When I hear the word cultivate I immediately think of gardening. The last time (and the last time!) I tried doing a vegetable garden, I clearly remember the arduous task of cultivating the soil. Thank goodness for rototillers. But as I suspect any decent gardener will tell you, it's all about the soil. Without good soil, good luck.
In mindfulness you often hear the word cultivate, both as a verb and as an adjective. You cultivate (verb) mindfulness as in improving or fostering a deeper experience (nb: in neuroscience we might say that we are making new and stronger neural connections). Also, mindfulness, as a tool, can be used to polish or refine certain attributes (e.g., compassion). Hence, by practicing mindfulness you can produce a cultivated (adjective) compassion - a more refined compassion than you might have had previously.
In Galatians 5:22-23, we are introduced to the "Fruits of the Spirit." Jesus said, we (Christians) would be known by the type of fruit we produce ( Matthew 7:16). And so, in Galatians 5:22-23, we are introduced to nine graces that are produced in us by the work of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In previous posts I have offered a view of spiritual formation that utilizes mindfulness practices (and their close relatives - centering prayer and Lectio Divina). With mindful meditation, I suggest, one can cultivate a more present moment connection with God. As the distractions of life are filtered out, one can potentially be more present to experience these nine graces. In other words, as I am more present and available to the Holy Spirit, I may also be more receptive to the cultivation of these fruits of the Spirit in my life. Commenting on Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew Henry says, "By describing the...fruits of the Spirit we are told what...we are to cherish and cultivate (italics mine)." The implication, I am suggesting, is that the fruits don't come to us all at once fully ripened. If indeed I can polish and refine these fruits in my Christian walk, then I de facto add more vitality to my walk with Christ.
I fully admit that these ideas are formative. I am just now learning how to practice a mindful connection to God. But I am encouraged that what I see in my own life might be enhanced even more by using mindful practices to cultivate these fruits of the Spirit. In my prayerful meditations I attempt to be more present and open to what God has in store for me. Since I already know that He desires to impart these nine fruits to me, can an enhanced openness and receptivity to them be of some benefit? As I expand awareness of my own desire to posses them fully, might that produce a more fertile soil in which the Holy Spirit can achieve it's work? Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we are "transformed by the renewing of our mind." How exactly does this transformation take place? The verse says it is within the mind. So, if I can be more mindful, more fully present in the moment, more receptive to the good gifts of God, I can potentially experience the richness of developing and refining the fruits of the Spirit.
Wish me good luck (or better, pray for blessings).
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
A Method to the Madness
I brush my teeth twice a day for good oral hygiene. I typically eat three times a day for sustenance (and hopefully good nutrition). I try to drink plenty of liquids each day to keep my body hydrated. I change my underwear...never mind...we won't go there. Point being, there are certain things I do fairly routinely to take good care of myself. I'm pretty certain you do, too. However, how much do you "brush your brain.?"* Mental and Spiritual health are two things I believe are intertwined or, at least, ought to be.
Enter stage right - mindfulness for the Christian. The meditative arts have been around a long time. Eastern meditation dates back to at least the Buddha (circa 624 BC) and probably earlier. Christian forms of meditation, what are called the contemplative arts, have been part of the early church probably from the beginning of the Church, but certainly by the 6th century AD. Contemplative prayer was a mainstay of many (if not all) of the monastic communities. And some may rightfully argue that the concept of meditating was clearly a part of the Old Testament era, making it predate even Buddha.**
Fast forward to the modern era. I have already presented, in an earlier blog post, how Eastern mediation and specifically mindful meditation made their way into Western culture. Going on 40 years now we have seen mindfulness develop through the vehicle of modern mental health until today it finds itself well anchored in a number of facets of our society (i.e.; physical and mental health medicine, military and para-military organizations, sports, and corporate wellness). A Christian form of this, known by such names a contemplative prayer, centering prayer, and Lectio Divina, have followed a parallel track
What I find interesting for my purposes, which, you might remember, are to integrate mindfulness concepts with the Christian walk so as to add a new dimension of vitality to one's personal walk with God, is that currently there are some in Christian academia and ministry that are exploring this similarly. It falls under the rubric of Spiritual Formation. Most interesting to me are the glaring parallels between some of the techniques (or tools) taught in mindful meditation and centering prayer.
