A church in Denver contacted me, because of my book on Agapé Prayer, and asked me to lead a 5-part series of group meditation sessions. The weekly agapé prayer meetings continued on Wednesday evenings over the 5 weeks in the middle of Lent. So I had to find a way to squeeze the 7 steps outlined in my book into only 5. This and the following 5 postings describe what we did during those sessions.
The whole series turned out to be a very good training for applying my book’s ideas into a practical setting. At first I felt very strange doing agapé meditation with a group. I prepared for the beginning session during the 2 weeks prior, including meditating twice that first day, seeking guidance. One inspiration originally seemed very strange because, even though I’d led group meditations years before, I’d never even attended or heard of trying to hold hands while meditating. But that was the vision I received, so I decided I should go with the guidance.
After introductions and a brief description of what the 5 weeks would cover, I tried to summarize my years of research about agapé into a few sentences. That attempt proved more difficult to communicate than I thought. I explained that you need to sense agapé flowing within yourself before you can do the additional steps of projecting your awareness of agapé flowing beyond yourself. But we need to keep in mind throughout all these steps that the purpose of this meditation practice is to become aware of a process that has already been going on, so we just need to develop a way to sense it. When I tried describing agapé as a spiritual power, a man interrupted and asked, “What do you mean by spiritual power?” I had used those 2 words because I thought they would be most easily understood. Finally, I ended up talking about the way Martin Luther King used agapé to organize demonstrations during the Civil Rights Movement.
Finally, I shifted the discussion to meditation preparation. When I asked about participant’s experiences with meditating, I was relieved to discover they all were meditators. That way when I began the meditation process with a little stress-relieving focus on breath, each person was familiar with that method of preparation. I had us hold hands in a circle, then invited them to feel the flowing of air down deep into their lungs and then out again.
As our awareness moved deeper and deeper we became aware of resting in our heart-center, where we found a power -- a special presence. We relaxed completely into a profound realization of agapé spreading from deep within the heart-center, flowing throughout and permeating our being, bringing a sense of well-being and a deep sense of joy.
As the deep spiritual sensation of agapé continued flowing throughout our being, we let agapé open us up spiritually. I invited them to experience agapé as a spiritual gift to awaken them to divine Presence. After allowing several minutes for them to experience the power of agapé for themselves, we slowly ended the meditation.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Agape for a person important to spiritual development
I led the 2nd step of the group agape prayer with the church’s evening sessions. We focused on someone who was important to each participant’s spiritual life.
The time of meditating began by repeating the previous week’s journey inward. It is important to connect with the spiritual power of agape that everyone can find deep in the heart-center. We need to find agape within in order to sense agape flowing for another person. First we used awareness of our breathing to release the tensions and distractions of the day.
Then we prayed for agape to flow in the life of the special person who was the focus of the evening’s meditation. Each of us prayerfully held this person with our attention, visualizing participating with this person in the spiritual flowing of agape. We thought that person’s name 3 times. Each participant prayed until he or she was able to find the spiritual concern that the special person would find personal well-being and deep sense of peace. We visualized the special person sitting next to us as we shared agape with them.
Afterwards the discussion centered on the need to keep practicing that meditation during the following week until they gained a sensation of spiritually sharing with that person. I reminded them that it can happen whether they were geographically near that person or far away. Being in ‘agape contact’ isn’t effected in any way by distance or time. The meditation was to be practiced until they were able to experience the power of agape flowing into the center of that person’s being. They could imagine that person being drawn close to and opening up to both God’s Presence intimately and the vastness of God’s Presence spreading throughout all Creation.
The most important point to keep remembering was that whatever is happening does not originate with us. The spiritual experience is deepened by becoming aware that the divine power of human relations is not only already pouring into your heart, but it is already pouring into the heart of the other person, and it is already flowing between the two of you. Our major spiritual need is to develop the awareness of that flowing agape process, in all its many manifestations.
The time of meditating began by repeating the previous week’s journey inward. It is important to connect with the spiritual power of agape that everyone can find deep in the heart-center. We need to find agape within in order to sense agape flowing for another person. First we used awareness of our breathing to release the tensions and distractions of the day.
Then we prayed for agape to flow in the life of the special person who was the focus of the evening’s meditation. Each of us prayerfully held this person with our attention, visualizing participating with this person in the spiritual flowing of agape. We thought that person’s name 3 times. Each participant prayed until he or she was able to find the spiritual concern that the special person would find personal well-being and deep sense of peace. We visualized the special person sitting next to us as we shared agape with them.
