Meditation

Without disciplined corporateness the reconstruction of the local congregation cannot occur. You are passé individualists if you think for a moment that you could do this as an individual or that you could do it in your congregation alone. You're going to do that only as a disciplined body of people across this globe, marching together in step.

But far more true it is that you'll not come off with the sociological reconstruction of the local congregation if you and I do not experience at this moment of our lives something akin to a new birth. We have to find the release mechanism for the pushing out of spirit within us in ways that heretofore have not happened.

There is nothing very unusual about what I have just said. Whenever there has been a radical revolution in the civilizing process it has been built upon a new breakloose of the spirit. There are many, many revolutions in history that are not what I mean by radical revolution. Whenever radical ones have happened they have been built upon a new breakloose of spirit on finding a fresh way to articulate what it means to pray, what it means to contemplate, what it means to meditate, what it means to be one of poverty, what it means to be an obedient one, what it means to be chaste one, what it means to know transparently in the deeps, what it means to do transparently in the deeps, what it means -­how shall I put it ?-to be your being transparently.

When ! ou loo k b.lck th rougl1 the strc.l it1 ot histor! this is e~lsilv d iscernib le. E\'0r!' ~o~'iLll C;lrri~0 ttiLit 13~5 beer1 rLtUicLl11!, reconstructed h.~s been preceded b! ` brc.~kloose of tl~e spirit .~prings ot iitc. Tllink if tile creLlt social ~ cl~icle Or H induisln. It ~s not ~ relici`~n; it ~ ~ greLIt ~oCiLti V0~]iCl0. rI~ink `~t I,o`` that 007.~6 itS ~'d>' into c`erw c`~nsciousnes.s `;r thc~ E`~.st `tnd i3~.inile.steti it~icIf in c~er>t sociLt! .`itrLIcture. TI~`tt `~.~1s prececiec] b! .I br`~rld 110~' ill\~OtiOI1 01 I,~ness if 5ou ple.~. `~llicl, is tindin~,

rticul;ltion rcl.lti\c to tilc spilitual oo/cs til.it buhhle ~:p frolll tlle interior. And so it I,~.s beer~ ti~e ;~(] .~iit~ iii i~i~t`~!

In tI~.`ic I~ours togetI3er s`e `~re tr! itig t`3 pet `tt tIic botton410~s hotto~n of tI,~ ncsx religious ~ocic. ]~~e t'l.~ck rexolutit~n is `~titir.~. tI,~ youth re\c)~ti`~n i.s w`~itinu tile ren~inine res`,lution is `~.~iting tI~c rexolt of tI~c non­~\'c~itcrn `` orId `~gain.~;t tI,e \~.stern ``orI~i is `~.~iting for tlli.S t;~t to be done. And it sh~lll he done! If )!o~1 ;~nd I cannot Jv it. tIlat will not ur'set tIlc Lord. ~\nd it x`e ciloose not to do it he'll not be ur)set. Hc 1! just raise ur) ~ stOne or a.stick or ~ Inoullt~lin-~ littIc l~ere or ~ littIe tl~ere ­.~ nd ;~ccon~plish it. 1­he ti n~es tien~a nd it ! ~~~he `'ne tI~ing that's ~ cr!~ interesting .~ bout tl~c ~ °rd: 1~c tI`~!s ciocs cx.~ctly x`~at tI3e tin4e cien~ancis­­thtlt's 1~ow `~e've got being­initself bs' tI~e t.~il. i! ``e'`e got guts e',ough to crank it ~ littIe bit.

Tl~e co~,plexity in tl~e cl~art.s ``hicI, cie.scribc tI~e solitar! ollicc~ as we c.lll it is oser``ileln~inu. I find it c.xtremcIst dillicult to hold in Iny mind. \`lhen tllechart`; ~lre put

­ ~

on the u~all~ this is the `~s I hCli0~0 til~) should be put up (see chars). (I find that life is rc~tller c,,;citinL: ``l4en ),ou go around cxpres.sing !touI­ opinions c~s long cis s!our guts are in them. I don't care tt~r people u i~o c.~prctis tIlcir opinions and then don~t delic~cr their r)re.~ence into their opinions, 13ut it'5i fun to go ~lround expressing ~ our opinions as long as your ~,uts ~Ire in them and tl4rn allo!` other people to do x`~llatexer they like.)