For example, one of the first things I personally learned in my mindfulness journey was the formal breathing meditation. This is frequently taught early in most of the programs that utilize mindfulness in their treatment modalities ( e.g.; Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - MBSR; Dialectical Behavioral therapy - DBT; Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy - MBCT). But, I wish to point out the clear parallels between the guidelines for a breathing meditation and centering prayer (a Christian spiritual practice).
Mindful Breathing Meditation Centering Prayer***
1. Focus on your breath. 1. Choose a "sacred word" on which to focus.
2. Sit comfortably with eyes closed 2. Sit comfortably with eye closed
and silently follow your breath in and silently introduce your "sacred word."
and out.
3. When engaged with your thoughts 3. When engaged with your thoughts
return gently to your breath. return gently to the "sacred word."
4. Repeat for any length of time and 4. Repeat for approx. 20 minutes, twice a day
at least once or twice a day.
The reported outcome of the former is the cultivation of one's ability to stay focused in the present moment and become more intimate with oneself. The outcome of the latter is to cultivate one's ability to stay focused in the present moment and become more intimate with God. This is, admittedly, a simplification of both practices. We might think of it this way: Mindfulness is more about attention where Centering Prayer is more about intention.
Alas, to my point. This unique ability that God has created in the human brain can obviously be used for secular or sacred purposes. But it is still the same ability. For me, as a Christian, my use of mindfulness concepts and tools is about intention. I desire to take this God-given ability and use it to foster my conscious contact and intimacy with God. That is my definition of a vital Christian life.
* This notion of "brushing your brain" is not my creation, but I simply cannot remember where I first encountered it.
** It is not the purview of this forum, at this time, to go in depth into Old Testament Theology or History. At some later time I will likely re-visit the idea of meditation in the Bible.
*** This is an approximate recitation of Fr. Thomas Keating's teaching on how to do Centering Prayer.
Enter stage right - mindfulness for the Christian. The meditative arts have been around a long time. Eastern meditation dates back to at least the Buddha (circa 624 BC) and probably earlier. Christian forms of meditation, what are called the contemplative arts, have been part of the early church probably from the beginning of the Church, but certainly by the 6th century AD. Contemplative prayer was a mainstay of many (if not all) of the monastic communities. And some may rightfully argue that the concept of meditating was clearly a part of the Old Testament era, making it predate even Buddha.**
Fast forward to the modern era. I have already presented, in an earlier blog post, how Eastern mediation and specifically mindful meditation made their way into Western culture. Going on 40 years now we have seen mindfulness develop through the vehicle of modern mental health until today it finds itself well anchored in a number of facets of our society (i.e.; physical and mental health medicine, military and para-military organizations, sports, and corporate wellness). A Christian form of this, known by such names a contemplative prayer, centering prayer, and Lectio Divina, have followed a parallel track
What I find interesting for my purposes, which, you might remember, are to integrate mindfulness concepts with the Christian walk so as to add a new dimension of vitality to one's personal walk with God, is that currently there are some in Christian academia and ministry that are exploring this similarly. It falls under the rubric of Spiritual Formation. Most interesting to me are the glaring parallels between some of the techniques (or tools) taught in mindful meditation and centering prayer.
For example, one of the first things I personally learned in my mindfulness journey was the formal breathing meditation. This is frequently taught early in most of the programs that utilize mindfulness in their treatment modalities ( e.g.; Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - MBSR; Dialectical Behavioral therapy - DBT; Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy - MBCT). But, I wish to point out the clear parallels between the guidelines for a breathing meditation and centering prayer (a Christian spiritual practice).
Mindful Breathing Meditation Centering Prayer***
1. Focus on your breath. 1. Choose a "sacred word" on which to focus.
2. Sit comfortably with eyes closed 2. Sit comfortably with eye closed
and silently follow your breath in and silently introduce your "sacred word."
and out.
3. When engaged with your thoughts 3. When engaged with your thoughts
return gently to your breath. return gently to the "sacred word."
4. Repeat for any length of time and 4. Repeat for approx. 20 minutes, twice a day
at least once or twice a day.
The reported outcome of the former is the cultivation of one's ability to stay focused in the present moment and become more intimate with oneself. The outcome of the latter is to cultivate one's ability to stay focused in the present moment and become more intimate with God. This is, admittedly, a simplification of both practices. We might think of it this way: Mindfulness is more about attention where Centering Prayer is more about intention.
