Christian Meditation, Contemplative Consciousness, and the Mantra
Summary: This conversation explores the roots of Christian meditation, the use of the mantra, and the difference between mindfulness and deeper contemplative practice. It also looks at how contemplative consciousness, ethical integrity, and community can help address suffering and the challenges of the modern world.
Questions This Interview Explores
- How did Christian meditation develop, and what are its roots in the desert fathers, John Cassian, and the wider mystical tradition?
- What is the role of the mantra in contemplative prayer, and how does it lead from the mind into the heart?
- How do mindfulness, mystical experience, and deeper contemplative consciousness differ from one another?
- Can meditation help heal society, and what role do community, leadership, and ethical integrity play in that work?
- How do suffering, identity, resurrection, reincarnation, and the meaning of human divinity fit into a contemplative view of life?
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
- Jesus the Teacher Within
- Good Work: Meditation for Personal & Organisational Transformation
- Christian Meditation: Your Daily Practice
- Light Within: Meditation as Pure Prayer
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Transcript, summary, and key takeaways from 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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