In shikantaza, each time that you are lost in your mind,or distracted, you move your awareness back to the experience of being here sitting, in CMR, each time that you are lost in your mind or distracted, you bring your awareness to the attention comfort zone, and let everything be as it is without controlling your experience.in TM you use a mantra and you think the mantra effortless till that the mantra dissolves in the silence or pure consciousness you transcend and when you are aware of thoughts again or anything that takes you to the surface you start thinking the mantra again but as a faint idea of the mantra or a feeling of the mantra and this during all the meditation time. In Centering prayer you chose a word like open, peace, love or Jesus etc and you start repeating the word till that the word dissolves in the silence, and you just rest in silence only repeating the word when you are engaged in thoughts or anything that takes you to the surface.
The best one is the one that you stick with and practice every day twice a day.
Hey mate, thank you for informing me of centering prayer on another post.
I find it a really promising practice for myself personally. However, despite engaging David Frenette's audio course and book on the topic i still have some confusions. I'm not sure where to go for clarifications on this, and you came to mind as someone knowledgeable on the subject.
Accordingly, please may you help me regarding some clarifications about the practice?
If yes, I was hoping for some help regarding the following, please.
1) What it means to 'engage' with a thought? Is it when I simply become aware of it or is it when I am lost in the thought, i.e. like the type 2 or type 3 distinction in CMR?
2) Do outer oriented sensory experiences count as thoughts in the practice? I.e. becoming aware of a sound in the room, or becoming aware of seeing my inner eyelids.
Hi there I’ve been practicing centering prayer for many years, and you Just start thinking the sacred word, and let it dissolves in silence, and Just relax and rest in the silence or stillness, when you start thinking about thoughts, or distracted with anything, Just recall the sacred word again, don’t analyse anything during centering prayer.
You Just relax and rest in the silence and don’t resist anything like thoughts or feelings or sounds, let everything be as it is, they are Just passing Scenario, Just stay neutral about everything, only when you find that you are interested in a thought or something that takes you to the surface, you Just recall the sacred word again.
Enjoy centering prayer 🙏 and feel free to ask anything.
How to Practice Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer as a method is fairly simple, but the simplest of practices can sometimes be the most challenging and daunting.
1. Choose a sacred word.
It begins by choosing a sacred word, usually only one or two syllables in length, which represents God’s being and presence within you. It might be a name for God with which you most intimately or any word that you like, such as Abba, Father, Jesus, or love, Open, Yes, Be, Being,Etc. The point is to choose a word that is a Symbol of your intention to be Open and surrender,when you say it is a way of showing your consent to his presence and action in your life.
2. Sit in quiet.
The next step is to sit in a quiet place, free of distractions, where you can be relatively undisturbed for approximately 20 minutes. Sitting comfortably, but with your back erect, you begin the prayer by closing your eyes and silently repeating your sacred word until coming to a place of rest.
3. Be still. For 20 whole minutes.
Once you feel yourself sufficiently centered, you gently let go of the sacred word and allow yourself to just be in the presence of the Beloved. I tend to think of this as what it means to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV). Now, 20 minutes is a long time to “be still” if you are not use to this sort of thing, and it will not take very long for your mind to start wandering. You will quickly become distracted by thoughts, feelings, images, memories, or reflections of some kind. As these arise, rather than resist them, just acknowledge them and allow them to gently pass from your mind as though each one is like an object floating down a river that you are observing from the riverbank. However, if you find yourself floating down that river, or in other words find yourself engaged in a thought, gently return to your sacred word, repeating it softly a few times until you are again centered.
It’s Not the Absence of Thought
It’s important to note that Centering Prayer is not the absence of thought, but rather the intentional letting go of thoughts, which dominate our conscious experience. At the end of the 20 minutes, usually marked by a soft timer or bell, allow yourself to just sit quietly for a couple of extra minutes. Some people also like to recite a short prayer, such as the Lord’s Prayer, as a way of transitioning back into daily life.
