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Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
History
Contemplative Prayer - Is It Unique To Christianity?
The short answer is No!
How It Got To Where It Is Now
Eastern Influences
Is Contemplative Prayer Rooted In The Tradition Of The Desert Fathers Or Eastern Mysticism
John Cassian and John Main
The Methods Are Virtually Identical
Controlled Breathing and The Mantra
The 'Sacred Word' In Christian Meditation Practices
Is There Any Difference Between a 'Sacred Word' and a 'Mantra'?
Meaningless Repetition
Gird Your Mind or Empty It?
The Experiences Are Virtually Identical
However, Interpretations Vary - Apparently, Perception Is Everything:
Disobeying God’s Instructions
Spiritual Teachings from Catholics?
History
A form of contemplative prayer was first practiced and taught by the Desert Fathers of Egypt, Palestine and Syria including Evagrius, St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great in the West, and Pseudo-Dionysius and the Hesychasts in the East. (See Footnote on The Fathers and Mothers of the Desert)
In the Middle Ages, St. Bernard of Clarivaux, William of St. Thierry and Guigo the Carthusian represent the Christian contemplative tradition, as well as the Rhineland mystics, including St. Hildegard, St. Mechtilde, Meister Eckhart, Ruysbroek and Tauler. Later, the author of The Imitation of Christ and the English mystics of the 14th century such as the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Walter Hilton, Richard Rolle, and Julian of Norwich became part of the Christian contemplative heritage.
After the Reformation, the Carmelites of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux; the French school of spiritual writers, including St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal and Cardinal Berulle; the Jesuits, including fathers De Caussade, Lallemont and Surin; the Benedictines, like Dom Augustine Baker and Dom John Chapman, and modern Cistercians such as Dom Vital Lehodey and Thomas Merton, all cultivated practices in their lives that they believed led to the spiritual gift of contemplation. [02]
Is Contemplative Prayer Unique To Christianity?
Was this form of contemplative prayer invented by the Desert Fathers of Egypt? Probably not.
Daniel Goleman, PhD, an internationally known psychologist and New York Times bestselling author who was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, frequently lectures to professional groups, business audiences, and on college campuses. In his book, The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience, he wrote (All Emphasis Added)
The meditation practices and rules for living of these earliest Christian monks bear strong similarity to those of their Hindu and Buddhist renunciate brethren several kingdoms to the East. While Jesus and his teachings were their inspiration, the meditative techniques they adopted for finding their God suggest either a borrowing from the East or a spontaneous rediscovery. The ways of the Desert Fathers influenced Christian monasticism to this day. [03]
Which brings up one question. Even if it were true (which it isn’t) that modern mysticism finds its genesis in the practices of the Desert Fathers why in the world would we want to follow in the footsteps of ancient Catholic ascetics? Catholicism values tradition over even the word of God itself and is wrong on almost every doctrinal point there is. See Section on Catholicism Note also that the people mentioned as mystics in the opening paragraph are, as far as I know, all Catholic
In any case, the fact is that Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, & Sufism, as well as Occult/New Age devotees have long practiced an almost identical form of 'prayer'. As Mystica.com, an on-line encyclopedia of the occult, mysticism, magic, paranormal etc. says,
In referring to Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson, M.D, the Newsweek article Talking To God wrote (All Emphasis Added)
The techniques Benson teaches - silence, appropriate body posture and, above all, emptying the mind through repetition of prayer- have been the practices of mystics in all the great world religions. And they form the basis on which most modern spiritual directors guide those who want to draw closer to God." [05]
New Agers, occultists and others who practice Eastern religions regard contemplative prayer as part of their own tradition. As Above So Below was written by Ronald S. Miller and the editors of New Age Journal. (All Emphasis Added)
"Those who have practiced Transcendental Meditation may be surprised to learn that Christianity has its own time-honored form of mantra meditation. The technique, called Centering Prayer, draws on the spiritual exercises of the Desert Fathers, the English devotional classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, and the famous Jesus Prayer …".. "Reliance on a mantric centering device has a long history in the mystical canon of Christianity." [06]
The question then becomes how the practices of mystics from many world religions became so popular among believers.
The blame can largely be laid at the feet of a handful of men who ran with and popularized the practice
How Contemplative Prayer Got To Where It Is Now
It “was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. [07]
Beliefnet.com goes into more detail
The contemporary form of centering prayer was discovered, initially taught, and developed while Trappist monk Thomas Keating was serving as abbot of his order's mother house in Spencer. Keating had been very involved in reforms resulting from the Second Vatican Council's call for spiritual renewal in the Catholic Church. He had also observed that young Catholics were leaving the Church in droves to join Hindu ashrams and Buddhist sanghas.