Alas, to my point. This unique ability that God has created in the human brain can obviously be used for secular or sacred purposes. But it is still the same ability. For me, as a Christian, my use of mindfulness concepts and tools is about intention. I desire to take this God-given ability and use it to foster my conscious contact and intimacy with God. That is my definition of a vital Christian life.
* This notion of "brushing your brain" is not my creation, but I simply cannot remember where I first encountered it.
** It is not the purview of this forum, at this time, to go in depth into Old Testament Theology or History. At some later time I will likely re-visit the idea of meditation in the Bible.
*** This is an approximate recitation of Fr. Thomas Keating's teaching on how to do Centering Prayer.
Monday, June 27, 2016
It's Not the Destination, But the Journey
Last year, just about this time, I was preparing for my first motorcycle trip Sturgis, SD for the world's largest motorcycle rally (there were an estimated one million bikes there). It was a "bucket list" thing. I was going to be riding from the Dallas area with about five others. I had just purchased my 2015 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited touring bike and was excited. As I was discussing the ride plans with another person in the group, she was talking about how she likes to ride fast and wanted to cover so much ground in the first day of the two we were taking to make it to Sturgis. I found myself replying, "I'm not riding to Sturgis to get there. For me it is the journey and not the destination."
Rewind the tape back about six years. I am attending a workshop on Mindfulness in Psychotherapy at my professional organization's annual conference. Not sure now why I was drawn to this particular topic, but chalk it up to just being open to new things. In the course of the two hour presentation the presenter stated that if we ever took up mindfulness practice, we would never give it up. I decided to take that challenge and went home with a commitment to do a formal sitting meditation just two minutes a day. I don't think I lasted even a few days. And I didn't give it much thought afterwards.
Now fast forward two years. I am back at the same organization's annual conference (gotta get those CEU's) and this same presenter is again offering a workshop on mindfulness. And she makes the same challenge! So off I go again with a renewed commitment to "follow my breath in and out" for just two minutes a day. But this time I did more than that. I began to devour several books (mostly by Buddhist monks), watch Ted talks by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and other's in the Western culture of Psychology (NO! not the cowboy boots and horses type, just in contrast to the Eastern philosophies from which mindfulness emanated), and kept on breathing.
After a time (exactly how long I don't recall), someone commented to me one day that I seemed happier. It was at that moment that I realized that I was gaining some benefit from this mindfulness thing. I had graduated past just sitting and breathing to incorporating mindful living into my lifestyle. I didn't quite put it all together at first, but I was training my brain to pay more attention. And I got to choose what to pay attention to. For instance, driving the same monotonous road to work each day became 20 minutes of pleasure as I began to notice things that were always there, I was just missing them. Usually because I was caught up in the whirling derby of endless thoughts about getting to work, getting my files ready for the day, expressing my frustration with the slow driver in front of me ( I won't say how I expressed that frustration), worrying about meeting a deadline, ruminating about some injustice someone had done to me...I bet you understand. It is an experience common to most all of us who are not 24-hour-a-day inhabitants of a Buddhist monastery.
As I ventured farther into the mindfulness territory, I began to find more and more applications of mindful living to my life experience. Not only did it help me to "slow down and smell the roses," but it helped me become more aware of things I needed to change. Remember that slow driver? One morning he was an old farmer lumbering ahead of me on one of the back roads I traveled each day. I don't tolerate slow very well when I am in the fast mode. But today would be different. As I became aware of my immediate frustration with the situation (in neuroscience we might call this an 'emotional hijacking'), I said to myself, "Self, here is an opportunity to learn patience." So I shifted (not the gears of my truck, the gears of my mind). I took that now familiar deep breath. I turned up the radio a notch, and I noticed the cool breeze coming through the window. Next thing I know, I am just about to the highway and the old farmer is nowhere in sight. He must have turned off somewhere, I just didn't' notice (or care). I was calm. I was content. And, I had nothing bad to confess.
I have plenty of these stories. But I want to get to the point (hope you aren't getting frustrated with my slowness). As I have progressed the last several years with my interest in mindfulness, it has taken a predictable direction. I didn't convert to Buddhism. Instead my interest peaked in the idea that mindfulness concepts and practices could potentially be integrated with my Christianity (after all, why should Buddhist's have all the fun). If mindfulness could increase my moment-by-moment awareness, could I use it to become more aware of God? Isn't Sanctification a journey and one I could be more innately aware of? Could my experience of prayer, Bible study, fellowship, confession be enhanced in some way by mindfulness?
