| Senses of hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, and touching are five distinct ways of knowing. No images? Click here Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation From the Center for Action and Contemplation Summary: Week Two Action and Contemplation:
Part Two January 12 - January 17, 2020 In order to become truly prophetic people who go beyond the categories of liberal and conservative, we have to teach and learn ways to integrate needed engagement with a truly contemplative mind and heart. (Sunday) The job of religion is to help people act effectively and compassionately from an inner centeredness and connection with God. (Monday) Contemplation helps us discern what is truly important in the largest, most spacious frame of reality and to know what is ours to do in the face of “evil” and injustice. (Tuesday) A contemplative lens is the only frame through which we can recognize and address the three sources of evil: the world, the flesh, and the devil. (Wednesday) Jesus’ social program was a quiet refusal to participate in almost all external power structures or domination systems. Jesus chose a very simple lifestyle which kept him from being constantly co-opted by those very structures, which we can call the sin system. (Thursday) God’s intention is never to shame the individual (which actually disempowers), but solidarity with and universal responsibility for the whole (which creates healthy people). (Friday) Practice: All Senses Meditation Our human senses of hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, and touching are five distinct ways of knowing or experiencing the same thing, but in very different “languages.” True spirituality always brings us back to the original bodily knowing that is unitive experience. We cannot do all our thinking with our minds! During times of stress, remembering how to come back to our bodies can be tremendously beneficial. The following practice from meditation teacher Lorin Roche helps us connect with each of our senses and encounter something through each. Roche explains: What happens is that your primary perceptions, unsocialized, get a chance to come out without editing. This trains you to let yourself be surprised by perception, to let new and fresh perceptions emerge. This exercise also lets you practice giving speech to your immediate perceptions. Since childhood, you may not have had a chance to speak freely without editing first. Set aside ten or so minutes to “play” with all your senses following Roche’s simple guide: Sit or stand anywhere you like and let yourself get settled for a minute. Do any settling-down movements you want. Stretch or yawn. Then notice the ebb and flow of your breathing.
Begin to speak softly saying, “Now I am aware of seeing. . . .” Continue by saying whatever comes to mind that is visual, whether it is in the outer world or a mental image. The sentence can be said very slowly. Go on like this for a minute or so, just speaking the sentence, “Now I am aware of seeing. . . .”
When you get to the word seeing, say whatever image your mind or eyes are on at that exact moment. As in, “I am aware of seeing the rain.”
Switch to another sensory mode, “Now I am aware of smelling . . .” and say whatever you are smelling.
Continue this way, starting each sentence with “Now I am aware of . . .” and then choosing another sense. Improvise off your immediate perceptions. . . .Move through the senses in any order you wish: Now I am aware of seeing. . . . Now I am aware of smelling. . . . Now I am aware of hearing. . . . Now I am aware of tasting. . . . Now I am aware of touching. . . . Now I am aware of moving (fast, slow, being still, etc.). . . . [1] [1] Lorin Roche, Meditation Made Easy (Harper Collins: 1998), 59-60. Roche offers this meditation in more detail at http://www.svarasa.com/meditations/meditations/senses.html. Image credit:Algerian Woman Preparing Couscous (detail), Vincent Manago (1880–1936). For Further Study: Richard Rohr, CAC Foundation Set: Gospel Call for Compassionate Action and Contemplative Prayer (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2007), CD, MP3 download Richard Rohr, Essential Teachings on Love, ed. Joelle Chase and Judy Traeger (Orbis Books: 2018) Richard Rohr, Near Occasions of Grace (Orbis Books: 1993) Richard Rohr, What Do We Do with Evil? (CAC Publishing: December 2019) Forward to a Friend → Forward this email to a friend or family member that may find it meaningful. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up for the daily, weekly, or monthly meditations. Sign Up → News from the CAC What Do We Do with Evil? In this new book, Richard Rohr invites us to understand evil with a nondual mind. What Do We Do with Evil? encourages readers to look beyond personal morality to “increase personal responsibility and human solidarity.” A Study in Search of True Self When the ego is in the driver’s seat and we let it dictate our course, we move further away from our God-given calling. Immortal Diamond is an online course that takes seekers on a journey into who they really are—spiritual beings navigating a human experience. Apply for financial assistance by February 2, 2020. Registration closes February 12. Action & Contemplation 2020 Daily Meditations ThemeWhat does God ask of us? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. —Micah 6:8 Franciscan Richard Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in 1987 because he saw a deep need for the integration of both action and contemplation. If we pray but don’t act justly, our faith won’t bear fruit. And without contemplation, activists burn out and even well-intended actions can cause more harm than good. In today’s religious, environmental, and political climate our compassionate engagement is urgent and vital. In this year’s Daily Meditations, Father Richard helps us learn the dance of action and contemplation. Each week builds on previous topics, but you can join at any time! Click the video to learn more about the theme and to find reflections you may have missed. Click here to learn about contemplative prayer and other forms of meditation. For frequently asked questions—such as what versions of the Bible Father Richard recommends or how to ensure you receive every meditation—please see our email FAQ. Visit cac.org to explore other ways to connect with the Center for Action and Contemplation. Feel free to share meditations on social media. Go to CAC’s Facebook page or Twitter feed and find today’s post. Or use the “Forward” button above to send via email. Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations are made possible through the generosity of CAC's donors. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. If you would like to change how often you receive emails from CAC, click here. If you would like to change your email address, click here. Visit our Email Subscription FAQ page for more information. Submit an inquiry here for additional assistance. Inspiration for this week's banner image: By contemplation, we mean the deliberate seeking of God through a willingness to detach from the passing self, the tyranny of emotions, the addiction to self-image, and the false promises of the world. Action, as we are using the word, means a decisive commitment toward involvement and engagement in the social order. —Richard Rohr © 2020 | Center for Action and Contemplation
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