Category Archives: Christian Based

601. Laurence Freeman

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Laurence Freeman is a Benedictine monk and teacher and is Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) a global, inclusive contemplative community. He resides at the international centre of the WCCM at Bonnevaux Centre for Peace near Paris.

With Irish and English roots, he was educated by the Benedictines and studied English Literature at New College, Oxford University. Before entering monastic life, he worked with the United Nations in New York, in Banking and Journalism.

Fr. Laurence is a monk of the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. John Main was his teacher and Fr. Laurence assisted him in establishing the foundations of the Community. Laurence is the author of a number of books on Meditation. He teaches meditation in religious and secular contexts and works in interfaith dialogue. He travels extensively teaching and leading Retreats dialogues. Laurence sees meditation as opening the common ground of humanity and developing the contemplative consciousness that he believes the world today needs for its survival. 

Books

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded June 5, 2021

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:03:01 – The Roots of Meditation in Christianity
  • 00:06:32 – The Roots of Meditation
  • 00:09:49 – The Radically Simple Way of Meditation
  • 00:12:42 – The Mantra in Christian Prayer
  • 00:15:13 – The Cycle of Losing and Finding
  • 00:17:42 – The Flowing Tradition of Christianity
  • 00:20:53 – Rediscovering the Mystical Dimension of Religion
  • 00:24:42 – The Growth of Contemplative Consciousness
  • 00:31:19 – Transformational Effects in Your World and Work
  • 00:36:30 – The Progressive Development of Consciousness
  • 00:42:20 – The Relevance of Meditation to the Deeper Meaning of Life
  • 00:50:16 – Pursuing Happiness and the Meaning of Suffering
  • 00:55:27 – Nurturing a Community of Love and Faith
  • 01:00:05 – The Influence of Consciousness and Leadership in Society
  • 01:04:32 – The Loss of the Moral Consensus
  • 01:09:51 – Ethical Integrity in the Spiritual Community
  • 01:15:40 – The Fruits of the Spirit
  • 01:20:44 – Jesus’ Miracles and Compassion
  • 01:26:03 – The Shared Divinity of Humanity
  • 01:30:31 – The Emptying of God and the Fullness of Self
  • 01:36:24 – The Question of Identity
  • 01:40:51 – The Stories and Questions of Jesus’ Life
  • 01:46:05 – The Debate on Reincarnation and its Importance
  • 01:50:46 – The Concept of Purgatory and Reincarnation
  • 01:54:41 – The Practice of Meditation
  • 01:59:25 – The Work of Meditation
  • 02:03:08 – Introduction to Meditation
  • 02:08:24 – Conclusion and Resources
  • 02:13:18 – Daily Wisdom and Community Building
  • 02:16:28 – Farewell and Future Endeavors

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592. Richard Rohr

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Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation and academic dean of the CAC’s Living School. An internationally recognized author and spiritual leader, Fr. Richard teaches primarily on incarnational mysticism, non-dual consciousness, and contemplation, with a particular emphasis on how these affect the social justice issues of our time.

Podcast: Another Name for Every Thing

A few of Fr. Rohr’s 30+ books:

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded March 27, 2021

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:02:10 – The Vast Universe and the Universal Christ
  • 00:04:02 – Jesus and the Universal Concept of the Christ
  • 00:06:22 – The Cosmic Notion of Christ
  • 00:08:33 – A New Cosmology and Universalizing Jesus’ Message
  • 00:10:49 – The Small Box of Religion
  • 00:12:54 – The Marvel of Intelligence and Creativity
  • 00:14:53 – Caring for Creation and Social Justice
  • 00:16:54 – Saving the Worms
  • 00:18:55 – Changing Notions of God
  • 00:21:12 – The Exclusionary Nature of Theology
  • 00:23:18 – The Journey from Order to Re-order
  • 00:25:41 – Embracing Polarities and Diversities
  • 00:28:05 – The breadth of freedom and social order
  • 00:30:00 – Love God and Do What You Want
  • 00:32:15 – The Changing Grand Canyon
  • 00:34:20 – The Multifaceted Nature of Causality
  • 00:36:39 – The “Father Wound” and the Atonement
  • 00:38:50 – The Transformation of Religion
  • 00:40:46 – The Healing Environment of the Prison System
  • 00:42:09 – The Loneliness and Cutthroat Nature of Prison Life
  • 00:43:36 – The Communion of Saints
  • 00:45:22 – The Interconnectedness of Humanity and Collective Consciousness
  • 00:46:55 – The Fall and Autonomy
  • 00:48:33 – The Fall and the Wounded Condition
  • 00:50:02 – The Happy Fault and the Rediscovery of Non-Duality
  • 00:51:36 – Great Love and Great Suffering
  • 00:53:19 – The Power of Love and Suffering
  • 00:54:53 – Jesus’s justice strategy
  • 00:56:29 – Solidarity vs Sacrifice
  • 00:58:19 – Dipping into the Ocean of Richard Rohr

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586. Cynthia Bourgeault, 2nd Interview

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years she worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating as a student, editor, and colleague and has taught and written extensively on Centering Prayer. She is a core faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation and founding director of an international network of Wisdom Schools. In addition to her work on Centering Prayer, she is the author of numerous other books on the Christian Mystical and Wisdom tradition, including The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind–A New Perspective on Christ and His Message, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity, and her most recent, Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm.

Websites:

Other Books:

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded February 6, 2021

First BatGap interview with Cynthia.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:41 – The Subtler Dimensions of Reality
  • 00:08:41 – Heaven and Hell in the Christian Tradition
  • 00:12:55 – Two Different Experiences of Theophane’s Presence
  • 00:16:51 – Being a Cosmic Servant
  • 00:20:58 – Receiving and Transplanting Spiritual Virtues
  • 00:25:24 – Seeing the Whole Picture
  • 00:29:47 – Surrendering to the Field of Moral Coherence
  • 00:33:50 – Spiritual Discernment and the Hazards of Misinterpretation
  • 00:37:50 – The Importance of Risk-Taking in Spiritual Growth
  • 00:42:28 – The Science of Love and the Divine Heart
  • 00:46:44 – The Anti-Entropic Force
  • 00:50:54 – The Turning and Kicking 
  • 00:54:24 – The School of Hard Knocks and Spiritual Evolution
  • 00:58:07 – The Mystery of Life’s Unfolding
  • 01:02:19 – Sensation and the Gurjief work
  • 01:06:16 – The Energetic Signature of Psychosis
  • 01:10:41 – The Shift in the Subtle Realms
  • 01:15:27 – The Great Chain of Being and Collective Repentance
  • 01:20:05 – Climate Change and Cataclysms
  • 01:24:23 – Cultivating Goodness in Consciousness
  • 01:33:06 – The Burden and Joy of Parenthood
  • 01:36:53 – The Denying Force and Necessary Friction
  • 01:40:57 – The Spiritual Womb Center
  • 01:45:10 – Moving Sensation to the Chakras
  • 01:49:54 – The Necessary Darkness for Transformation
  • 01:54:15 – The Misinterpretation of “There’s only God”
  • 01:58:30 – Cynthia Bourgeault Library and Other Websites
  • 02:02:21 – New Voices in the CAC
  • 02:05:32 – Introductory Music

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