In 1971, he attended a meeting of Trappist superiors in Rome. Addressing the monks, the late Pope VI invoked the spirit of Vatican II. The pontiff declared that unless the church rediscovered the contemplative tradition, renewal couldn't take place. He specifically called upon the monastics, because they lived the contemplative life, to help the laity and those in other religious orders bring that dimension into their lives.
Keating came away from the meeting determined to make a contribution. He asked the monks at St. Joseph's to search for a method rooted in Christian tradition that would make contemplative prayer more accessible to those outside the monastery. The novice master at St. Joseph's Abbey, William Meninger, found a simple technique in the 14th-century Anglican classic, The Cloud of Unknowing
Meninger called it the "Prayer of the Cloud" and began teaching the method to retreat participants at the abbey guest house. Another St. Joseph's monk Basil Pennington began teaching it to religious men and women. At the very first workshop given to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Pennington frequently quoted his friend and correspondent Thomas Merton who often used the term "center" when describing prayer in his writings. By the end of the workshop, participants were referring to the technique as "centering prayer." [08]
Note: The Cloud of Unknowing is widely regarded as a "hallmark of spirituality"and "a contemplative classic on the deep mysteries of faith. It was written by an unknown English monk in the late fourteenth century and has inspired generations of mystical searchers including John of the Cross and the three men mentioned above.
Thus the ordinary person was led to believe that by learning certain 'techniques' he or she personally experiences union with God. But that is far from the end of the story.
To paraphrase Kenny Oliver of http://thinkerup.blogspot.com
If you are one of the many modern Christians who stands in awe of what is commonly seen as the deep 'spirituality' of ancient Catholic mystics like the Fathers and Mothers of the desert, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, etc. If you envy the connection with the Divine that modern mystics like Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Henri Nouwen, and Brennan Manning claim to have, chances are you have not taken the time to find out what is behind these people and the practices they endorse and teach.
It pays to look very closely at all the men mentioned in the above quote (See The Pioneers). What they believed, practiced and taught, who they associated with and. MOST IMPORTANTLY, who they learned from. Although Thomas Keating has been covered in detail on another page, here is a lttle about him
Thomas Keating
In chapter 1 of his book... Intimacy With God [Pgs. 11-12], Keating wrote (All Emphasis Added)
The historical roots of Centering Prayer reach back to St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, where I was abbot from 1961 to 1981. This was during the time of the first wave of the renewal of religious life after the Second Vatican Council, where many questions were raised for the first time and inter religious dialogue was encouraged by the Holy See. Several of us at Spencer became acquainted with groups from other spiritual traditions who resided in our area. We invited several spiritual teachers from the Eastern religions as well as some ecumenically skilled Catholic theologians to visit and speak with us. Fr. Thomas Merton was still alive at this time and writing extensively about his researches and exchanges in inter religious dialogue. He was one of the most articulate pioneers from the Christian side in the dialogue among world religions.
In a similar spirit we entertained a Zen master who wished to visit our monastery. We invited him to speak to the community and later to give a sesshin (a week long intensive retreat). For nine years after that, he held sesshins once or twice a year at a nearby retreat house. During those years I had the privilege of making several sesshins with him. On the occasion of his first sesshin held in our monastery, he put on the Cistercian habit and ate with us in the refectory. We have a picture of him on his seventieth birthday eating a piece of cake while sitting in the half lotus position.
We were also exposed to the Hindu tradition through Transcendental Meditation. Paul Marechal, a former monk of Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, A daughter monastery had become a TM teacher and offered to instruct us in the practice. Many in the community wanted to experience it.
And there is more. Much more. See Page on Keating
Eastern Influences
For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners. (Isaiah 2:6 NASB)
Brennan Manning denied that Contemplative prayer is rooted in Eastern mysticism. In his words,
A simple method of contemplative prayer (often called "centering prayer") in our time and anchored in the Western Christian tradition of John Cassian and the desert fathers and not, as some think, in Eastern mysticism or New Age philosophy) has four steps. [09]
See Footnote II - John Cassian and John Main
Which makes me wonder how he would account for the fact that 'Christian' centering prayer as taught and practised in much of the church today so closely resembles Eastern and Occult meditation techniques.
The Commonalities -
The Methods Are Virtually Identical
Even when meditation is practiced apart from a religious belief system, the techniques have remained unchanged for thousands of years. Any differences are superficial at best.
Controlled Breathing and The Mantra
Although a few cultures use extreme asceticism or hallucinogenic drugs, most mystics (from both Eastern and Western traditions) rely on tried and true techniques - the most common being controlled breathing and/or the Mantra that is essentially the repeated repetition of a word or phrase used to enable concentration. The word or phrase employed is often, but not always, sacred to the person using it.
