Philosophy – Barry Schoedel, Meditations

Mindfulness of Breathing and Mindfulness of God

Mindfulness of Breathing In contemporary culture the ancient Buddhist technique of mindfulness of breathing has been mainstreamed in the past 20 years. Secularized versions of it are found in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). These practices are rooted in Buddhist teachings about Right Mindfulness or Sati. Right Mindfulness is the 7th […]

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Catholic Commentary on Bodhicaryāvatāra by Shantideva

Introduction The goal of this commentary is to follow the example of St. Thomas Aquinas who wrote commentaries on Aristotle. There is a dearth of Catholic commentary on Indian, especially Buddhist, philosophical treatises that have sought to create an authentic synthesis of what is true, good, and holy, in these texts. It also means commenting

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Solitude and Intimacy

Introduction To approach a discussion about solitude and intimacy it is necessary first to define solitude as something other than loneliness. Loneliness is an experience that can happen when a person is in isolation from others, or with others. Being with others doesn’t necessarily cure loneliness. Loneliness is a painful human experience that also can

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On Christian Fear of Meditation

A little context: when I was working for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in Catechesis another peer and I were talking about prayer and I began to speak of meditation as a necessary step to, support for, and component of prayer. She was alarmed to even be speaking of meditation in the context of Christian

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Catechetical Essay on Centering Prayer

Part One A. Introduction This essay is a catechetical response to the debate about Centering Prayer that has taken place within some sectors of the Catholic Church, and to some extent in Protestant ecclesial communities. There is a debate as to whether Centering Prayer is orthodox Christian prayer or whether it is New Age or too

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རིག་པ་ – Knowledge of the Ground

In the Indo-Tibetan philosophical tradition, there is a teaching known as rigpa or knowledge of the ground. This teaching is in particular a feature of the Bon and Nyingma schools of Indo-Tibetan philosophy. Rigpa can be viewed also as a psychological experience, or an experience of mind where there non-duality becomes an experiential reality. Non-duality

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From Practitioners to Friends

I started a new group to study and practice the art and science of contemplation. I was able to choose what participants of the group would be called. I initially chose the term Practitioners. It is a term I picked up from meditation groups I was a part of when I was younger. I liked

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Meditation and Contemplation

In the Western tradition there is an history that helps us to understand a common misunderstanding that forms a cultural narrative. The narrative is this: meditation is an Eastern practice largely based in either the Buddhist or Indian (Hindu) tradition that westerners weren’t aware of until the encounter between the meditative and yogic traditions of

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Stages of Natural Contemplation

Natural Contemplation: From Being to Divine Love These stages are followed in succession as the focal point of meditation.

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What is God?

I have a close friend that doesn’t believe in a god. He, like many of our contemporaries, thinks that to believe in God is to believe in a god. And so then it is more of a game of pick and choose. Evidentally most people do this based on culture and preference. They chose a

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