As long as this is a Roman Catholic thread, I thought I would bring this up. There is a book I liked and read entitled Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian by Paul F. Knitter. He is a Roman Catholic, professor of Catholic theology, a former Roman Catholic priest and a practicing Zen Buddhist. It has also gotten good reviews and ratings on Amazon. In the article Catholic Church Opens Up To Yoga And Meditation, it said this:
Any thought from our Roman Catholic contributors here? Or anyone else, for that matter!
Don’t worry about any challenges. Personally, I like the philosophy of Japanese Jujitsu and Aikido. Don’t start fights and avoid them at all costs. But if someone attacks me with a “virtual” knife or punch, I turn the opponent’s force against them.
It is not a sin to not attend a mass. It is a good habit to meet with believers, but not being there will not mean you will go to hell, not literally. You will not lose salvation for not attending, if you were in prison or something I don’t understand how you could be expected to go. Also it is true that many enter hell, Jesus said that. As for the meditation comment, I suggest staying away from yoga. Meditation is to focus on a singular topic in your mind. I.e meditating on the word of god is to recite it in your mind.
‘Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.’ - Philippians 4:8.
‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’ - Isaiah 26:3.
‘I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.’ - Psalm 119:48
Be careful of what you learn attending any congregation or even what the pope has said. Many are deceived. Grace be with you. Amen.
I suppose for someone trying to follow the Russian Orthodox path of the Holy Fool, I sometimes like to push the envelope. If you use or have the name Augustine, then you know he was a proponent of the guilt and stain of original sin, passed down through the generations - something the Eastern Orthodox have a different theological take on.
If Roman Catholic theologians teach inclusivism since Vatican II, then I like to join some of their more adventurous types. Roman Catholic theologians like to play with Buddhist Zen and Indian Vedanta. Sikhism
Vendanta says that all paths or traditions can lead to God. Christian Vedanta says all paths or traditions can lead to God in Christ. Here’s a definition of Zen:
The word Zen(禪) is the abbreviated form of Zenna or Zenno, which is the Japanese transliteration of the Chinese word Ch’anna. It comes from the Sanskrit “dhyana”, which means quiet contemplation ( Christian-Zen).
Now Father Bede Griffiths is part of the Christian Ashram Movement. Another Catholic priest writes a book entitled The Pipe and Christ: A Christian-Sioux Dialogue. Other Catholic clergy go off and learn Zen. Then there is the idea that all religions share a common mystic ground. This underlined point is explored by Catholic writer Wayne Teasdale in The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions
I guess I’m just joining the Catholic direction of inclusive exploration, under the umbrella of the Russian Orthodox Holy Fool movement.
I agree that meditation might be detrimental to folks with mental illnesses. They should also clear this first with-both a medical professional (i.e. psychiatrist and/or general practitioner) and someone providing psychotherapy or counseling.
I appreciate the Christian meditation you shared. I especially like Catholic writers, who explore both Catholic theology and Eastern traditions. Like Father Bede Griffiths with Indian spirituality and Thomas Merton with Zen. Of course, the Eastern Orthodox and Quaker traditions have their own meditative and contemplative traditions.
There is a rehabilitation center and nunnery in Wheaton, run by Franciscan sisters. What’s interesting is they have a Tau center, where that have different spiritual programs. They have a Buddhist meditation night, a Keating Centering Prayer night and a drumming circle. In fact, one of the women who comes is studying Peruvian shamanism and models the center altar in the Peruvian shaman traditions - all supervised and participated in by a Franciscan nun. I thought I would add this.
My pastor said something last week that I agreed with, I think. He basically said secular meditation it more about emptying the mind, whereas Biblical meditation is about filling our mind with God’s word. While I am sure exceptions exist, that seems most true from my research.
You got it, Cindy. There is a book I liked and read entitled Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian by Paul F. Knitter. He is a Roman Catholic, professor of Catholic theology, a former Roman Catholic priest and a practicing Zen Buddhist. But the essence of why he does what he does is your quote. Same philosophy as the Quakers, who sit in silence. Now here is a question. If folks here (along with those from Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy who also do) believe in Universalism, why worry about a Christian embracing any form of meditation?
Because the scientific evidence shows that it’s dangerous for people like me. I don’t empty my mind but rather fill it with beautiful and lovely things. Part of that includes the beautiful parts of the Bible. God speaks through the Bible. Meditating on spiritual truths of scripture is simply pondering them and seeing how they apply to my life. I went to a Oneness Universalist church where they did some Hindu meditation and one of the ladies said she was seeing people she had never seen before. The lady directing the meditation said that it was common for people to see things during meditation. It’s creepy and dangerous.
Perhaps, Cole. I said before I agree that meditation **might **be detrimental to folks with mental illnesses. They should also clear this first with-both a medical professional (i.e. psychiatrist and/or general practitioner) and someone providing psychotherapy or counseling.
Having said that, there’s a paper on the US government website by Michael McGee, MD. It’s entitled Meditation and Psychiatry. In the abstract, it mentions these questions the paper addresses:
How might meditation promote wellness and healing from psychiatric illness?
How might it contribute to the practice of psychiatry?
To be honest, I have not conducted any research into the scientific literature on this topic. It’s something I could do through the College of DuPage online library resources. But it seems you have both pros and cons. And I know there is much scientific experiments and data, showing the benefits of certain types of meditation.