KNOWING , ~ BEING DOING

1 · 41 ' ~ 1

CORPORATES | POVERTY · ~ ~OB DIENCE | DOING

CHASTITY

TR ANSPAR E NT T RANSPAR E NT T R ANSPAR E NT

JOURNEYS ~ ~ ~ ~BEING

KNOWING BEING DOING




, 1 ~ ~ ~ 1 1 1~ ~ ~

CONTEMPLAT10N

SOLITARIES | MEDiTAT10~ ~ ~ P AYER | KNOWING




H erc .I rc I llc cil~l rls: t Il is is po\ ~ rl `~. cll.~st it!~. .t nd ohed ic ncc. Tll is i s Illed ita t ioll. conte mpl~lti`~. and r)r.l! cr. A nd t l~is is t r;t nsp.t rcut l;­knox; in`~. t r.~sp.i rent k­hei (yc~u 1l~lse to s~l!, it .1 little hit dillcrciltl!~ 1lere hecau~ic !ou don't n~`ln s~ ll.lt mo.st people mccln `~'hen the!~ t~e tI~e `~­~.s l;~\s bc. .~d do; tor us tI~, `tre ~er tI~e rr~b'ic C?l ti~e intensific`~tion `~t kno``ing) ;'nd tI~is i!; tr`~spL~rent k­doin~. Nc~` ti~c interrelL~tionsI~i~ of tI~e is tremendousI! i~r)~rt.tnt. Yot' t~.~e to d~­~w.~­ro`~.`i.~s .~­e st~oss,~ i~, the di`~gr.~'n. ~rhiS is ~ 6) n.~nlic construct .1nd I1~?t ;! st`Itic~ t?ne. l t !tott Lir0 to knox`' u!~iLlt vot ~nc`~n by pr.~cr >!oU t~.~`c to see its relationsI~ir) to contemr)~atio~.~d medit~ltioll~ln(] ­ also it.s relation.ship to obe(iience .~nc] to (ioine.

~fI~ose of ! ou who are f`~miliar ~ ith

.some o' tile grar)hics of OUI `,roup know

th.~t we hegan ~ iti1 the knv;` ing pc~le.

wllich silo~ed us into ahe doinu pole. TIlen

ti~e hottc~n~ hroke toose. and ih.~t c~roxe us \ /

into t I~e being pc~e `~~ life. N o`~. being doe.s \ /

not exist. Somec~ne s`~id to n,~ tI~e otI~er d~!r KNOWING\ / no'~o

tI,at ~ halo oxer ens spirit m`~n x~c~s `~ brass \ /

~cro. I like th~tt ~­erst muct~. Th~t is. a spirit \ /

man cic'c~n't c.~;ist.­ Hr is sheer presence' i! ~:'` \ / ~''`

­ . . . RELIt.It)Ub ~/ h()CIAL

vou r~lectse. Hl.s being doe.s not c.xlst: tIlere \iOl)f \ / \'LklILLl.

is nc)thing there. It becon~s r)retty CIt:L11 ~/

th`~t heing is an intensification `'f k!~`in`~. ~|

c~r heing is knc~`in~ become tr,~nsparent.

Anci hein~, i~; the intensilic.~tion `~rdoin~. `,r

it~s wI~en cioin`, hecon~s ­ ~tterIs 6

tran.~re~t. H`~­ing heen >;~ ~d intv tI~c

being pole we he~.tn t`, tr!, to `,ra!ip ``h.~t

thc i ~'t~ n.si l ic`~ti`~n of kn`~,i n£! i.~. Anc] i n

ou~­ or)it~i`~n. tI~is illustr`~ti`~ .~s s`~t

the intensiticati~,n of kn~`in,, is.

