I have being presented with the concept of the apostle Paul as one of the most misunderstood teacher, and mystic. Having the sample of Paul, I encounter a direct message that talked to my heart at this moment in which I am interested in the process of how the non-dual mind mind is formed by prayer and embodiment practices. A beautiful summary has been presented during this week and I would like to have it near to remind me that all human being have access to the Divine Flow , that is always happening and everyone can plug in.

The Mind of Christ – Practice

We encourage you to create some space this week for intentional silence and stillness, using Father Richard’s description of contemplation and “the mind of Christ” as an entry into prayer:

In contemplative practice, we refuse to identify with any one side, while still maintaining our intelligence. We hold the creative tension of every seeming conflict and go beyond words to pure, open-ended experience, which has the potential to unify many seeming contradictions. We cannot know God the way we know anything else; we only know God subject to subject, by a process of mirroring. This is the “mind of Christ” (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). It really is a different way of knowing, and you can tell it by its gratuity, its open-endedness, its compassion, and by the way it is so creative and energizing in those who allow it.

Truly great thinkers and cultural creatives take for granted that they have access to a different and larger mind. They recognize that a Divine Flow is already happening and that everyone can plug into it. In all cases, it is a participative kind of knowing, a being known through and not an autonomous knowing. The most common and traditional word for this change of consciousness was historically “prayer,” but we trivialized that precious word by making it functional, transactional, and supposedly about problem solving. The only problem that prayer solves is us!

Material from Daily Meditations_Center of Action and Contemplation Week Mark 20 – March 25 2022

The Universal Christ: Contemplative Retreat June 15, 2019

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Nancy Moran and I have been working together to lead this retreat. Our intention is to bring the message of the Universal Christ in a contemplative environment. We really give thanks to Contemplative Outreach Northeast Ohio for allow us to plan this retreat, to the Center of Action and Contemplation for the use of the videos from the latest conference on March 28-31, 2019 and to Laurel Lakes retirement Community for allow us use this place and for all help provided to make this event free of charge for our community.

The Universal Christ: Another Name for Every Thing
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Contemplative Retreat
What if Christ is a name for the transcendent within of every “thing” in the universe?
What if Christ is a name for the immense spaciousness of all true Love?
What if Christ refers to an infinite horizon that pulls us both from within and pulls us forward, too?
What if Christ is another name for every thing—in its fullness? —Richard Rohr
Christ is more than Jesus’ last name. Jesus is a person whose example we can follow. Christ is a cosmic life principle in which all beings participate. The incarnation is an ongoing revelation of Christ, uniting matter and spirit, operating as one and everywhere. Together—Jesus and Christ—show us “the way, the truth, and the life” of death and resurrection.
On June 15, join Contemplative Outreach Northeast Ohio for Centering Prayer, contemplative teachings and practices, and reflection with 3 videos featuring Richard Rohr during the March 28 – 31, 2019 Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Registration required for lunch planning. NO FEE. Free will offering will be accepted. Date and Time Saturday, June 15, 2019 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (8:30 am to 9:00 am Registration. Please arrive early so we can start promptly at 9:00 am) Location and Directions Laurel Lake Retirement Community  200 Laurel Lake Dr. Hudson, OH 44236 Contact Information To RSVP for this event, please contact Nancy Moran at email nancymoran94@gmail.com, no later than June 12. For further information: contact Josefina Fernandez at email fucsina@mac.com Retreat leaders Nancy Moran and Josefina Fernandez
More Information Click here for more information about the schedule on the website of Contemplative Outreach Northeast Ohio.

Guidelines for Christian Life

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Guidelines for Christian Life, Growth and Transformation

  The following principles represent a tentative effort to restate the Christian spiritual journey in contemporary terms. They are designed to provide a conceptual background for the practice of centering prayer. They should be read according to the method of lectio divina.

1. The fundamental goodness of human nature, like the mystery of the Trinity, Grace, and the Incarnation, is an essential element of Christian faith. This basic core of goodness is capable of unlimited development; indeed, of becoming transformed into Christ and deified.

2. Our basic core of goodness is our true Self. Its center of gravity is God. The acceptance of our basic goodness is a quantum leap in the spiritual journey.