Inspired by Indian born Sri Chinmoy who was his spiritual teacher, award-winning writer Alan Spence wrote the following on meditation from a Hindu perspective. (Emphasis Added)
Just take a moment, to breathe. Breathe slowly and evenly. Use your imagination, feel you're breathing out all the rubbish you want to let go of. Feel you're breathing in pure energy. [10]
Spence's instructions bear an astonishing resemblance to those given by Richard Foster (Emphasis Added)
Having seated yourself comfortably, slowly become conscious of your breathing. This will help you get in touch with your body and indicate to you the level of tension within. Inhale deeply, slowly tilting your head back as far as it will go. Then exhale, allowing your head slowly to come forward until your chin nearly rests on your chest. Do this for several moments, praying inwardly something like this: 'Lord, I exhale my fear over my geometry exam, I inhale your peace. I exhale my spiritual apathy, I inhale Your light and life." [11 ]
Theresa (marriage and family therapist) and Mark Shaltanis (pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Falls Church, Va.) issued similar instructions to the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, (All Emphasis Added)
Shut your eyes and note your breathing. As you inhale, say to yourself, "Be still." As you exhale, say, "and know that I am God." As your breath leaves your body, picture yourself moving closer to God. As you breathe in, see yourselves stopping and taking a close look at God. After a time of picturing yourself in this way, next focus more on the words. Keep breathing and saying the words in this pattern, but now drop off the end, and repeat until you are just saying "Be still." Continue your breathing and saying, "Be still" a few more times until you are ready for reading the Scriptures. [12]
Instructions by Spirit Guides
What is truly alarming is that all the instructions above mirror those given by 'spirit guides'. Opening to Channel: How to Connect with Your Guide, was written by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer, clairvoyants who have been channeling and working with their spirit guides for many years. Channeling being the process by which a medium or psychic transmits information from a non-physical entity who speaks through them.
On Page 68, the spirits tell one how to achieving a relaxed state. These instructions are virtually identical to the instructions give by 'Christian' mystics. (See The How in the Previous Chapter)
1. Find a comfortable sitting position, on either a chair or the floor, which you can easily hold for ten or fifteen minutes.
2. Close your eyes and begin breathing calmly and slowly, taking about twenty slow and rhythmic connected breaths into your upper chest.
3. Let all your concerns go. Imagine them vanishing. Every time a thought comes up, imagine it on a blackboard, then effortlessly erase it, or imagine putting each thought into a bubble that floats away.
4. Relax your body. Feel yourself growing serene, calm, and tranquil. In your imagination, travel through your body, relaxing each part. Mentally relax your feet, legs, thighs, stomach, chest, arms, hands, shoulders, neck, head, and face. Let your jaw be slightly open, and relax the muscles around your eyes.
5. If you choose, imagine a bubble of white light around you. Imagine its size, shape, and brightness. Play with making it larger and smaller until it feels just right.
6. When you feel calm and relaxed and ready to return, bring your attention slowly back into the room. Savor and enjoy your state of calm and peace. [13]
The Mantra In Christian Meditation Practices
In an obvious attempt to distance themselves from eastern mystical practices teachers of Contemplative Prayer ’ substitute the term "sacred word". Contemplative.org makes it a point to say (Emphasis Added)
"Sacred words are not used as mantras, as in constantly repeating them, but as a reminder of your intention to remain open. [14]
However, this is not exactly accurate. Several well known teachers of Contemplative Prayer teach the repetition of single words or phrases. For example,
Henri Nouwen: In his book The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen wrote (All Emphasis Added)
The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart … when we use a very simple sentence such as "O God, come to my assistance," or "Jesus, master, have mercy on me," or a word such as "Lord" or "Jesus," it is easier to let the many distractions pass by without being misled by them. [15]
Morton Kelsey: an Episcopalian priest and the author of several books on spirituality suggested using the Jesus prayer ("Lord Jesus have mercy on me") repetitively in conjunction with breathing. (All Emphasis Added)
The ancient Christian traditions of hesychasm stressed the use of the Jesus prayer and an imageless sense of God's presence as well as awareness of breathing. The essential element linking these practices was the search for silence, for inward stillness. For centuries one form or another of the Jesus prayer has been used for this purpose. One form is simply to invoke the name of Jesus, using it almost like a mantra." [16]
Brennan Manning: In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning says for the first ten minutes of their "simple exercise in faith", Christians should "Pray over and over the first strophe of Psalm 23: "Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing." [Brennan Manning. The Ragamuffin Gospel. Publisher: Multnomah (June 28, 2005) Pg. 204-205].