X,`~u ;~s we be~in t`~ n~vs ~ `` ith ri,~,r`~.s ~ic'­ic3~.~>i i [ltc) tI~e s`,ciolo`,ic~} `~r .siv~r)iritual reconstructit,~i of tI~` I`~c`~! ct~urch. s; ~ I3.~` ~ to tnos ~ in `'ur `~` n ret~lcetion tc~ the t~(J~`r.st;~(ii~g t~f tI~e inte~sitic;tti`~3 of d`'ing. .~d tt,en I~°~t ttIl! \\J~'l} bc .~hIc t`, gra.sr) someti~in!, oI \~;~;tt ;~; n,~t hs tI~e t~L~tc`~3r)t ''tr`~n~r).~rent l~e iIl~r.'' And xs I~en y o~ l~gin t~, intensil! the ~` I~e ri~it t]Ltn] ~i00 0f the cll.lrt. Pr.l!~er is tlle kno\~,ing on tI~is side. Wllcn NOU hegin to thini; in tel­nls of tI3c \~N lile.lctuall! collles.! ou do not tI1;I1IX 21CCOrClin4S tO t11U' rCIL1t;OI]>; 01 tl1(: 11Or;;,OOtCll ;1rrON\!;. YOU tl1;nk [ICCOr(i;n!' tO tI1t~' rCI~t;OnT; O; lI1L' \Crt;C;Il ;ll'r0~.S ;n tI1C ~IL1£!rC­1m. W11U'n >'OU'rC cieLllin~ Ns itI1 the `~h.stractic~ns, `~­~ch !OU I~;~w to cit' >~'u tI~i~k ;~'rcling t() tI1C IC'1Ut;~!j `,r tllC t~orizont.~! arr~. \\~t~cn sot' ;~! c de.lling \\;tl~l pi'Lit'tit'Lt} manite.st;~ti~n !°~' tI~ink witI tI~e ~lL~tions i~ tI~c `crtic;ti .~ rt~.~. ~d L\t tilis lllolilellt l'lil ·ollUcrrlc`] ``iti1 111c practic.~! ~n`~niic!;t;~tic~n.

N~` I h.~\e t`' st`~p ;~nci t.~1~; .~ littlc hit tt~ n,`sclt. I m u'~c`~. hcc;lusc hct~`e I ci<, `` h~lt ~ 11~ going to ci`' ~1~` `~11 `~l s `~t '~ccd W t~;tt I ca ll 'l~ctu~­e nr~n~ he r o~,c " i~, wI~icI, `~ e t o`~l; .~ t j r~st t I~u h.~ sic t~e.~ ~ i ~ ~, `~t T~cci i t;~ t i `'n . \'v i~ t I `~ .~ ~ t to d `' t~ ;~ ~; is t~, t.~ ~;e t I~.~ t t)~sic `~.tni~g .~d bl`~` tI~c h`,tt`'n~ `~ut `~t it. A~d st~ l tn t~c`~!!. I'`c pc)t t`~ tr!' t`, d<, bt~tI~ gi~e ti~e hLtsiC n30;tning ;tnd pust~ it t~, thc tic~tI~.

~ I~c s~ct't~c] ~`ord tI~tt I Ii.~c tt' s;~s to n~!.~ll hec`tuse c~t '~! t'scts`~Iminu insecu~ ityt i~i tI3;tt `` h`it I''i, pt~i~g to dc~ tI3is t3~­nir4g Ii.~s i30\er hcc'~ d`~e helorc. 1 ~ lil<e to he in ~ sni.~! urour) lil<e our collegitt~n in tI3~` n~or~ii'ig beforc I st.~­t ·,ut t'`'cr 70 0(~) rati~on~s o! `~.~ter. 13ut I tI~ouglit tI3`tt bec.~u.se this is `~ researcI, `~nhI> `~'l(i we~s

col~e t,ere t~, r'ttsI1 sot~ c~(i r)~t t~r:`itI1 ~lle~ln(i lll~ !itutterirl~ ·`hicI1 tl~.~nileststil;lt I

am ner`,ous. and 1't! trx to put llp ~ith )iour response to it al1. So I think that I'm prep`~red no`` to start Iecturing. ~