3. God and our true Self are not separate. Though we are not God, God and our true Self are the same thing.

4. The term original sin is a way of describing the human condition, which is the universal experience of coming to full reflective self consciousness without the certitude of personal union with God. This gives rise to our intimate sense of incompletion, dividedness, isolation, and guilt.

5. Original sin is not the result of personal wrongdoing on our part. Still, it causes a pervasive feeling of alienation from God, from other people and from the true Self. The cultural consequences of these alienations are instilled in us from earliest childhood and passed on from one generation to the next. The urgent need to escape from the profound insecurity of this situation gives rise, when unchecked, to insatiable desires for pleasure, possession, and power. On the social level, it gives rise to violence, war, and institutional injustice.

6. The particular consequences of original sin include all the self serving habits that have been woven into our personality from the time we were conceived; all the emotional damage that has come from our early environment and upbringing; all the harm that other people have done to us knowingly or unknowingly at an age when we could not defend ourselves; and the methods we acquired–many of them now unconscious–to ward off the pain of unbearable situations.

7. This constellation of prerational reactions is the foundation of the false self. The false self develops in opposition to the true Self. Its center of gravity is itself.

8. Grace is the presence and action of Christ at every moment of our lives. The sacraments are ritual actions in which Christ is present in a special manner, confirming and sustaining the major commitments of our Christian life.

9. In Baptism, the false self is ritually put to death, the new self is born, and the victory over sin won by Jesus through his death and resurrection is placed at our disposal. Not our uniqueness as persons, but our sense of separation from God and from others is destroyed in the death dealing and life-giving waters of Baptism.

10. The Eucharist is the celebration of life: the coming together of all the material elements of the cosmos, their emergence to consciousness in human persons and the transformation of human consciousness into Divine consciousness. It is the manifestation of the Divine in and through the Christian community We receive the Eucharist in order to become the Eucharist.

11. In addition to being present in the sacraments, Christ is present.

12. Personal sin is the refusal to respond to Christ’s self-communication (grace). It is the deliberate neglect of our own genuine needs and those of others. It reinforces the false self.

13. Our basic core of goodness is dynamic and tends to grow of itself. This growth is hindered by the illusions and emotional hang-ups of the false self, by the negative influences coming from our cultural conditioning, and by personal sin.

14. Listening to God’s word in scripture and the liturgy, waiting upon God in prayer, and responsiveness to his inspirations help to distinguish how the two selves are operating in particular circumstances.

15. God is not some remote, inaccessible, and implacable being who demands instant perfection from His creatures and of whose love we must make ourselves worthy. He is not a tyrant to be obeyed out of terror, nor a policeman who is ever on the watch, nor a harsh judge ever ready to apply the verdict of guilty. We should relate to Him less and less in terms of reward and punishment and more and more on the basis of the gratuity–or the play of divine love.

16. Divine love is compassionate, tender luminous, totally self-giving, seeking no reward, unifying everything.

17. The experience of being loved by God enables us to accept our false self as it is, and then to let go of it and journey to our true Self. The inward journey to our true Self is the way to divine love.

18. The growing awareness of our true Self, along with the deep sense of spiritual peace and joy which flow from this experience, balances the psychic pain of the disintegrating and dying of the false self. As the motivating power of the false self diminishes, our true Self builds the new self with the motivating force of divine love.

19. The building of our new self is bound to be marked by innumerable mistakes and sometimes by sin. Such failures, however serious, are insignificant compared to the inviolable goodness of our true Self. We should ask God’s pardon, seek forgiveness from those we may have offended, and then act with renewed confidence and energy as if nothing had happened.

20. Prolonged, pervasive, or paralyzing guilt feelings come from the false self. True guilt in response to personal sin or social injustice does not lead to discouragement but to amendment of life. It is a call to conversion.

21. Progress in the spiritual journey is manifested by the unconditional acceptance of other people, beginning with those with whom we live.

22. A community of faith offers the support of example, correction, and mutual concern in the spiritual journey. Above all, participating in the mystery of Christ through the celebration of the liturgy, Eucharist, and silent prayer binds the community in a common search for transformation and union with God. The presence of Christ is ministered to each other and becomes tangible in the community, especially when it is gathered for worship or engaged in some work of service to those in need.

