tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post4510886817816479591..comments2024-03-01T23:41:02.240-05:00Comments on louie, louie: Prayer is distractionbeth cioffolettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-66324563536967881962012-07-19T14:18:59.420-05:002012-07-19T14:18:59.420-05:00I like that notion, bob -- to abandon the raft ......I like that notion, bob -- to abandon the raft ...<br /><br />totally empty and vulnerable,<br />very scary<br /><br />good 2 cents.beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-33531491776459929752012-07-19T13:52:52.357-05:002012-07-19T13:52:52.357-05:002cents ____________________
i think prayer in its...2cents ____________________<br /><br />i think prayer in its self is <br />just ego me , my , o-my thing ,<br />just my 2cents ____________<br /><br />so this <br /><br />To<br />abandon the raft<br />is to <br />be born again -<br /><br />To<br />be born again<br />is to <br />go ones own way -<br /><br />To<br />go ones own way<br />is<br />terrifying -bob knabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182610684200347959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-63808128651499463592012-07-09T19:03:47.886-05:002012-07-09T19:03:47.886-05:00That makes sense, Beth. Letting go our "distr...That makes sense, Beth. Letting go our "distractions" is easier said than done. For most of us, dealing with our monkey mind, which jumps from one tree of thought to another, is quite a struggle. But, I guess, the important thing is to be faithful to our practice of contemplative prayer. The good thing about this is that, in my experience, even if my time of prayer is a struggle, I could sense that there are tangible changes happening in my life...<br /><br />~ MattMatthttp://mattandjojang.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-34968403323016149092012-07-09T07:06:37.675-05:002012-07-09T07:06:37.675-05:00thanks, Matt.
I had a time when, while doing cent...thanks, Matt.<br /><br />I had a time when, while doing centering prayer, I would struggle with myself. (I still do fall into this sometime) I have a hard time getting free of my thought distractions, and seem to fall into a kind of mind "loop" so that even the "letting go" becomes a kind of "effort" for me, digging me deeper into the loop ... if that makes any kind of sense.<br /><br />The only thing I can really do is give even this tightly tangled loop to God, as a sort of prayer offering.beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-13699242946322313982012-07-09T07:01:25.426-05:002012-07-09T07:01:25.426-05:00would be like a choir of birds!would be like a choir of birds!beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-91913358277354333002012-07-07T21:53:31.657-05:002012-07-07T21:53:31.657-05:00It's really not possible to shut out everythin...It's really not possible to shut out everything when we are praying. That's why there's wisdom in the Buddhist injunction to be mindful even of our so-called "distractions" when praying or meditating. The best way to deal with "distractions" is simply to be aware of them and then let them go. This, I believe, is also what teachers of contemplative prayer, like Father Keating, advise. Besides, if we are mindful enough, our "distractions" can be a source of spiritual insight...<br /><br />~ MattMatthttp://mattandjojang.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-38162288330385830902012-07-07T12:31:06.317-05:002012-07-07T12:31:06.317-05:00whistling shouldn't be underestimated
i whistl...whistling shouldn't be underestimated<br />i whistle all the time and it makes me wonder <br />whistling is bound to lift your spirits<br />i whistle a lot<br />more people should whistle in church<br />i think god would like itweenie manhttp://thetheologyofthemeatball.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-50674885253226059012012-07-05T14:20:04.240-05:002012-07-05T14:20:04.240-05:00me too, James.
I think that there might be some...me too, James. <br /><br />I think that there might be some confusion with the word "distraction". There is for me.<br /><br />Despite my preaching in the previous post's comments about not clinging to a method of prayer, I do practice centering prayer, and fairly regularly. I find it helpful in getting some distance from my thoughts, which can take over my conscious mind. The monkey mind. The obsessiveness (and worry) that dominates everything else. <br /><br />These kinds of thoughts - as well as the relentless pull of mindless (or mostly mindlesss) TV and Internet surfing, and even "the latest news" - are major distractions for me.<br /><br />But listening to the birds, as Merton describes, is conscious awareness(!). Awake and outside of my usual self-watching and preoccupation.<br /><br />I think that MErton uses the word "distraction" to describe this because he is trying to steer you away from that very self preoccupation that you can get into if you watch yourself pray.<br /><br />Mindfulness, like you say, is different from distraction. Anything that leads to gratefulness is good, in my book.beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-31645009875178413682012-07-05T13:40:44.918-05:002012-07-05T13:40:44.918-05:00What Merton says helps me: the sense of gratefulne...What Merton says helps me: the sense of gratefulness--I think of Br David Steindl-Rast--that can come about when mindful of surroundings. I suppose that attitude would be a distraction according to the non-judgmental/non-evaluative practice of mindfulness, but the gratefulness doesn't lead to a need to possess. It helps to find the "source" and remain in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com