Afterwards the discussion centered on the need to keep practicing that meditation during the following week until they gained a sensation of spiritually sharing with that person. I reminded them that it can happen whether they were geographically near that person or far away. Being in ‘agape contact’ isn’t effected in any way by distance or time. The meditation was to be practiced until they were able to experience the power of agape flowing into the center of that person’s being. They could imagine that person being drawn close to and opening up to both God’s Presence intimately and the vastness of God’s Presence spreading throughout all Creation.
The most important point to keep remembering was that whatever is happening does not originate with us. The spiritual experience is deepened by becoming aware that the divine power of human relations is not only already pouring into your heart, but it is already pouring into the heart of the other person, and it is already flowing between the two of you. Our major spiritual need is to develop the awareness of that flowing agape process, in all its many manifestations.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Agape meditation and spiritual power
Dan Harris’ new book, 10% Happier, was discussed to start the 3rd week of the group meditation sessions at the church. Harris is an ABC news anchor, who at one time was considered the ‘religion reporter.’
In the church group were people with differing experiences with meditation. So I thought they’d be interested in this book that covers how he became interested in meditation after he had an anxiety attack during a news broadcast. His book reported on scientific research on meditators, including MRI scans that demonstrated how meditation can essentially rewire the brain. Among the studies of different types of meditation was a description of the Buddhist “metta meditation,” which is very similar to what I outline in my book.
When we got into a discussion of how I came to the outline and conclusions in my book, I realized there was a problem with merely giving conclusions throughout my book. I hadn’t explained enough about how I wrote the book after many years of research, meditation, and inter-religious study to reach those conclusions. I talked about the years of research I did about that weird old Greek word, ‘agape.’ And if we think it’s a weird word today, what I discovered is that the Greeks 2,000 years ago thought it was just as weird a word back then. 'Agape' was not a commonly used word. In fact, when the Christians started using it, the only place most people would have heard the word was from a few Jewish-Christians, who had found it in the Greek translation of the Torah (the 1st 5 books of the Bible).
My research was really helped when the 1 Corinthians volume of the Anchor Yale Bible was finally published in 2008. (The Anchor Bible is this amazing undertaking of re-translation that takes you through the Bible verse by verse, giving extensive scholarly notes explaining how each verse is retranslated.) So I was excited to see what was done with that very difficult 13th chapt., where ‘agape’ is usually mistranslated as ‘love.’ Well, the Anchor Bible has 17 pages of notes about 1 Cor. 13. These notes point out how rare a word ‘agape’ is. But the conclusion is that no matter what agape meant, “agape remains the supreme quality of Christian existence.” [p. 490] When I read that I thought, ‘Oh, that’s why I’ve spent all these years researching about agape — it’s the “supreme quality of Christian existence.”’
Also we discussed a page I had given them containing excerpts from Martin Luther King’s sermon on loving enemies (from his book The Strength to Love). He made the important point, “When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking neither of ‘eros’ nor ‘philia’; he is speaking of ‘agape.’” [p. 44] When he mentioned ‘eros’ and ‘philia’ he was referring to the Greek words that mean almost everything most Americans mean by the word ‘love.’ And of this agape for our enemies, Dr. King says it’s “far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer,” but is “an absolute necessity for our survival,” and is “the key to the solution of the problem of our world.” And of course, Dr. King went on to prove how it could be put into action when he mobilized masses of people and changed history.
So in looking back I hope our discussions were helpful for giving added meaning to our meditation.
In the church group were people with differing experiences with meditation. So I thought they’d be interested in this book that covers how he became interested in meditation after he had an anxiety attack during a news broadcast. His book reported on scientific research on meditators, including MRI scans that demonstrated how meditation can essentially rewire the brain. Among the studies of different types of meditation was a description of the Buddhist “metta meditation,” which is very similar to what I outline in my book.
When we got into a discussion of how I came to the outline and conclusions in my book, I realized there was a problem with merely giving conclusions throughout my book. I hadn’t explained enough about how I wrote the book after many years of research, meditation, and inter-religious study to reach those conclusions. I talked about the years of research I did about that weird old Greek word, ‘agape.’ And if we think it’s a weird word today, what I discovered is that the Greeks 2,000 years ago thought it was just as weird a word back then. 'Agape' was not a commonly used word. In fact, when the Christians started using it, the only place most people would have heard the word was from a few Jewish-Christians, who had found it in the Greek translation of the Torah (the 1st 5 books of the Bible).