23. The moderation of the instinctual drives of the developing human organism for survival and security, affection and esteem, control and power allows true human needs to come into proper focus. Primary among these needs is intimacy with another or several human persons. By intimacy is meant the mutual sharing of thoughts, feelings, problems, and spiritual aspirations which gradually develops into spiritual friendship.

24. Spiritual friendship involving genuine self-disclosure is an essential ingredient for happiness both in marriage and in the celibate lifestyle. The experience of intimacy with another or several persons expands and deepens our capacity to relate to God and to everyone else. Under the influence of Divine Love the sexual energy is gradually transformed into universal compassion.

25. The spiritual radiation of a community depends on the commitment of its members to the inward journey and to each other. To offer one another space in which to grow as persons is an integral part of this commitment.

26. Contemplative prayer, in the traditional sense of the term, is the dynamic that initiates, accompanies and brings the process of transformation to completion.

27. Reflection on the Word of God in scripture and in our personal history is the foundation of contemplative prayer The spontaneous letting go of particular thoughts and feelings in prayer is a sign of progress in contemplation. Contemplative prayer is characterized not so much by the absence of thoughts and feelings as by detachment from them.

28. The goal of genuine spiritual practice is not the rejection of the good things of the body, mind, or spirit, but the right use of them. No aspect of human nature or period of human life is to be rejected but integrated into each successive level of unfolding self-consciousness. In this way, the partial goodness proper to each stage of human development is preserved and only its limitations are left behind. The way to become divine is thus to become fully human.

29. The practice of a spiritual discipline is essential at the beginning of the spiritual journey as a means of developing the foundations of the contemplative dimension of life: dedication and devotion to God and service to others. Our daily practice should include a time for contemplative prayer and a program for letting go of the false self.

30. Regular periods of silence and solitude quiet the psyche, foster interior silence, and initiate the dynamic of self knowledge.

31. Solitude is not primarily a place but an attitude of total commitment to God. When one belongs completely to God, the sharing of one’s life and gifts continually increases.

32. The Beatitude of poverty of spirit springs from the increasing awareness of our true Self. It is a nonpossessive attitude toward everything and a sense of unity with everything at the same time. The interior freedom to have much or to have little, and the simplifying of one’s life-style are signs of the presence of poverty of spirit.

33. Chastity is distinct from celibacy, which is the commitment to abstain from the genital expression of our sexuality. Chastity is the acceptance of our sexual energy, together with the masculine and feminine qualities that accompany it and the integration of this energy into our spirituality. It is the practice of moderation and self-control in the use of our sexual energy.

34. Chastity enhances and expands the power to love. It perceives the sacredness of everything that is. As a consequence, one respects the dignity of other persons and cannot use them merely for one’s own fulfillment.

35. Obedience is the unconditional acceptance of God as He is and as He manifests Himself in our lives. God’s will is not immediately evident. Docility inclines us to attend to all the indications of His will. Discernment sifts the evidence and then decides, in the light of the inward attraction of grace, what God seems to be asking here and now.

36. Humility is an attitude of honesty with God, oneself, and all reality. It enables us to be at peace in the presence of our powerlessness and to rest in the forgetfulness of self.

37. Hope springs from the continuing experience of God’s compassion and help. Patience is hope in action. It waits for the saving help of God without giving up, giving in, or going away, and for any length of time.

38. The disintegrating and dying of our false self is our participation in the passion and death of Jesus. The building of our new self, based on the transforming power of divine love, is our participation in his risen life.

39. In the beginning, emotional hang-ups are the chief obstacle to the growth of our new self because they put our freedom into a straight jacket. Later, because of the subtle satisfaction that springs from self-control, spiritual pride becomes the chief obstacle. And finally, reflection of self becomes the chief obstacle because this hinders the innocence of divine union.

40. Human effort depends on grace even as it invites it. Whatever degree of divine union we may reach bears no proportion to our effort. It is the sheer gift of divine love.

41. Jesus did not teach a specific method of meditation or bodily discipline for quieting the imagination, memory, and emotions. We should choose a spiritual practice adapted to our particular temperament and natural disposition. We must also be willing to dispense with it when called by the Spirit to surrender to his direct guidance. The Spirit is above every method or practice. To follow his inspiration is the sure path to perfect freedom.