Hence this blog. It is my shared journey of what I have chosen to call Christmindfulness.
I hope you will ride along with me and invite others. But don't expect me to go too fast. For me it is the journey and not the destination.
Rewind the tape back about six years. I am attending a workshop on Mindfulness in Psychotherapy at my professional organization's annual conference. Not sure now why I was drawn to this particular topic, but chalk it up to just being open to new things. In the course of the two hour presentation the presenter stated that if we ever took up mindfulness practice, we would never give it up. I decided to take that challenge and went home with a commitment to do a formal sitting meditation just two minutes a day. I don't think I lasted even a few days. And I didn't give it much thought afterwards.
Now fast forward two years. I am back at the same organization's annual conference (gotta get those CEU's) and this same presenter is again offering a workshop on mindfulness. And she makes the same challenge! So off I go again with a renewed commitment to "follow my breath in and out" for just two minutes a day. But this time I did more than that. I began to devour several books (mostly by Buddhist monks), watch Ted talks by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and other's in the Western culture of Psychology (NO! not the cowboy boots and horses type, just in contrast to the Eastern philosophies from which mindfulness emanated), and kept on breathing.
After a time (exactly how long I don't recall), someone commented to me one day that I seemed happier. It was at that moment that I realized that I was gaining some benefit from this mindfulness thing. I had graduated past just sitting and breathing to incorporating mindful living into my lifestyle. I didn't quite put it all together at first, but I was training my brain to pay more attention. And I got to choose what to pay attention to. For instance, driving the same monotonous road to work each day became 20 minutes of pleasure as I began to notice things that were always there, I was just missing them. Usually because I was caught up in the whirling derby of endless thoughts about getting to work, getting my files ready for the day, expressing my frustration with the slow driver in front of me ( I won't say how I expressed that frustration), worrying about meeting a deadline, ruminating about some injustice someone had done to me...I bet you understand. It is an experience common to most all of us who are not 24-hour-a-day inhabitants of a Buddhist monastery.
As I ventured farther into the mindfulness territory, I began to find more and more applications of mindful living to my life experience. Not only did it help me to "slow down and smell the roses," but it helped me become more aware of things I needed to change. Remember that slow driver? One morning he was an old farmer lumbering ahead of me on one of the back roads I traveled each day. I don't tolerate slow very well when I am in the fast mode. But today would be different. As I became aware of my immediate frustration with the situation (in neuroscience we might call this an 'emotional hijacking'), I said to myself, "Self, here is an opportunity to learn patience." So I shifted (not the gears of my truck, the gears of my mind). I took that now familiar deep breath. I turned up the radio a notch, and I noticed the cool breeze coming through the window. Next thing I know, I am just about to the highway and the old farmer is nowhere in sight. He must have turned off somewhere, I just didn't' notice (or care). I was calm. I was content. And, I had nothing bad to confess.
I have plenty of these stories. But I want to get to the point (hope you aren't getting frustrated with my slowness). As I have progressed the last several years with my interest in mindfulness, it has taken a predictable direction. I didn't convert to Buddhism. Instead my interest peaked in the idea that mindfulness concepts and practices could potentially be integrated with my Christianity (after all, why should Buddhist's have all the fun). If mindfulness could increase my moment-by-moment awareness, could I use it to become more aware of God? Isn't Sanctification a journey and one I could be more innately aware of? Could my experience of prayer, Bible study, fellowship, confession be enhanced in some way by mindfulness?
Hence this blog. It is my shared journey of what I have chosen to call Christmindfulness.
I hope you will ride along with me and invite others. But don't expect me to go too fast. For me it is the journey and not the destination.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
What are your "vitals?"
In my last post, I stated that I wanted to pursue the notion of using mindfulness as a tool to adding more vitality to my Christian life. Again, I have chosen to call this Christmindfulness. The very essence of the word vitality has to do with being alive. When paramedics are called to the scene of someone in distress, one of the first things they do is check for vital signs (often shortened to just "vitals"). Is the person breathing, is their heart beating, what is there blood pressure, and what is there body temperature? Stands to reason - you can't have vitality of life if you are dead. However, being alive is not guarantee enough of vitality either. I am fearful that there are plenty of the "walking dead" among those who say they follow Jesus (I would include myself in that category in times past). We have lots of names for this: "Luke warm;" "Nominal Christian;" "Sunday Believers;" "Fire Insurance Christians." Yet a 'rose by any other name'... I trust that no one who becomes a follower of Christ sets out to be found lacking vital signs. We just seem to miss something.