My research was really helped when the 1 Corinthians volume of the Anchor Yale Bible was finally published in 2008. (The Anchor Bible is this amazing undertaking of re-translation that takes you through the Bible verse by verse, giving extensive scholarly notes explaining how each verse is retranslated.) So I was excited to see what was done with that very difficult 13th chapt., where ‘agape’ is usually mistranslated as ‘love.’ Well, the Anchor Bible has 17 pages of notes about 1 Cor. 13. These notes point out how rare a word ‘agape’ is. But the conclusion is that no matter what agape meant, “agape remains the supreme quality of Christian existence.” [p. 490] When I read that I thought, ‘Oh, that’s why I’ve spent all these years researching about agape — it’s the “supreme quality of Christian existence.”’
Also we discussed a page I had given them containing excerpts from Martin Luther King’s sermon on loving enemies (from his book The Strength to Love). He made the important point, “When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking neither of ‘eros’ nor ‘philia’; he is speaking of ‘agape.’” [p. 44] When he mentioned ‘eros’ and ‘philia’ he was referring to the Greek words that mean almost everything most Americans mean by the word ‘love.’ And of this agape for our enemies, Dr. King says it’s “far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer,” but is “an absolute necessity for our survival,” and is “the key to the solution of the problem of our world.” And of course, Dr. King went on to prove how it could be put into action when he mobilized masses of people and changed history.
So in looking back I hope our discussions were helpful for giving added meaning to our meditation.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Agape for friends, family, and strangers
The 4th step of agape prayer needed to be combined with the 3rd step during the 3rd week of the group meditation at church. This squeezing of steps had to be done in order to cover 5 weeks in the middle of Lent. I had asked each participant to choose a friend and a family member for the evening’s focus. Then they were to think of a mere acquaintance for whom there was no emotional connection.
Even though the 2 steps would focus on the spiritual power of agape going beyond ourselves, we started the meditation by focusing on ourselves, because it's deep within ourselves that we find, and slowly become aware of agape. That’s why each step of the agape meditation process begins by going within. You need to sense agape flowing within yourself so you can imagine projecting your awareness of agape flowing beyond yourself to others (radiating out to others).
We prepared by disengaging from all of the distractions and concerns of the past week. As always this was done by focusing on our breath. First we released the tensions of the day by taking a deep breath and sighing it away, then slowly focusing on our natural rhythm of breathing. Then we let our attention follow the flowing of air down deep into our lungs.
As we let our awareness move deeper and deeper into our heart-center we focused on a special presence. We relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape spreading from deep within our heart-center, permeating our being, bringing to each person a sense of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy.
And so we took a few minutes to experience agape as a spiritual gift, opening us up spiritually and eventually awakening us to divine Presence.
Then we began thinking of a friend. We thought that person’s name 3 times, then formed an image of that person. We prayed about what it means, in specific, personal detail, for agape to work in that person’s life, to open her or his heart-sense to greater experience of happiness. While we held that friend in prayer, we imagined agape flowing in that life in such a way that a sense of well-being came to that person. As we did this, we began to realize that we were teaching ourselves about agape.
Finally we wished that friend well and moved on to holding a family member in agape prayer. We went thru the same meditation as with the friend. Then we moved on to holding an acquaintance in prayer. Finally we wished that person well, and came back to our
normal state of wakefulness.
We followed up the meditation by again discussing how this was a process that has already been going on, so we just need to develop a way to sense it.
Even though the 2 steps would focus on the spiritual power of agape going beyond ourselves, we started the meditation by focusing on ourselves, because it's deep within ourselves that we find, and slowly become aware of agape. That’s why each step of the agape meditation process begins by going within. You need to sense agape flowing within yourself so you can imagine projecting your awareness of agape flowing beyond yourself to others (radiating out to others).
We prepared by disengaging from all of the distractions and concerns of the past week. As always this was done by focusing on our breath. First we released the tensions of the day by taking a deep breath and sighing it away, then slowly focusing on our natural rhythm of breathing. Then we let our attention follow the flowing of air down deep into our lungs.
As we let our awareness move deeper and deeper into our heart-center we focused on a special presence. We relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape spreading from deep within our heart-center, permeating our being, bringing to each person a sense of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy.
And so we took a few minutes to experience agape as a spiritual gift, opening us up spiritually and eventually awakening us to divine Presence.