In The Signature of Jesus, he says to choose a "sacred word", then (Emphasis Added)
"Without moving your lips, repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often". [17]
Gary Thomas - a bestselling author and international speaker teaches exactly the same method. According to his web site, his books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Additionally, he"has spoken at conferences, retreats, and college campuses in 49 states and eight countries, including appearances at the Focus on the Family National Marriage Simulcast, the Gaither's Praise Gathering, and several National Pastor's Conventions" [18]
So much for their discernment.
He method was to... (All Emphasis Added)
"Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing. [19]
Tony Campolo says he "learned about this way of having a born-again experience from reading Catholic mystics, especially The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola". Campolo says he uses "Jesus" as a "mantra" to clear his mind and create a particular spiritual conditiom. (All Emphasis Added)
The constant repetition of his name clears my head of everything but the awareness of his presence. By driving back all other concerns I am able to create what the ancient Celtic Christians called "the thin place". The thin place is that spiritual condition wherein separation between self and God becomes so thin that God is able to break through and envelop the soul. [20]
Thomas Keating: In his book Open Mind Open Heart, Keating calls the 'sacred' word' a "Christian mantra"
"Some teachers of prayer are convinced from their experience that contemporary Western minds are so active that they need to repeat a Christian mantra over and over, at least in the beginning" [21.]
Is There Any Difference Between a 'Sacred Word' and a 'Mantra'?
Much energy has been expended in the effort to show that the sacred word is NOT a Mantra. But in spite of the long winded attempts to show otherwise - there is absolutely no difference. Both perform exactly the same function
Both traditions choose a word and then bring their minds to focus on it to the exclusion of everything else.
Mantras are used in silent repetition to help keep the mind focused and help to keep the practitioner connected to a particular state of mind.
The "sacred word" is used to help achieve the goal of clearing one's mind of all inner distractions (thoughts, feelings, memories etc.) and ignore all the external ones.
Incidentally, there is NO spiritual power in the mantra itself. Buddhists or Hindus can achieve the desired mental state just as effectively by repeating 'Jesus' as they can any word meaningful to their own religion.
Claiming that this sacred word is "merely the symbol of the consent of one's will to God's presence and action within" is
merely deluding ourselves.
So what's new?
Meaningless Repetition:
It is mind boggling as to how people can blatantly ignore Jesus' very specific instruction not to use "meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do" when we are praying (Matthew 6:7). The over and over repeating of a so-called sacred word amounts to nothing more than a vain repetition.
Somewhere along the line, we have come to the conclusion that it is not really necessary to obey Christ in every detail. The traditions and teachings of men will do very nicely instead.
Gird Your Mind or Empty It?
In his first letter Peter told his readers to 'gird up the loins of their minds' (1 Peter 1:13). The English word gird means to "encircle (a person or part of the body) with a belt or band. For example, the angel who rescued Peter from prison told him to "Gird himself and put on his sandals." Acts 12:8.
However, gird also means to get ready for a dangerous situation or something requiring strength or endurance. The Free Dictionary says "prepare oneself for a military confrontation" Ex. "The U.S. is girding for a conflict in the Middle East".
In the Old Testament, God told Jeremiah to warn those kingdoms that had forsaken Him and offered sacrifices to other gods that He would judge their wickedness. In the Lord's words "Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them (Jeremiah 1:17 NASB).
In other words, He was telling His prophet to take courage and be resolute
It is no wonder that the NASB and BSB translate 1 Peter 1:13 as "prepare oneself for action".
Girding your mind is a million miles away from emptying it.
The Experience Is Virtually Identical
However, the Interpretations Vary - Apparently, Perception Is Everything:
The problem here is that although many Christian practitioners of Contemplative Prayer believe they are getting closer to the God they serve, what they experience is not exclusive to Christianity. Let's hear from Thomas Merton
Christians and Buddhists both realize that without concentration, without abandoning distracting thoughts, prayer and meditation will not bear fruit. Concentration and devotion bring calm, peace, stability, and comfort to both Buddhists and Christians. [22]
However, because what is considered sacred varies from group to group, the experience is interpreted according to the beliefs of the practitioner.
The Christian mystic believes he has achieved intimacy with God and may even be receiving revelation from Him. New Agers seek a personal "spirit guide" who will grant knowledge and enlightenment. Occultists pursue psychic phenomena. Followers of some Eastern religions pursue the god within. Hindus believe they have achieved union with Brahman - the divine universal consciousness that is considered to be the source and sustainer of the universe.
Non religious practitioners, particularly neo-paganists or who worship nature may interpret the experience as "being at one with nature" - a feeling of oneness with the earth or even with the universe. Those who term themselves "spiritual, but not religious" may seek to become one with a 'universal principle', or with the 'goddess'.