Jesus said, "I came that they might have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV). This has been termed by many, "the abundant life." Note here that the context of this verse is a scene where Jesus has just healed a blind man. The Pharisees, having heard of this healing act by Jesus, question the blind man. When they didn't like his answers, they curse him and throw him out. Jesus hears of this and seeks out the man to explain a greater healing miracle than restoring sight. The Pharisees overhear this conversation and begin to question Jesus. He uses the Good Shepherd analogy and makes a contrast between those who come to steal (thieves) and himself - the one who comes to give a life full of vitality (my take on the abundant life).
You might be saying just now, "Thanks for the Bible lesson, but I came to this blog to hear about mindfulness." Patience, grasshopper! I am getting there in due time. But first, I want to say more about vitality. Jesus' words in John 10:10b are important to this concept of vitality as I intend it.
Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament indicate that these word of Jesus are in the Greek present active subjunctive. Since I have forgotten much of 8th grade grammar, Robertson, thankfully, explains that this means that this is an ongoing possibility ("may keep on having").
In other words we both "may keep on having life" (i.e.' eternal life) and "we may keep on having" a full life (i.e.; abundance, vitality). The key in all of this, Robertson goes on to explain, is that this Jesus is the one who sustains this full life.
Now to my point. I have dedicated this blog to the idea of having Christmindfulness. Literally, this implies that mindfulness is a tool that helps me create greater awareness and I use that awareness as a spiritual tool to more "constant contact" with Christ, particularly through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Triune God breathed life into the first man (Gen. 2:7), being more mindfully in contact with God breathes (a sustaining overflow) life into me, hence vitality. With my increased awareness, which is a direct benefit of mindful practice, I can moment-to-moment check my vital signs.
Next blog, as previously promised, I will talk about my own experience with learning mindfulness and the resultant vitality I believe it is bringing to my spiritual life. But you have to come back for that. So, become a regular follower and, please, tell others who might have a similar interest.
Jesus said, "I came that they might have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV). This has been termed by many, "the abundant life." Note here that the context of this verse is a scene where Jesus has just healed a blind man. The Pharisees, having heard of this healing act by Jesus, question the blind man. When they didn't like his answers, they curse him and throw him out. Jesus hears of this and seeks out the man to explain a greater healing miracle than restoring sight. The Pharisees overhear this conversation and begin to question Jesus. He uses the Good Shepherd analogy and makes a contrast between those who come to steal (thieves) and himself - the one who comes to give a life full of vitality (my take on the abundant life).
You might be saying just now, "Thanks for the Bible lesson, but I came to this blog to hear about mindfulness." Patience, grasshopper! I am getting there in due time. But first, I want to say more about vitality. Jesus' words in John 10:10b are important to this concept of vitality as I intend it.
Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament indicate that these word of Jesus are in the Greek present active subjunctive. Since I have forgotten much of 8th grade grammar, Robertson, thankfully, explains that this means that this is an ongoing possibility ("may keep on having").
In other words we both "may keep on having life" (i.e.' eternal life) and "we may keep on having" a full life (i.e.; abundance, vitality). The key in all of this, Robertson goes on to explain, is that this Jesus is the one who sustains this full life.
Now to my point. I have dedicated this blog to the idea of having Christmindfulness. Literally, this implies that mindfulness is a tool that helps me create greater awareness and I use that awareness as a spiritual tool to more "constant contact" with Christ, particularly through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Triune God breathed life into the first man (Gen. 2:7), being more mindfully in contact with God breathes (a sustaining overflow) life into me, hence vitality. With my increased awareness, which is a direct benefit of mindful practice, I can moment-to-moment check my vital signs.
Next blog, as previously promised, I will talk about my own experience with learning mindfulness and the resultant vitality I believe it is bringing to my spiritual life. But you have to come back for that. So, become a regular follower and, please, tell others who might have a similar interest.
Monday, June 6, 2016
How can the Christian benefit from Mindfulness practice
In my last post I made a simple argument for why Christians should not be unnecessarily fearful or suspect of something because another system of thought (i.e.; religion) has brought it to the forefront of our attention. We can think Christianly about things that are discovered through other than Scriptural means (what some have referred to as the "Works of God" as contrasted with the "Word of God). Miguel Cervantes (you might recognize the name- he authored Don Quixote) said, "Where the truth is, in so far as it is truth, there God is." If there is any truth in mindfulness concepts, then it rightly belongs to God and is potentially useful to me.
