Meditation – a gift for life
Posted on 02. Jul, 2020, in Prayer, Schools, Spiritual, Spirituality1 Comment
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Christian meditation is experiencing a revival as the John Main tradition of meditation is spreading throughout the country. In this piece from the archive we hear from Noel Keating, who works on a voluntary basis as Coordinaor of Meditation with Children for Christian Meditation Ireland.
Noel Keating has been involved with meditation for over 15 years and is now looking at ways of bringing meditation into schools and getting children involved. In this piece, he looks at the difference between meditation and prayer. Miriam Gormally began by asking him whether there was also a difference between meditation within different traditions.
I am always happy to see the subject of meditation coming into view. Noel is very clear here on the practice and it gives me further reason to commit myself to it. I was curious though around Noel’s presentation of the practice he speaks about as being from John Main. Later, when he said that John Main rediscovered it, I felt more at ease. I was also glad that he departed somewhat from the John Main approach in saying that, after some time, the mantra disappears. My own form of meditation is Centring Prayer, spearheaded by Thomas Keating, who comes from the same monastery as John Main. In this, there is the spending time twice a day and the word chosen by the person meditation is only a vehicle that can be discarded when no longer necessary. Thank you, Noel.