In maturity, there’s no difference between prayer and meditation. Both attain union. To begin, however, one method addresses an entity beyond itself, with some request in view – the other simply transcends separation. I’ve always worked primarily with meditation.
Meditation
What is it? A method? A practice? Discovering oneself, made whole? All that one ever longs for – found?
The spiritual insights referred to are not thought, or in any sense “mine’, but windows of realisation, arising spontaneously when mind surfaces from depths of meditation. Like when climbing a mountain, unexpected views appear. They are there – presented, and I write them down. But words can only go so far. Beyond them we come to Presence, the threshold of Spirit, before indescribable One.
I do not write text books on how to meditate. Traditionally taught personally, one to one, that’s how I pass it on. Besides, the best teacher is example. So all my books, listed under Publications, describe real life experience.
These recent videos: ‘The Common Sense Guide to Meditation’, Parts 1 & 2, may be helpful:
For those interested to follow a similar path, the same School of Meditation that so helped me, still follows and teaches the tradition at:
The School of Meditation
158 Holland Park Avenue
London W11 4UH
tel: 020 7603 6116
e-mail: info@schoolofmeditation.org
website: www.schoolofmeditation.org
I know no better.
Prayer
From ‘Mystic Approaches’, page 131:
“You ask me to pray for you but what does it mean? As God is all-good, all-merciful, all-seeing, how can I, a sinner, improve upon His care? Besides, in praying for one, what happens to another? A priest with an unrealistically long list of people to pray for once sighed and said “There must be a better way”. Indeed, there is. Just as true self realisation only requires our letting go the false, effective prayer for others does not depend on anything we do. It comes when we cease indulging images of separation and realise the wholly One we are. God is not limited. Names, needs, conditions held in mind, obscure the perfect radiance of Grace. By removing instead of affirming them, prayer attains transparency.
Spirit is perfect unity. It’s only on falling out of it that separate names and forms appear, giving rise to words, thought and something to pray for. Life in Spirit is so simple, natural and complete, that no other “life” is life at all. Any other life than that of Spirit, asks for trouble. In Spirit you realise that troubles only arise when we are NOT in Spirit. Hence prayer’s aim is Spirit. Spirit works by simply being Spirit. It needs no more, no less. It is itself the light, dispelling dark. In Spirit – all being God, the best of outcomes must obtain – prayer’s purpose is accomplished.”