In our d`~!' and I mc.tn this is ~ `~!~3ndrc us da~ nian t,~!j reciiScoN'~re] himself in ~vas~i that !;ometimes he just ~ochn~t rea~i70. An(i ~ mean /77fll?. not some asinine reiigic)US ch.ir`~cter lil<e m!~Ir; ~ nican jElst ~n~tn on tI3e street secular man. If ~ had to sa!, `~ ~at `` ere the three most in~r)ort;~.int disco` eri~x about t~i m~ielf I'd say we ha`~e iiscox cred sc)ci`~litv in otir ciayr .~s if utc nex cr kne`` it before. NVe hex ~ discox cre(i that a ma n is i n societ! like a fi sh is i n ~s atcr t h~t t t Ile rc is no such th ing as .tn i n(i ivid ua l. no ­sucI~ tI~in;~ as `tn indi~idual nc) such thilig ~s societ!. Both of these L~re c~bstractions. There.treonl!indisidualsinSociet!;indsocictsinindisiduals Tilosc­of~o~l `` ho~`ant to he `,igantic indi\ id u~llists are going to h~l`e to leurn `til ox cr L~gLtin th~lt onl! in the midst c)f corporLltencss .lre !oU an indisidu`il and by corporc~teness I mean tile intentional n~Ltnifestation of socialit! Th~it',i the first tI3ink ``e `!c disco`!ered.

The second thing `~e `te discoxered i.`i that ue are freedo~n. Thi`; is c)~eru~helming. It's not th`~t m`tn /'clsirecdom. Ti3L~t is `i degenerated sexcntecntI~ `tn(i eigI~tecnth centur~ r)sx cl~Iogistic und~rst~tnci in~ of n3Lin ­­ ­ that man ha!; frecdon~. Today ~ c hex c discox ered that ~na'~ /~ f reed oni: hc is r~l~` crcL~tix it! . ir y ou r)lease. Or to usc `~ r)hr~tse fron~ the lecture on PrLI!Cr. \\C ti.l~ ~ d iscos cred thLlt nl;tn is `~ct th`tt man i,; do. that man is tt1rust as I utller `s olll~i like to put it.

­r~ third thin~ that ue I~e disco`ercd is ti~at there is ct n~!ster~ in life. ?~ot the kind of m>stcry th`tt goes `\ULI! totnorrox`~! `~cn ``e IcLtrn mc)rc: but tI~cre is m!~stcr

that nc~er goes .~uLt`. And n3an is tI3c conscit~usncss of consciousness only u!~en he self­consciousI!~ cn~braces his rcIationshir) to that n~!stcry, thLat never goes aua>~. If ~ `~;crc tL~Ik ing on tI~at subject I'ci liLc to illustr~ltc it lor ! ou in tile scientific d isciplines. in tI~e t~ippic n~xcn~ent `~nci in the old !­ot~tI, resorts.

~ Thc)sc arc tI,~ three tI~in£rs that n~an l]LiS disco~ered`­tbout hin~self. \leditation t~s to (io s~itI~ tI~c ne`` discc)`ery; h!, n4~tn tI3.it m`in is soci`~lit!~. Conten~r)~ation has to do uith ti~e discoxery tI~at n~an is m!stcrs~; hc is his rcIationsI~ip to m>~stcr~r in the final sen!ic. And prayer i~; ~nan ~ ~rct~ip c~f iairnself `~s freccion~. ~ an~ pc~ing to cie`~! with soci.tlit!, so I'll no; ~ical uith all of these `~t the n~oment.