Note: Close to 40% of all Americans identify themselves by the very trendy phrase "spiritual but not religious". Unfortunately the term is as slippery and unformed as a blob of jello. More Information HERE
Richard Foster was quite clear that perception is everything. In his book Celebration of Discipline, he said (Emphasis Added)
"If you feel we live in a purely physical universe, you will view meditation as a good way to obtain a consistent alpha brain wave pattern. But if you believe that we live in a universe created by the infinite-personal God who delights in our communication with him, you will see meditation as communication between the Lover and the one beloved."[23]
The Mystica, a Mythical-Folk and Occult Encyclopedia substantiates this (Emphasis Added)
"In mysticism, the altered state of consciousness may be total or partial. When partial, the state of consciousness is usually only a feeling. Most generally this feeling is one of unity with God, or the universe, or of enlightenment... The experience of being united with God or nature is called a mystical experience." [24]
Apparently this experience of being united with "God" is not limited to Christians. Those of other religions certainly do not believe they have encountered the God of the Bible in their mind altering trips yet, Christians somehow manage to believe that if they use exactly the same techniques, they will encounter the God of the Bible.
In other words, you can have the exact same experience achieved by the exact same methods, but interpret it in light of your personal beliefs. How exactly that works is well beyond me. What I do know is that when people (Roman Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, Buddhists, western agnostics etc.) all over the world, experience exactly the same thing, to say what Christians experience is caused by the Holy Spirit is just so much tosh.
Disobeying God’s Instructions
The Bible says
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "Therefore, come out from their midst and be SEPARATE," says the Lord. "and do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NASB)
YET
Although Brennan Manning specifically denies the connection, quite a few of the major players in the contemplative prayer movement have openly admitted to incorporating the practices of Eastern Religions into Christianity.
Nouwen: In the foreword to Thomas Ryan's 1993 book, Disciplines For Christian Living (Publisher: Paulist Pr (March 1993), Henri Nouwen wrote (All Emphasis Added)
While deeply anchored in his own Christian tradition, the author shows a wonderful openness to the gifts of Buddhism, Hinduism and Moslem religion. He discovers their great wisdom for the spiritual life of the Christian and does not hesitate to bring that wisdom home.
Further, with the inspiration offered to him by various religious traditions, he has given us very practical, direct and concrete answers to the question, "Tell me, how do I live my Christian life today?" [25]
Merton: The Jan - Feb 1999 edition of Yoga Journal says the following about Thomas Merton (Emphasis Added)
Merton had encountered Zen Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism and Vedanta many years prior to his Asian journey. Through constantly probing his own faith Merton was able to uncover the stream where the wisdom of East and West merge and flow together, beyond dogma, in the depths of inner experience... Merton embraced the spiritual philosophies of the East and integrated this wisdom into (his) own life through direct practice. [26]
Keating: Thomas Keating a Trappist monk of St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado and Catholic monk Basil Pennington co-published a book, Finding Grace at the Center, in which they stated: (All Emphasis Added)
We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and "capture" it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible (One reason given is "that we might be prepared to enter into intelligent dialogue with Eastern spiritual masters") ... Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM, and similar practices, especially where they have been initiated by reliable teachers and have a solidly developed Christian faith to give inner form and meaning to the resultant experiences. [27].
Keating was also spiritual advisor at the Garrison Institute housed in a renovated former Capuchin monastery. The purpose of the institute is to "convene and support those who are exploring the wisdom, values and insight gained through contemplative practices... blah! blah!blah!. Unsurprisingly, the grounds boast a SEE Scroll Down
See Article on Labyrinths
Tilden Edwards, is an Episcopal priest and executive director of Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C. His book Spiritual Friends was heartily endorsed by Richard Foster. (Emphasis Added)
"This mystical stream (contemplative prayer) is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality... It is no accident that the most active frontier between Christian and Eastern religions today is between contemplative Christian monks and their Eastern equivalents. Some forms of Eastern meditation informally have been incorporated or adapted into the practice of many Christian monks, and increasingly by other Christians. [28]
William Johnston is an Irish Jesuit "active participant in the Christian/Buddhist dialogue". In his book The Mystical Way: Silent Music and the Wounded Stag, he wrote,
"The twentieth century, which has seen so many revolutions, is now witnessing the rise of a new mysticism within Christianity. For the new mysticism has learned much from the great religions of Asia. It has felt the impact of yoga and Zen and the monasticism of Tibet. It pays attention to posture and breathing; it knows about the music of the mantra and the silence of samadhi …" … "Now what I say of Zen is true also of Christian mysticism. It also leads to an altered state of consciousness where all is one in God." [29]
You did notice Johnston's "all is one in God".
Spiritual Teachings from Catholics?
