I have been reading a Book on Buddhism recently; partly out of interest as it can throw light on one’s own faith, and partly because I know of quite a few lapsed Catholics who have moved enthusiastically into Buddhist meditation, seemingly unaware of the great tradition of meditation in Christianity. You can see and hear me give this Homily on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHKjnFuHpvY
It got me wondering whether I, and others, have failed to teach enough about Christian meditation in our work as priests. One thing the author said about Buddhism chimed in with what St Paul says in our 2nd Reading today (Romans 12:1-2) “Let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind.” – a better translation is “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind”, and that’s certainly what Jesus knew that Peter needed when he told him, as in today’s Gospel, (Matt 16:21-27) “The way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Along with the Buddhists, we Christians certainly believe that the only way for this change to take place is through prayer, and not the rather shallow plea “O God help me to be better,” but a real opening up to God in the deeper prayer that both faiths call “Meditation”.
Buddhists, of course, say they do not believe in God. They say, and I quote from the book, “What they seek through meditation is an insight into life as a whole” But, I said, as I read it “Life as a whole is what we Christians mean by God.” God is life. God is light. God is love. God is all in all. Where we differ, is that Buddhists say that one must find this within oneself, whereas we would say : Yes, we must search within ourselves, but what we find is God the Holy Spirit working within us, whether we believe in God or not; but we also believe that what we find within us is also the power of life and light and love that is beyond us. That is what God is, both completely within us, and yet completely beyond us - revealed to us by Jesus, who is God with us.
I also read that Buddhist meditation emphasises a focus on the present moment Now that surely reminds us of a saying of Jesus : “Seek first the kingdom of God …. do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” (Matt 6:33-34) Add to this his teaching that “The kingdom of God is within you,” (Luke 17:21) and the similarities are plain to see. But the more important question is how should a Christian meditate? Buddhists insist on a certain upright posture sitting either on the floor or in a chair, although they do also teach that one can do walking meditation and they think it should take at least an hour a day. There are no such rules for us Christians, although it is certainly the case that some Christians have recommended sitting in stillness as the Buddhists do, and the Jesus Prayer, that is part of the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, does teach something that sounds very Buddhist even though it is ancient Christian practice. In this form of meditation we focus, as Buddhists do, on our breathing as we repeat certain words under our breath. One version of this prayer (the one I use) is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God” – as I breathe in “Have mercy on me a sinner” as I breath out. It’s a form of meditation I sometimes use if I cannot get to sleep or if my mind is distracted by too many distressing thoughts. But there are also many other different forms of Christian Meditation, as there is no one way of meditation for us.
There is, for example, a form of Christian meditation that some of you will be very familiar with. It’s the Rosary! You might be surprised to hear it described as a form of meditation; but all meditation practices are about stilling the mind so as to be more aware of God, and actually the repetition of the Hail Mary in the Rosary does just that. It’s not a form of meditation I use much, mainly because I find counting the number up to 10 even with the help of beads, is actually distracting. But I do find it works for me when I simply join in a Rosary group, leaving someone else to do the counting! And I know that many other Catholics find the Rosary a very special way of praying. It can indeed be a powerful form of meditation for those for whom it works.
My favourite method nowadays is using words from the Bible. You read a passage – maybe the set Reading for the day - and then you look for a word or a phrase that speaks to you. Then, in silence, you mull the phrase over in your mind, silently repeating it over and over again. You might for example take a bit from the end of our 2nd Reading, “Know what it is that God wants” repeating it over and over in your mind. This might be described as the “Lectio Divina” method. Another well-known method is the Ignatian one, where you take a passage from the Gospel, for example todays, and you imagine yourself there, being one of the people listening to what Jesus is saying to Peter, or even imagine being Peter hearing those words. I can’t use this way myself, I have the wrong kind of mind; but many people with the right kind of mind do find it very helpful. Finally, there is of course the Mass itself, which if you approach it as a form of meditation can also be very helpful. Of course, it doesn’t work for people looking after children. How to pray as a parent needs a Homily all for itself !
But what is meditation for? The answer is there in St Pauls’ words - that we may change - but (and this is vitally important) this does not mean simply trying to change our behaviour – trying to do more good things and to avoid doing selfish things. No, what we are aiming for is a change in the way we think, in the way we view the world. It is what repentance really means. It is our response to what Jesus said to Peter. We have to aim for “God’s way of thinking.” Here Buddhism and Christianity definitely agree, even though Buddhism would leave out the word God. But where we disagree is shown by one little word in St Paul’s text. It is the word “Let.” Let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. As I read it, Buddhism believes the effort is all ours; whereas Christians, although we do have to make an effort, have to remember that all our efforts are useless without a continual turning of our mind to God. We do not change ourselves. It is God who changes us, who gradually (and it is a continual process with ups and downs) gradually conforms us to his ways of thinking, and thus prepares us to be one with him when death comes. This is what repentance means. But remember, we have let him do this work rather than thinking we can manage alone.
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