Over the years of being taught the ways of
meditative prayer by our brothers many of them have shared a word of advice or
teaching along the way… a few of them are recorded below, may they help you in
your practice as they have helped me over the years.
1.) Be regular in your practice; so far
as is possible practice at the same time and in the same place each day. You
are a creature of habit. Let abiding in a state of prayer become habitual.
2.) At the start meditate for twenty
minutes, twice a day. If this is too much begin with ten minutes. Better ten
with attention than twenty with struggle.
3.) Begin with a formal gesture of
invocation and intention.
4.) Call on the heavenly helpers to
assist you in your prayer. Your Guardian Angel, patron saints, holy ancestors
and above all the Blessed Virgin want to assist you in your prayer, but they
await your invitation.
5.) End with a moment of thanksgiving.
6.) Still yourself by noticing your
senses and your breath. They are the gateways to the present moment.
7.) Use a short phrase or word to anchor
yourself in the moment of prayer. The “prayer word” both unites us to God and
gives the conceptual brain something to attend to until the thoughts quieten.
8.) The prayer word or phrase should be
in a language other than the one you speak daily as this will prevent
associative ideas from arising and getting in the way.
9.) Attend to physical needs first, or
you will just spend your time thinking about your needs.
10.)
Do
not eat just before meditation. Your body is limited in its energy, eating
before hand draws necessary energy for the meditation to digestion instead.
11.)
Sit
relaxed but straight, let your breath be open and gentle without altering the
rhythm in any way. As you become still it will slow and deepen by itself.
12.)
Surrender
all thoughts, images, sensations, concepts as they arise. Simply notice them
but do not grasp them. Remain instead in simple attention attuned towards
meeting the Divine Presence in this moment, in this breath.
13.)
Do
not force anything.
14.)
Do
not expect anything.
15.)
Try
and meditate early in the morning as the sun rises and in the evening as it
sets. In this way you will be united with the natural rhythm of the cosmos and
its Divine order.
16.)
You
are just sitting, to sit. You are not owed anything. Anything you receive is a
grace. Your job is just to show up, attend and be open.
17.)
The
distractions are part of the process. With each return from the distraction
your faculty of attention will become stronger and your ability to maintain a
centred awareness of the Divine Presence will grow.
18.)
Remember
God is already present within you and around you. You are simply tuning into
His presence.
19.)
There
is nothing you can do to make God more present. There is much you can do to
become more present to God.
20.)
Rest.
You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.
21.)
In
the end this is not your work. You are being worked upon and within. You must
simply turn up, abide past the distractions and attend to Love’s gaze.
22.)
Just
close your eyes and get out of God’s way.
No comments:
Post a Comment