Those who hail men like Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating as great spiritual leaders and devout Christians are as deceived as they were.
These men were not devout Christians - they were Catholics, part of an organization that officially rejects the very heart of our faith - the doctrine that we are saved solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ. For example, the 7th Session, Canon 4 of the Council of Trent says (Note: there has been no substantial change in Catholic dogma since this council)
If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law [canons and decrees of the Church] are not necessary for salvation but...without them...men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification...let him be anathema.
Not only do they not have the Gospel straight (which fact alone disqualifies them from being legitimate spiritual leaders), but they could not see through Rome's foundational heresies such as the papacy, the Mass, and the veneration of Mary. In Catholicism, good works, the sacraments, rosaries, novenas, stations of the cross, prayers to the saints, blessed medals and scapulars, indulgences, etc., etc. etc. are all supposed to help one be saved or, at least, avoid an extended time in purgatory (a concept the Bible knows nothing of). [See Section on Catholicism]
If that isn’t bad enough, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 841, that Muslims together with the Catholics, "adore the one, merciful God."
How then can we possibly trust them to point us in the direction of God?
Virtually all Catholics are immersed in all things Catholic and, more often than not, place a greater emphasis on church tradition than they do Scripture. Since contemplative prayer is an ancient tradition in Catholicism, the mystics completely ignored the fact that no such thing is taught in Scripture. When they discovered that various religions such as Zen Buddhism and Hindu yoga had similar traditions and experiences they seemed to have no hesitation in integrating their practices with Christianity.
What the Lord says about the practitioners of other religions
They are certainly not saved and will eventually be destroyed along with their idols.
you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places. (Numbers 33:52 BSB)
He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.) (1 Kings 21:26 BSB)
For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. (Isaiah 2:6-8 BSB)
But those who trust in idols and say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be turned back in utter shame. (Isaiah 42:17 BSB)
Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save. (Isaiah 45:20 BSB)
When you cry out, let your companies of idols deliver you! Yet the wind will carry off all of them, a breath will take them away. But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.” (Isaiah 57:13 BSB)
Instead of warning them of the danger the followers of other religions were in, the mystics fraternized with them, borrowed from their pagan practices, and even claimed to obtain 'enlightenment' though their mystical traditions.
Yet we, who pay lip service to the belief that Scripture is the final arbitrator of all thing spiritual, trust these men to teach us how to pray and bring us closer to God.
We must be even more blind, deceived, and certainly stupid than they were
 Continue On To Chapter III - Alpha - An Altered State of Consciousness.
But there is yet one more question to be answered. Since there is little doubt that something does transpire during these mystical practices - the million dollar question is how to explain this phenomena. HERE
Footnote I - The Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers were Christian Hermits, Ascetics and Monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt, beginning in around the third century. They were often Christians fleeing the chaos and persecution of the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century. Christians were often made the scapegoat during these times of unrest, and near the end of the century, this persecution was made systematic by the emperor Diocletian. In Egypt, Christian refugee communities formed at the edges of population centers, far enough away to be safe from Imperial scrutiny, but still close enough to have access to civilization. Records from this time indicate that Christians often lived in tombs and trash heaps on the edges of major cities, more or less protected by their obscurity.
"They dwelt in small isolated communities for the purpose of devoting their lives completely to God without distraction. The contemplative movement traces its roots back to these monks.
In 313, when Christianity was made legal in Egypt by Diocletian's successor Constantine I, a trickle of individuals, many of them young men, continued to live in these marginal areas. The solitude of these places attracted them; the privations of the desert were a means of learning stoic self-discipline. These young men saw in Jesus' fasting on the mountain and in his cousin John the Baptist (himself a desert hermit) two models for such self-discipline. These individuals believed that desert life would teach them to eschew the things of this world and allow them to follow God's call in a more deliberate and individual way.
Thus, during the fourth century, the empty areas around Egyptian cities continued to attract Christians from the world over wishing to live in solitude. As the lifestyle developed, these men and women developed a reputation for holiness and wisdom. In its early form, each hermit followed more or less an individual spiritual program, perhaps learning some basic practices from other monks, but developing them into their own unique (and sometimes highly idiosyncratic) practice. Later monks, notably Anthony the Great, Pachomius and Shenouda the Archimandrite, developed a more regularized approach to desert life, and introduced some aspects of community living (especially common prayer and meals) that would eventually develop into Christian monasticism.