Neuroscience has brought us new horizons over which we can peer into the truth that may lie in mindfulness as originally postulated by the teachings of the Buddha. Indeed, it is the migration of these teachings from East to West that has given rise to the opportunity to empirically investigate some of the attested advantages of mindfulness and related meditative arts (i.e.; yoga, for instance).
And neuroscience has done just that. Brain research, aided by the advent of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and its cohort the fMRI (functional MRI), has been able to show a direct correlation between those who practice mindfulness regularly and such outcomes as:
Neuroscience has brought us new horizons over which we can peer into the truth that may lie in mindfulness as originally postulated by the teachings of the Buddha. Indeed, it is the migration of these teachings from East to West that has given rise to the opportunity to empirically investigate some of the attested advantages of mindfulness and related meditative arts (i.e.; yoga, for instance).
And neuroscience has done just that. Brain research, aided by the advent of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and its cohort the fMRI (functional MRI), has been able to show a direct correlation between those who practice mindfulness regularly and such outcomes as:
- Decreased stress
- Reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, and insomnia
- Enhanced ability to pay attention
- Increased quality of life.
It is this last one that I am particularly interested in exploring in this blog site: increased quality of life. In almost all of the studies on mindfulness, even after a very short sequence (typically an eight week training regimen in mindfulness such as used in Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program), most subjects have reported an increase in happiness and overall well-being.*
Who could argue with feeling happier and more content with their life without having to change any of the circumstances of that life? Now, I am not suggesting that mindfulness practice is the only way to get contentment (after all, none less than the Apostle Paul himself stated that he was "learning in whatever situation I am to be content." Philippians 4:11 [ESV] ). I am suggesting that it might enhance my ability to do this in some fashion.
I would like to think of this as having a more vital Christian life. And trust me on this, after 38+ years as a Psychotherapist who identified as a Christian-based provider of mental health services, I have seen many a professing Christian who did not seem to be experiencing much vitality in their lives.
Personally I like that word vitality. Dictionary.com defines it as: "capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence." Merriam-Webster.com adds, "the power of enduring." Is this not the very essence of the Christian life? God, the Father, through Jesus, the Son, and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit is what (in a Christian worldview) gives purpose to our existence.
Working through this same Holy Spirit that indwells us to empower us to endure (the parallel Christian concept is perseverance), God thus provides us opportunity to live a vital life.
This will be for another future post, but let me just say, in ending this post, that I am interested in exploring the notion (and hearing yours if you care to comment) that training this magnificent three pound, 2.69 square foot area-sized organ made up of over 100 billion neurons through this concept called mindfulness (which, if it is truth, then I say with Cervantes, "there is God") and using this to bring more vitality to my walk with Christ ( I am going to term this Christmindfulness, though I am quite sure I am not the first to use the term).
Walk with me on this path, if you will. Become a follower and "keep coming back."
* I will discuss my own experience with this in a future blog post.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Is Mindfulness Integratable with Christianity?
Over the past 30-some-odd years since mindfulness made its way Westward, the influences of Western thought and science (particularly neuroscience). have had an impact on our understanding of mindfulness and the meditative arts with the aid of such revolutionaries as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Daniel Siegel, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield (to name just a few such luminaries). Some (i.e.; Buddhist purists) may not see this as a good thing. My notion of this is there is a fear that Buddhist thought and psychology will be watered down by Western marketing of mindfulness. This is not altogether inaccurate. But, in my mind at least, it would not be much different than saying Christianity is watered down by the proliferation of Christian books, Christian music, a proliferation of versions of Scripture (including one of my personal favorites - the Life Recovery Bible.
What I think is more salient in this discussion is that geometrically growing advances in neuroscience have helped us to see that much of what the Buddha taught about the mind now has empirical verification; something more plausible to the Western mind and, yes, more marketable. Who loves self-help books more than the American public (to the tune of about $10 billion dollars annually)? One particularly important contribution to this knowledge is Rick Hanson's Buddha's Brain: The practical neuroscience of happiness, love and wisdom (2009) and his lovely and practical Just one thing: Developing a Buddha brain one simple practise at a time (Hanson, Rick, 2011).