Man I~s ciiscoxereci, ~ ``ould say tI~at he cioes not exist except in ~ soci`~} ne,;us. \,v't~cn tI~e ChurcI~ uses this ``orci "n~editation " it is pointing not tc' our socialit,~,r'` r s`' ``,hict~ is tI~c first step but to our self­conscious en~bracen~ent of our sociality~. l­~at is not onIs arc you in society u!hether!!ou like it or nc)t but society is in you. ~ remen~ber rea(iin~ Lt serm<~n bs~ Ds~igI~t ~ . \~°°~!~ ~ don't knox`! `` here he got it~ but he said tI~at (iod got Lot oc~t of Sod`,m, but I~e nes!er ~ot Soc30m out of Lot. Meditation is tI~e scIfconscic~us embracing of our socia lity.

TI~e ~` ord is used realls' in tu o differnt we, s. The first way that you use "n~editation" is to talk about a state of being. Anci that state of heing is the selfconscious `~pr)ropri.~tion of our sociality TI~e secon(i ``ay :,ou use it is an exercise o! conten~plation ~`hich, whate~er else it is doing, enables us to meditate in tern~s Ora state of bei n g.

~'hen >tou dc) sour solitary exercise and are dealing with meditation, that's nothing. Ti~at s ~ huge joke. And if >~ou can~t laught at it . . . It's like going to church

or participating in a liturgy. If that isn t the most asinine thing you know. to go aside and spend thirty minutes going through that great big old play when you know good and svell that life is out there! And so what that becomes is a means' the play in utorship becomes a living reality in every life situation that yrou're in. Tllat's what the exercise of meciitation is. ­ . ­

I'm not n~uch interested in that point at tlic moment. ~ am interested in meditatio~ as a phenomenological reality, as a.n inward state. There's ~here ~ want to begin. But .before ~ do that in some detail. ~ haxe to relate to its counterpart in the diagram; ancl that is poxerty. In meditation and poverty we re dealing with intensifieci kr,o\~ing: the ch`~rt of knou ingcomes in t­here too. Then ~ have to say: ~ uord about its relationship to pra>er and to contemplation. That nill be enough for me to do. In orcler tO 60 that' ~ ha`e to foot around a littIe bit in `` hat ~ want to come to later before I'm reacist to do it.

\~ditation as ~ state of bein~ in ,.tself `ers! ob~iously, is broociing. But brootlin,' ne\er takes place alone. Brooding takes pl;lce ont! ~ hen sou arc con~ersing ``ill~ anotiler. And ttlis indicates th.lt meditation is dealing utitl1 the cotnnlunit>~ before communitv~ the internalized community. \N'llen !oU use the sAor(i ''sociality". >!OU arc not talking aboutt'he fact that sou are amon~ people you can `~`e at. You are tali;in~ about the Iact that people are in !oU TI3at's wilat the tern~ "sociality" means. And meditation deals ~lith tllis. That's `` h, I like to say that prayer is the clCt before the act. Like``ise, meditation is the con~munity prior to the con~nunit! . it y ou please.

NOwq meditation as a state of being is a dynamic, lil~e all states of being are. There is something going on, brooding, and mark you, this is a relationship with others. Broociing is like making stuff. Yet it's a funn>, kind of stuff: it's almost pre­stuff. It is almost taking the ~oid and bringing order hefore order into that ~oid; ~ call that "prestuff", but it's imaginal stuff. It~s the stuff, and it's a glob for me, out of which you for~e your operating images.

That means then, in relationship to conteniplation, meciitation meciiates the n~!stery. Ma, be it would help >~ou if ~ just s`~t sometI3ing really, fast: n~eclitation is that which creates Cod. If you let Tillich come to your mind. you'll remen~be~r th.~t he talked about the God beyon~i God. The Go~i that 5,ou and ~ relate to practically is the God this side of Goci. Idofatr5t is when ~ou dc)n't knox; that. You c.~n bite here an(i not get any m>tster!', and !/ou can reach there and not ,get an!! n~>ster,,. ~ tI~ink th.tt tI~e reason people do not know what it means to walk and t~llk `` ith God in our day~ is tIlat they no longer know `tbout the state of being Or meditation, `~llich mediates the burning presence of mystery. That's its function. if sou please; it literalls creates God.Only I mean meditation prepares the stuff. the glob' out of `` hich ,tou forge !!our images. Yet ~ou have to remember that the m~stery itself occasions the medit~ltixe process that mediates the m5'stery. For only when life puts >~ou up against sheer m~stery is the state of meditation even possible. It's ~ polar d!,namic as I grasp it.