Many individuals who spent part of their lives in the Egyptian desert went on to become important figures in the Church and society of the fourth and fifth century, among them Athanasius of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, John Cassian (ca. 360 – 435), and Augustine of Hippo. (See The Sins of Augustine) Through the work of the last two, the spirituality of the desert fathers, emphasizing an ascent to God through periods of purgation and illumination that led to unity with the Divine, deeply affected the spirituality of the Western Church and the Eastern Church. [PLACE IN TEXT]
Footnote II
John Cassian (ca. 360 – 435)
As mentioned, a form of Contemplative Prayer began with groups of hermits known as the 'Desert Fathers' who dwelt in small, impoverished and isolated communities in the Middle East in order to devote themselves completely to God.
John Cassian a monk from Bethlehem visited and spent several years with these ascetics and, subsequently wrote two major spiritual works, the Institutes and the Conferences (or Conferences of the Egyptian Monks), written as dialogues of the Desert Fathers, were influential in the further development of Western monasticism. [29] In Institutes he codified and transmitted the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, covering virtually every aspect of life as he relates his 24 conferences with various monks in the deserts of Egypt.
John Main (1926–1982)
Centuries later John Main - a Roman Catholic priest - had a chance meeting in Malaysia with Swami Satyananda, founder of the Pure Life Society. Impressed by the serenity and 'holiness' of this monk, he asked the swami to teach him his method of meditating. "The guru accepted on two conditions: Main would meet and meditate with him weekly, and would commit himself to a half-hour's meditation morning and evening daily".
At their first meeting, Satyananda instructed his disciple on the importance of there being "no thoughts, no words, no imaginations" in his mind during meditation - the sole sound being that of the chosen mantra.
What is truly unbelievable is that Main actually saw parallels between the spiritual practice taught by Cassian and the meditative practice he had been taught by the Swami in Kuala Lumpur.
Brother Max Sculley, author of Yoga, Tai Chi and Reiki: A Guide for Christians says
Pick up any piece of literature on C.M., listen to any of the movement's leaders discoursing on the topic, and inevitably there will be reference to Main's 'monumental discovery' that mantra meditation is an ancient form of Christian contemplation. [30].
He is right. Numerous sites mention that because meditation was not accepted as Christian way of prayer at the time Main, wishing to become a Benedictine, had to learn how to become "detached from the practice" that was "most sacred" to him, and learn how to build his life on God himself. Then many years later John Main was
"... overjoyed to discover the practice he had been taught by the Swami in the writing of John Cassian, a Christian monk, a Desert Father of the 4th century CE. There he read of "the practice of using a single short phrase to achieve the stillness necessary for prayer". He felt he had "arrived home once more and returned to the practice of the mantra". [31]
Christians have been repeating this like a 'mantra' (forgive the pun) ever since. As said by WCCM - The World Community for Christian Meditation "It was in the Tenth Conference that John Main recognised the Christian tradition of meditation which became the foundation of his major work".
It was with a very wonderful astonishment that I read, in his Tenth Conference, of the practice of using a single short phrase to achieve the stillness necessary for prayer: "The mind thus casts out and renounces the rich and ample matter of all thoughts and restricts itself to the poverty of a single verse".. In reading the words and in Chapter X of the same Conference on the method of continual prayer, I was arrived home once more and returned to the practice of the mantra. (John Main, The Gethsemani Talks, Medio Media 2007) [32]
The problem being that John Main who learned his meditation techniques from a Hindu guru, conveniently read into Cassian's writings what he wanted to find there. If you actually read Cassian's tenth conference for yourself, you will find that far from advocating a word or phrase to "achieve the stillness necessary for prayer", Cassian was advocating the use of a verse from Psalm 70 in exactly the same way the original author appeared to have used it. Psalm 70 is substantially the same as the much longer preceding psalm both of which indicate that the composer was in trouble and needed help.
"O God, make speed to save me: O Lord, make haste to help me"
In fact, John Cassian gives some examples, probably drawn from his own life, as to how the Psalm can be used. One or two examples will here suffice.
I am affected by the passion of gluttony. I ask for food of which the desert knows nothing, and in the squalid desert there are wafted to me odours of royal dainties and I find that even against my will I am drawn to long for them. I must at once say: "O God, make speed to save me: O Lord, make haste to help me."
Sleep is withdrawn from my eyes, and for many nights I find myself wearied out with sleeplessness caused by the devil, and all repose and rest by night is kept away from my eyelids; I must sigh and pray: "O God, make speed to save me: O Lord, make haste to help me."
If that doesn't sound like he was advocating a phrase to help you empty your mind - He wasn't. In other words, Cassian invoked this prayer to ask God for help in any and all circumstances. As he said, this phrase
"embraces all the feelings which can be implanted in human nature, and can be fitly and satisfactorily adapted to every condition, and all assaults. Since it contains an invocation of God against every danger. He also advised using this prayer "when you fall on your knees in prayer this may be your chant as you kneel, and when you rise up from it to go forth to all the necessary business of life it may be your constant prayer as you stand.