Then we began thinking of a friend. We thought that person’s name 3 times, then formed an image of that person. We prayed about what it means, in specific, personal detail, for agape to work in that person’s life, to open her or his heart-sense to greater experience of happiness. While we held that friend in prayer, we imagined agape flowing in that life in such a way that a sense of well-being came to that person. As we did this, we began to realize that we were teaching ourselves about agape.
Finally we wished that friend well and moved on to holding a family member in agape prayer. We went thru the same meditation as with the friend. Then we moved on to holding an acquaintance in prayer. Finally we wished that person well, and came back to our
normal state of wakefulness.
We followed up the meditation by again discussing how this was a process that has already been going on, so we just need to develop a way to sense it.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Agape for enemies
Enemies were the focus for the group agape meditation at a Denver church. This 5th step in agape prayer was part of 5 sessions for the evening Lent study.
Before we could start the meditation, a couple of the participants started a discussion about the dangerous, violent world we must survive in. One of them had been in Kosovo during the time of the mass killings. He was concerned about how people could protect themselves against such enemies if we were supposed to be holding enemies in agape.
I asked, “What’s the alternative? Do we just keep practicing the old pattern of violence that has caused such destruction for thousands of years, or can we catch a vision of ourselves called to work out a more creative approach? Do we truly believe that Jesus was calling his followers to a new way to live?” I was finally able to steer us into meditation time by pointing out that the purpose of agape meditation was to respond to our calling to pray for a new way to live.
So we began meditating with the usual concentration on our breathing to release tensions and distractions in order to calm ourselves; then we let our awareness move deeper and deeper into the center of our being. From our heart-center we prayed to gain a spiritual sense of the flow of agape.
And slowly we relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape. As we slowly sensed agape flowing, permeating our being, we let agape bring an awareness of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy. And slowly we allowed ourselves to awaken to divine Presence as agape opened each of us up spiritually. We let agape draw us into the intimacy of divine Presence.
They had been invited to hold in agape prayer a person who they found a little difficult (maybe a person who in some way is irritating). They began forming an understanding of what spiritual well-being is for that person’s life. Then we took a few minutes to let that sense of well-being develop. (This forced us to realize that agape does not involve our emotions, so we needed to release the emotional attachment connected with the person in this step so that such emotion no longer interferes in this moment of agape awareness.) We thought that person’s name 3 times, then formed a visual image of that person, and prayerfully held that person with our attention. We prayed for agape to work in that person’s life, and we imagined that person standing in front of us.
That meditation forced us to recognize that the person wants to find happiness as all people want to be happy, and think about what it means in personal detail for agape to work in that person’s life to open their heart-sense to greater experience of true happiness. And slowly we faced the difference between the way we felt toward that person and the way we felt about the friend from Step 4. Agape helped us release the emotions that get in the way when we relate to the person who irritates us.
That meditation helped us move on to a more difficult person: an enemy of our nation. In the same way as before, we prayerfully held such a person with our attention as we let that person’s awareness form and also opened up to agape flowing into that moment. We prayed for agape to work in that enemy’s life, and so we were forced to recognize that such a person wants to find happiness as all people want to be happy.
After we let our attention slowly come back to our normal state of wakefulness, we followed up the meditation by again discussing overcoming violence. As most of the great spiritual giants throughout history have suggested: we need to develop a different awareness and approach to our relationship with what is around us.
Before we could start the meditation, a couple of the participants started a discussion about the dangerous, violent world we must survive in. One of them had been in Kosovo during the time of the mass killings. He was concerned about how people could protect themselves against such enemies if we were supposed to be holding enemies in agape.
I asked, “What’s the alternative? Do we just keep practicing the old pattern of violence that has caused such destruction for thousands of years, or can we catch a vision of ourselves called to work out a more creative approach? Do we truly believe that Jesus was calling his followers to a new way to live?” I was finally able to steer us into meditation time by pointing out that the purpose of agape meditation was to respond to our calling to pray for a new way to live.
So we began meditating with the usual concentration on our breathing to release tensions and distractions in order to calm ourselves; then we let our awareness move deeper and deeper into the center of our being. From our heart-center we prayed to gain a spiritual sense of the flow of agape.
And slowly we relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape. As we slowly sensed agape flowing, permeating our being, we let agape bring an awareness of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy. And slowly we allowed ourselves to awaken to divine Presence as agape opened each of us up spiritually. We let agape draw us into the intimacy of divine Presence.