42. What Jesus proposed to his disciples as the Way is his own example: the forgiveness of everything and everyone and the service of others in their needs. “Love one another as I have loved you.”

More information can be obtained by reading the bookOpen Mind Open Heart by Fr. Thomas Keating. 

Eastern Christianity

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Eastern Christianity

September 9 – September 14, 2018

The Cappadocian Fathers developed an intellectual rationale for Christianity’s central
goal: humanity’s healing and loving union with God. (Sunday)

Matter and Spirit must be found to be inseparable in Christ before we have the courage and
insight to acknowledge and honor the same in ourselves and in the entire universe.

Christ is the Archetype of Everything.
(Monday)

Just as some Eastern fathers saw Christ’s human/divine nature as one dynamic unity,
they also saw the Trinity as an Infinite Dynamic Flow. (Tuesday)

St. Gregory of Nazianzus emphasized that deification does not mean we become God,
but that we do objectively participate in God’s nature. We are created to share in the life-flow
of Trinity. (Wednesday)

[Gregory of Nyssa taught universal salvation from] a fundamental belief in
the impermanence of evil in the face of God’s love and a conviction that God’s plan for humanity
is intended to be fulfilled in every single human being. —Morwenna Ludlow (Thursday)

The Eastern Fathers have always stressed . . . that if we are in Christ we participate
in His paschal victory over sin and death. —George Maloney (Friday)

 

Early Christianity

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Early Christianity

Seeking Spiritual Freedom

Thursday, September 6, 2018

A brother was restless in the community and often moved to anger. So he said: “I will go, and live somewhere by myself. And since I shall be able to talk or listen to no one, I shall be tranquil, and my passionate anger will cease.” He went out and lived alone in a cave. But one day he filled his jug with water and put it on the ground. It happened suddenly to fall over. He filled it again, and again it fell. And this happened a third time. And in a rage he snatched up the jug and broke it. Returning to his right mind, he knew that the demon of anger had mocked him, and he said: “Here am I by myself, and he has beaten me. I will return to the community. Wherever you live, you need effort and patience and above all God’s help.” —Story of a desert father [1]

As the Christian church moved from bottom to top, protected and pampered by the Roman Empire, people like Anthony of the Desert (c. 250-c. 356), John Cassian (c. 360-c. 435), Evagrius Ponticus (c. 345-399), Syncletica (c. 270-c. 350) and other early Christians went off to the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria to find spiritual freedom, live out Jesus’ teachings, and continue growing in the Spirit. It was in these deserts that a different mind called contemplation was taught.

As an alternative to empire and its economy, these men and women emphasized lifestyle practice, psychologically astute methods of prayer, and a very simple spirituality of transformation into Christ. The desert communities grew out of informal gatherings of monks or nuns, functioning much like families. A good number also became hermits to mine the deep mystery of their inner experience. This movement paralleled the monastic pattern in Hinduism and Buddhism.

The desert tradition preceded the emergence of systematic theology and formal doctrine. Christian faith was first a lifestyle before it was a belief system. Since the desert dwellers were often formally uneducated, they told stories, much like Jesus did, to teach about essential issues of ego, love, virtue, surrender, peace, divine union, and inner freedom.

Thomas Merton described those early Christians in the wilderness as people “who did not believe in letting themselves be passively guided and ruled by a decadent state,” who didn’t wish to be ruled or to rule. He continues, saying that they primarily sought their “true self, in Christ”; to do so, they had to reject “the false, formal self, fabricated under social compulsion ‘in the world.’ They sought a way to God that was uncharted and freely chosen, not inherited from others who had mapped it out beforehand.” [2] Can you see why we might need to learn from them?

References:
[1] Western Asceticism, ed., trans. Owen Chadwick (Westminster John Knox Press: 2006, ©1958), 92.

[2] Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert(New Directions: 1960), 5-6.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World from a Place of Prayer(Paulist Press: 2014), 51; and
“Desert Christianity and the Eastern Fathers of the Church,” The Mendicant, vol. 5, no. 2 (Center for Action and Contemplation: April 2015), 1.