IT WAS A PRAYER NOT A MANTRA. One that we should all use very often. {PLACE IN TEXT}
End Notes. Chapter Two
[01] The Christian Contemplative Tradition. Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.
https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/the-christian-contemplative-tradition
[02] Daniel Goleman. The Meditative Mind. Publisher: TarcherPerigee; Subsequent edition (January 3, 1996)
[03] As Above So Below: Paths to Spiritual Renewal in Daily Life by Ronald S. Miller and the Editors of New Age Journal; 1992; pages 52 & 53. As quoted in Contemplative Prayer and the Evangelical Church by Ray Yungen.
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/contemplativeprayerarticlebyray.pdf.
[04] http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/m/mysticism.html
[05] Kenneth L. Woodward. Talking To God. http://www.newsweek.com/talking-god-197774
[06] As Above So Below: Paths to Spiritual Renewal in Daily Life by Ronald S. Miller and the Editors of New Age Journal; 1992; pages 52 & 53. As quoted in Contemplative Prayer and the Evangelical Church by Ray Yungen.
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/contemplativeprayerarticlebyray.pdf
[07] https://www.11thstepmeditation.org/index.php/meditation-traditions/christian-meditation/centering-prayer/
[08] How Centering Prayer Began. http://www.beliefnet.com/wellness/1999/12/how-centering-prayer-began.aspx
[09] Brennan Manning. Signature of Jesus. Publisher: Multnomah; 4 edition (July 6, 2004). Page 203
[10] Alan Spence. Hindu meditation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ritesrituals/meditation_1.shtml
[11] Richard Foster. Celebration of Discipline, Page 25. As quoted in Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs By John Ankerberg, John Weldon Pg. 383. And in Running Against the Wind by Brian Flynn. Lighthouse Trails Publishing; 2 edition (August 31, 2005) Pg. 214.
[12] Theresa and Mark Shaltanis, Quiet Time with God, (International Lutheran Women's Missionary League, 1977), p. 35. As quoted in What Is Centering? by Don Matzat.
http://www.issuesetcarchive.org/issues_site/resource/journals/centerng.htm
[13] Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer. Opening to Channel: How to Connect with Your Guide. Publisher: HJ Kramer; 1 edition (January 7, 1993). Pg. 68
[14] Centering Prayer. http://www.contemplative.org/contemplative-practice/centering-prayer/
[15] Henri Nouwen. The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom, and Silence. Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (December 2, 2003). Pg. 81b
[16] Morton Kelsey The Other Side of Silence, a Guide to Christian Meditation. Page 145. Publisher: Paulist Press; 2nd Revised edition (May 1997)
[17] Brennan Manning. Signature of Jesus. Publisher: Multnomah; 4 edition (July 6, 2004). Page 204
[18] About Gary Thomas.https://garythomas.com/about-gary/
[19] Gary Thomas Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul's Path to God. Pg 185.. Publisher: Zondervan; Reprint edition (February 1, 2000)
[20] Tony Campolo Letters to a Young Evangelical, Page 26. Publisher: Basic Books (April 1, 2008)
[21] Thomas Keating. Open Mind Open Heart -20th Anniversary Edition. Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic; 20th Edition edition (November 1, 2006) Pg 41
[22] Thomas Merton. Contemplative Prayer. Publisher: Image; Reissue edition (February 5, 1971) Page 11
[23] Richard Foster. Celebration of Discipline. Publisher: Hovel Audio; Unabridged edition (February 28, 2007). Pgs 22-23
[24] http://www.themystica.org/mystica/articles/a/altered_states_of_consciousness.html
[25] Henri Nouwen. Foreword to Disciplines for Christian Living: Interfaith Perspectives by Thomas Ryan. Publisher: Paulist Pr (March 1993)
[26] https://goo.gl/6V8FYd
[27] M. Basil Pennington, Thomas Keating, Thomas E. Clarke. Finding Grace at the Center Publisher: SkyLight Paths; 3 edition (March 1, 2007).. Pg. 31
[28] Tilden Edwards. Spiritual Friends. Pages 18-19. Publisher: Paulist Press; 1St Edition edition (January 1, 1979)
[29] Fordham University Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1998) Foreword and Pg.146 of The Mystical Way
[30] Brother Max Sculley DLS. Christian Meditation: Pseudo-Contemplation.
http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/book-promotions/yoga-tai-chi&reiki/cmpseudo.htm
[31] The School of Meditation. The World Community for Christian Meditation. Letter 3: How did John Main learn about meditation? http://www.theschoolofmeditation.org/content/letter-3-how-did-john-main-learn-about-meditation-0
[32] WCCM - The World Community for Christian Meditation. John Cassian. http://wccm.org/content/john-cassian.
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