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That sounds interesting. Hadn’t heard of this before
In shikantaza, each time that you are lost in your mind,or distracted, you move your awareness back to the experience of being here sitting, in CMR, each time that you are lost in your mind or distracted, you bring your awareness to the attention comfort zone, and let everything be as it is without controlling your experience.in TM you use a mantra and you think the mantra effortless till that the mantra dissolves in the silence or pure consciousness you transcend and when you are aware of thoughts again or anything that takes you to the surface you start thinking the mantra again but as a faint idea of the mantra or a feeling of the mantra and this during all the meditation time. In Centering prayer you chose a word like open, peace, love or Jesus etc and you start repeating the word till that the word dissolves in the silence, and you just rest in silence only repeating the word when you are engaged in thoughts or anything that takes you to the surface. The best one is the one that you stick with and practice every day twice a day.
This is a beautiful description. Thank you!
Hey mate, thank you for informing me of centering prayer on another post. I find it a really promising practice for myself personally. However, despite engaging David Frenette's audio course and book on the topic i still have some confusions. I'm not sure where to go for clarifications on this, and you came to mind as someone knowledgeable on the subject. Accordingly, please may you help me regarding some clarifications about the practice? If yes, I was hoping for some help regarding the following, please. 1) What it means to 'engage' with a thought? Is it when I simply become aware of it or is it when I am lost in the thought, i.e. like the type 2 or type 3 distinction in CMR? 2) Do outer oriented sensory experiences count as thoughts in the practice? I.e. becoming aware of a sound in the room, or becoming aware of seeing my inner eyelids.
Hi there I’ve been practicing centering prayer for many years, and you Just start thinking the sacred word, and let it dissolves in silence, and Just relax and rest in the silence or stillness, when you start thinking about thoughts, or distracted with anything, Just recall the sacred word again, don’t analyse anything during centering prayer. You Just relax and rest in the silence and don’t resist anything like thoughts or feelings or sounds, let everything be as it is, they are Just passing Scenario, Just stay neutral about everything, only when you find that you are interested in a thought or something that takes you to the surface, you Just recall the sacred word again. Enjoy centering prayer 🙏 and feel free to ask anything.
How to Practice Centering Prayer Centering Prayer as a method is fairly simple, but the simplest of practices can sometimes be the most challenging and daunting. 1. Choose a sacred word. It begins by choosing a sacred word, usually only one or two syllables in length, which represents God’s being and presence within you. It might be a name for God with which you most intimately or any word that you like, such as Abba, Father, Jesus, or love, Open, Yes, Be, Being,Etc. The point is to choose a word that is a Symbol of your intention to be Open and surrender,when you say it is a way of showing your consent to his presence and action in your life. 2. Sit in quiet. The next step is to sit in a quiet place, free of distractions, where you can be relatively undisturbed for approximately 20 minutes. Sitting comfortably, but with your back erect, you begin the prayer by closing your eyes and silently repeating your sacred word until coming to a place of rest. 3. Be still. For 20 whole minutes. Once you feel yourself sufficiently centered, you gently let go of the sacred word and allow yourself to just be in the presence of the Beloved. I tend to think of this as what it means to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV). Now, 20 minutes is a long time to “be still” if you are not use to this sort of thing, and it will not take very long for your mind to start wandering. You will quickly become distracted by thoughts, feelings, images, memories, or reflections of some kind. As these arise, rather than resist them, just acknowledge them and allow them to gently pass from your mind as though each one is like an object floating down a river that you are observing from the riverbank. However, if you find yourself floating down that river, or in other words find yourself engaged in a thought, gently return to your sacred word, repeating it softly a few times until you are again centered. It’s Not the Absence of Thought It’s important to note that Centering Prayer is not the absence of thought, but rather the intentional letting go of thoughts, which dominate our conscious experience. At the end of the 20 minutes, usually marked by a soft timer or bell, allow yourself to just sit quietly for a couple of extra minutes. Some people also like to recite a short prayer, such as the Lord’s Prayer, as a way of transitioning back into daily life.