I tell you all this because it is one set of evidence that the Buddha did not create these ideas but simply observed them and coded them in a simple set of principals. Coming, as I do, from an unashamed Christian Worldview, it is likely more satiable to many Christians to discuss how mindfulness and meditative practises (like formal medication, mindful living, and contemplative prayer) weigh out on the scale of God's Word. It would be difficult in light of current neurological evidence to deny the plethora of benefits that mindfulness seems to afford its practitioners. From what we now know of brain plasticity, there are many ways the brain (and thus the mind) is constantly malleable to new learning. Literally, through mindfulness practises we can exercise our brains and minds so as to develop them in ways that benefit us.
One purpose of this humble blog is to create discussions on how what we are learning can be grafted into our growing field of the integration of Psychology and Christianity.If we can but leave the notion that we are somehow swallowing Buddhism (whether in religious or psychological form) hook, line, and sinker, we may find that once again the creature has brought something to bear on our understanding of the Creator.
In future posts I hope to explore the integration of mindfulness and mindful living into practical Christianity and demonstrate any way it can be utilized to help us to grow and better serve the Kingdom of God, I also hope to make cases that it has the potential to enhance Bible study, prayer, fellowship, Christian service, and personal reflection and change.
Is mindfulness for everyone? I wish it were so, but admit that likely it is not. Can one benefit from any of it without feeling the unconscious desire to run off to the Himalayas and join an Ashram. If this is your worry, I commend to you a sage piece of wisdom delivered to those who first venture skeptically into a Twelve Step Program such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
"Take what you can and leave the rest. But keep coming back..."
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Mindfulness: Can a Buddhist Concept be Compatible with Christianity
Before I ever studied Psychology (the study of the mind), I received my Master's degree in Theology (the study of God). Ever since, I have been fascinated with the integration of Theology and Psychology. My foundational belief for this integration is that all truth is God's truth. Therefore, however truth is uncovered, it is still truth and, for my purposes, usable and valuable. So, for example, an atheist could conceivably uncover some morsel of truth. The fact that he or she would be unlikely to attribute this truth to a God they do not believe exists, nonetheless does not make it less a truth.
If you follow me on Facebook, then you might remember that I have before written that the fact that the Buddha discovered Mindfulness, so to speak, does not mean he invented it; no more than Isaac Newton's discovery of God's law of gravity makes it his invention. In both cases, they belong to God. So, as I have studied the Buddhist psychological concept of mindfulness, I view it separately from the religious notions of Buddhism. In other words, integration is the attempt to parcel out that which is in tune with God's truth. I should hasten to mention here that another foundational belief I hold is that the Scriptures are the "revealed Word of God" (not my notion, but Scripture's claim about itself), and therefore the source of truth whenever it speaks. I use Scripture, then, as a sort of sieve through which I can filter psychological notions to see what "pans out" as consistent with revealed truth. This brings me to my point of this musing (bet you thought I'd never get there).
As I study the interpreters of the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to us Westerners, I attempt to separate that which seems to align with Biblical truth from that which does not. This is a primary reason I (as well as most of the interpreters of mindfulness to a Western mentality) distinguish Buddhist psychology from Buddhism (as a religion). For instance, I am a great fan of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddist monk from Vietnam Nam. He, in my opinion, is one of the clearest interpreters of mindfulness to the Western world. But when he speaks of Buddhism in the more religious sense, I depart ways with him. I do not, however, throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water. Whatever truth about mindfulness survives the sifting process, is therefore usable and valuable to me.
I will speak to the many values of mindful living in a near future blog. But, let me make this one important (at least to me) distinction that for me mindful living has served to enhance my conscious contact with God, and therefore my overall spirituality. This single benefit alone has made my own personal study and practice of mindful living beneficial.
Originally posted Apr. 8, 2014 on Dr. Allen's Musings
If you follow me on Facebook, then you might remember that I have before written that the fact that the Buddha discovered Mindfulness, so to speak, does not mean he invented it; no more than Isaac Newton's discovery of God's law of gravity makes it his invention. In both cases, they belong to God. So, as I have studied the Buddhist psychological concept of mindfulness, I view it separately from the religious notions of Buddhism. In other words, integration is the attempt to parcel out that which is in tune with God's truth. I should hasten to mention here that another foundational belief I hold is that the Scriptures are the "revealed Word of God" (not my notion, but Scripture's claim about itself), and therefore the source of truth whenever it speaks. I use Scripture, then, as a sort of sieve through which I can filter psychological notions to see what "pans out" as consistent with revealed truth. This brings me to my point of this musing (bet you thought I'd never get there).