It’s not people who are mentally ill in general that it’s dangerous for but people who are prone to psychotic states. It’s a specific type of mental illness. There are benefits for some people. I’m going to stick with filling my mind and meditating on lovely and beautiful things. Not emptying it.
I think, Randy (barring exceptions such as people who’ve been instructed by their doctors not to meditate for mental health reasons), that the western church has really been scared off eastern practices in large part because of some of our star entertainers who’ve gone on very public spiritual journeys that have involved their forsaking of Christianity and flitting from one religious fad to another. I’m not disparaging their quests for enlightenment at all. However I do think this sort of thing has contributed to the fear of Protestantism (in particular) toward any form of meditation aside from scripture memorization.
We think of eastern religions (which often involve meditation) as being dangerous (and I can think of a couple that I agree are dangerous), but we completely space it out that Christianity in its earliest (and therefore to most folks, purest) forms is an EASTERN religion. In fact ALL of the world’s major religions are eastern. We’re a funny, funny bunch, aren’t we?
We need wisdom.
When I was in therapy, I noticed a strange assortment of books on the shelves in my psychologist’s office. I even saw the book “The Primal Scream” which you might have heard of.
"Definition of PRIMAL SCREAM THERAPY
: psychotherapy in which the patient recalls and reenacts a particularly disturbing past experience usually occurring early in life and expresses normally repressed anger or frustration especially through spontaneous and unrestrained screams, hysteria, or violence —called also primal therapy " - Webster’s.
Anyway, seeing that book, I thought perhaps I was in the hands of a kook. (Pot calling the kettle black ) I mentioned my concern to this wise and experienced counselor (as I learned to think of him) and he shared his philosophy of healing with me - in short, that over the years he had accumulated quite a number of approaches to therapy, and had used all of them at various times DEPENDING on the need of the ‘patient’. There were a few people whose needs were such that the primal scream approach actually worked a cure, or at least alleviated symptoms.
I did not scream. He wisely chose another path for me.
Since then - and this was 25 years ago - I’ve used Will’s advice and been flexible with my choice of coping methods. I’m not an uninformed person, and I take my time understanding the underlying philosophy of the methodology I’m considering, so I’ve been able to build up a number of good defensive measures - guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and yes - Zen meditation, sitting meditation, awareness meditation. Along those lines, the “Miracle of Mindfulness” (amazon.com/The-Miracle-Mindf … 0807012394) has been the most helpful for me. I’m just saying - it’s fine to try different things, just keep your eyes open, ask questions, make sure you know what you are getting into. Even the 'Jesus Prayer" (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner) repeated with the breath, over and over with mindfulness, can work a great calm - and this is a type of meditation.
We tend to reject meditation methods that come out of Hindu, Islam or Buddhist traditions, like Yoga, Sufi meditation and Zen
We tend to accept forms of meditation that come out of Christian traditions, like Quakerism, the Eastern Orthodox Dessert fathers, or Roman Catholic Thomas Keating Centering Prayer - with the noted exception of Christian fundamentalists.
Now let’s ask these questions:
What about meditation methods that scientists create and promote? Take for example The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, M.D. Meditation methods created by scientists are usually free of religious connotation.
Or what about medicine and psychology adapting meditation methods for stress, mental illness, etc? An example is psychiatry and psychology adapting Buddhist insight meditation for stress and mental illness. What do we say when our scientists take control and either invent and study meditation techniques or repackage existing meditation traditions for medical or health purposes? Usually they have scientific data and studies to back their claims of effectiveness.
Or even meditation technology devices our technologists and designers create?
Or what about putting people into a hypnotic trance? For the record, hypnosis was officially approved historically by the Roman Catholic Church, the American Medical Association and the British Medical association.
There was a lady named “Beautiful Feet” that had a blog on love and deliverance that I use to blog with. She was a tender hearted Christian (not conservative) and she was the one who influenced me to write. I didn’t know I was doing therapy by writing until I later started getting better. I have done only a few yoga classes but meditation from these classes isn’t what got me better. I’m not perfect but I’m a whole lot better today and meditation had nothing to do with it:
I grew up in a predominantly Catholic city and my very first best friend as a child was Catholic so I like Catholics but if I were you I’d leave Catholicism.
They have committed far too many doctrinal errors and have copied the Old Testament Levitical priesthood too much. We’re suppose to be in the Melchizedek order now.
The political history of the Papacy is terrible and riddled with Mammon.
Plus there is no mention of any Vicars on Earth in the bible. People can go directly to Jesus without passing through a priest for confession and absolution.
Plus they have dealt egregiously with people on divorce issues.
God never put away the law and on certain grounds divorce was allowed in the Old Testament. Christ was the fulfillment of the law so the Old Testament Law was never revoked by God.
If it was then the Ten Commandments no longer apply and it is obvious they do.
Not to mention the legendary Catholic guilt trip they lay on people.
Guilt trips are laid on,people by other people trying to control them.
But Jesus set everyone free so why is the Catholic Church serving up guilt trips?
) I mentioned my concern to this wise and experienced counselor (as I learned to think of him) and he shared his philosophy of healing with me - in short, that over the years he had accumulated quite a number of approaches to therapy, and had used all of them at various times DEPENDING on the need of the ‘patient’. There were a few people whose needs were such that the primal scream approach actually worked a cure, or at least alleviated symptoms.