I\ow as an aspect of prayer and this is most exciting to ~ne-sometimes ~ call this glob an interior montage that is in all of us. An5tway, that gIob is the stuff out of wI,ich prayers are made. To put that in a more secular uay: no artist ever created the miracle of an art piece-that's prayer. if>tou please­ u~ithout first engaging in the state

of being of meditation. What I'm trying to point out is that you're dealing ~7ith humanness right up to 5tour armpits. You're dealing u~itI1 what you've been engaged in all your life, ``hether ~ou were self­conscious or not. This is the stuff that creates the act before the act. which i~ that u~hich aIters the course of Ilistory. And history was ne~er altered in any way except throu,gh pras!er. Thtit's what >tou mean by the deed before the deed. if you please.

But tI~en u hat is the relationship of meditation to praxer? It has to do with this finespun ~gIob of pre­images. An imate is always practical. The difference between an

· image and a concept~or a construct is that the ima~e is al``ass practical. It has to do

~ith (defining myself in tI,0 concretions of life. And it's only the pull of action, or the

(demand for creati~e expression. that exen tri'ggers meditation or allows it to happen.

This is to sa!~: nobody ever knew of the state of meditation who was (iivorcin'~ himself

from the practical ~iemands of life.

­ No~v don't ~get this mixed up v`!~th the Religious in history. For although there are many phonics' just like tbere are non­Religious u~ho are phonies, the Religious are most highI; practical indi`!iduals. This is to say, monasticism itseff was only for the sa}:e of the mission of changingthe s`torId. and ~ mean secularsociety. ~ ~vish thatsome of tI~e Catholic orciers coul~i recoster that in our time.

IN'ow ~ has e to relate n~eciitation fundamentally to poverty. Po`~erty is detachment ~ clon't utant to talk about that but pox erty is a state of being. It has nothing to do `~'ith how much money you have or don't have, or what >,ou spend or do not spend notI~ing wI3atsoe`7er to do with how littIc 37ou eat, or how nice your clothes are or whether >!ou li~e in a hole in the uall infested with rats. That's not po`'erty. Posertv is the detachtnent from the things in life thclt x`~ish to reduce you to your relationship witI1 them. As long as you has e to h`~e children' as long as you have to hase your w ife, as long as you hase to has e sour country, as long as >tou have to ha`!e ~ our split­~` e! house, >~ou don~t kno`~' what cictachment is. an(i you have not experiencec] poxertv.

~ like to put it someti~ing like this. If ~ person cannot come here to Chicago anci li`e in this place, then he has to come. If he can, then it's not necessary. UnIess one is detacheci in that fashion, this process cannot har)pen. TI~e Iast thing you want to do or can do is to brooc] on the m~stery. The Iast tIiing tI~tt can happen to you is an address of tI,e mysterst that desires to become self­conscious. And it is fundc~mentally out of this stuff that transparent kno``ing t`~kes place. Mas be ti~at's enougi~ for tI~e broad context. though ~JOU can see perhaps t`~'o or three Icctures just in that area.

~ want to deal utith meci itation under four basic rubrics. ~ u apt to talk about meclitation as f~rst of all inI3crent con~munity, second as pristine ~iialogue, then as ultimate coxenant fanatical discipline-­and lastly as incessant warfare. !\ow, ~ don't think that that's very good poetry, but it h.ls to be r)oetry because that's the only way' sou can talk about it.

I\'ow let's start. We're try~ing to look at this state of being first this ``ay, and tI~en that uay, an(l then another u!ay, an(i then still another `~'ay, tr, ing to say out lou(i what ~e tI~ink ~e see. First of all, meditation is inherent con~munity. Before ~ou eser