As I study the interpreters of the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to us Westerners, I attempt to separate that which seems to align with Biblical truth from that which does not. This is a primary reason I (as well as most of the interpreters of mindfulness to a Western mentality) distinguish Buddhist psychology from Buddhism (as a religion). For instance, I am a great fan of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddist monk from Vietnam Nam. He, in my opinion, is one of the clearest interpreters of mindfulness to the Western world. But when he speaks of Buddhism in the more religious sense, I depart ways with him. I do not, however, throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water. Whatever truth about mindfulness survives the sifting process, is therefore usable and valuable to me.
I will speak to the many values of mindful living in a near future blog. But, let me make this one important (at least to me) distinction that for me mindful living has served to enhance my conscious contact with God, and therefore my overall spirituality. This single benefit alone has made my own personal study and practice of mindful living beneficial.
Originally posted Apr. 8, 2014 on Dr. Allen's Musings
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Welcome to Dr. Stephen C. Allen's Mindful Musings.
If you followed me on my other blog, Dr. Allen's Musings (sallencounseling.blogspot.com), thanks for checking out this new endeavor. If you are new to my blogs altogether, I welcome you as well.
Mindful Musings is a place where I "think out loud" about the art and science of mindfulness and, more specifically, about the integration of mindfulness concepts and skills with Christianity. Some have referred to this as Christ-mindfulness. I am endeavoring, here, to explore ways in which the well researched benefits of mindfulness and mindful living can be utilized by Christians to enhance their pursuit of Christ-likeness (Sanctification). For example, can learning to be better aware ( a distinct outcome of practicing mindfulness) assist the believer in being more sensitive and responsive to the Holy Spirit's role in making us like Christ. I have written in my other blog (sallencounseling.blogspot.com) about some of the tangible ways I believe mindfulness has benefited me in my own quest for spiritual growth. I hope to build on this theme here.
I cordially invite you to embark on this journey with me. Check in often and, if you like what you see, tell others to check it out as well. In the very near future I will consider how mindfulness can be a resource for prayer, Bible study, personal Christian growth, fellowship, and as many other notions as come to mind. And let me say from the outset, everything written here is my notion and not intended to be taken as anything but. Agree or disagree (hopefully in a direct response post), but at least ponder some of these humble musings. I wish to have a dialogue not a monologue.
I consider you all friends. As a seminary professor of mine once told me, a good definition of a friend is "someone with whom you can share your most profound heresies." Please know that I sincerely pray that what I share will only help build the Kingdom and you as a fellow Kingdom dweller. In closing this post, I offer this sage advice from the Twelve-step tradition, " Take what you can and leave the rest." Selah.
Mindful Musings is a place where I "think out loud" about the art and science of mindfulness and, more specifically, about the integration of mindfulness concepts and skills with Christianity. Some have referred to this as Christ-mindfulness. I am endeavoring, here, to explore ways in which the well researched benefits of mindfulness and mindful living can be utilized by Christians to enhance their pursuit of Christ-likeness (Sanctification). For example, can learning to be better aware ( a distinct outcome of practicing mindfulness) assist the believer in being more sensitive and responsive to the Holy Spirit's role in making us like Christ. I have written in my other blog (sallencounseling.blogspot.com) about some of the tangible ways I believe mindfulness has benefited me in my own quest for spiritual growth. I hope to build on this theme here.
I cordially invite you to embark on this journey with me. Check in often and, if you like what you see, tell others to check it out as well. In the very near future I will consider how mindfulness can be a resource for prayer, Bible study, personal Christian growth, fellowship, and as many other notions as come to mind. And let me say from the outset, everything written here is my notion and not intended to be taken as anything but. Agree or disagree (hopefully in a direct response post), but at least ponder some of these humble musings. I wish to have a dialogue not a monologue.
I consider you all friends. As a seminary professor of mine once told me, a good definition of a friend is "someone with whom you can share your most profound heresies." Please know that I sincerely pray that what I share will only help build the Kingdom and you as a fellow Kingdom dweller. In closing this post, I offer this sage advice from the Twelve-step tradition, " Take what you can and leave the rest." Selah.
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