They had been invited to hold in agape prayer a person who they found a little difficult (maybe a person who in some way is irritating). They began forming an understanding of what spiritual well-being is for that person’s life. Then we took a few minutes to let that sense of well-being develop. (This forced us to realize that agape does not involve our emotions, so we needed to release the emotional attachment connected with the person in this step so that such emotion no longer interferes in this moment of agape awareness.) We thought that person’s name 3 times, then formed a visual image of that person, and prayerfully held that person with our attention. We prayed for agape to work in that person’s life, and we imagined that person standing in front of us.
That meditation forced us to recognize that the person wants to find happiness as all people want to be happy, and think about what it means in personal detail for agape to work in that person’s life to open their heart-sense to greater experience of true happiness. And slowly we faced the difference between the way we felt toward that person and the way we felt about the friend from Step 4. Agape helped us release the emotions that get in the way when we relate to the person who irritates us.
That meditation helped us move on to a more difficult person: an enemy of our nation. In the same way as before, we prayerfully held such a person with our attention as we let that person’s awareness form and also opened up to agape flowing into that moment. We prayed for agape to work in that enemy’s life, and so we were forced to recognize that such a person wants to find happiness as all people want to be happy.
After we let our attention slowly come back to our normal state of wakefulness, we followed up the meditation by again discussing overcoming violence. As most of the great spiritual giants throughout history have suggested: we need to develop a different awareness and approach to our relationship with what is around us.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Agape for all Creation
The group agape meditation for the final evening session that I led at a Denver church went very well. Because of the need to squeeze the 7 steps into 5 sessions, we did steps 6 and 7.
After we did the usual concentration on our breathing to release tensions and the distractions of the previous week, we then let our awareness move deeper and deeper into the center of our being. There in our heart-center we began to gain a spiritual sense of a special presence.
And slowly we relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape. Then spreading from deep within we slowly sensed agape flowing, permeating our being, bringing an awareness of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy. And slowly we allowed ourselves to awaken to divine Presence as agape opened each of us up spiritually. We let agape draw us into the intimacy of divine Presence.
Each person in the group was invited to begin forming an understanding of what spiritual well-being is for that person’s life. Then we took a few minutes to let that sense of well-being develop.
As we moved into Step 6, each of us held in agape prayer a group who were important to us. We began by forming a visual image of that group. As we let that group’s awareness form in our meditation, also we opened up to agape flowing in that moment. We prayed for agape to work in that group’s life together.
After a few minutes of that meditation, we moved our attention back into the room and each of us held in agape prayer each of the other persons meditating in that circle. We did that for a few minutes, then we spread our attention to hold in agape prayer the whole congregation. We sensed agape flowing among the members then out into the various service projects of the church.
Finally, we moved into Step 7. We imagined the expansion of the flowing of agape. First, we prayed for agape flowing out to the neighborhood around us, praying for the well-being of that neighborhood. Then we sensed the expansion of agape, ‘following’ the flowing farther and farther — throughout the whole city — praying for the well-being of every part of the city. Slowly we sensed the flowing of agape out in ever-widening circles — expanding out to the whole State of Colorado — east throughout the farm region, south through the cities and suburbs and the church camp, down to Raton Pass, west over the mountains, north to Ft. Collins and beyond.
We prayed for the flow of agape among all of America. Then, expanded our agape awareness out farther; first, to Canada, then to Mexico, and finally beyond. We continued holding more and more people in agape prayer until we held all the people of the world in agape prayer. Then we realized that the spiritual quality of agape has no boundaries — God’s agape goes where it will, not controlled by humans and not limited to humans — and so it flows beyond humans to all beings, including animals of the ground and birds of the air. Slowly we let our attention follow God’s agape as it spread throughout all of Creation.
After we let our attention slowly come back to our normal state of wakefulness, we followed up the meditation by discussing how the design of the 7 steps is meant to be a way to help deal with the false ‘myth of separation.’ We realized that most people spend their lives trying to formulate an identity based on being separate from all that is around them — and yet the reality of Life is we are connected with all that is around us. But as most of the great spiritual giants throughout history have suggested: we need to develop a different understanding of our relationship with what is around us.
After we did the usual concentration on our breathing to release tensions and the distractions of the previous week, we then let our awareness move deeper and deeper into the center of our being. There in our heart-center we began to gain a spiritual sense of a special presence.
And slowly we relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape. Then spreading from deep within we slowly sensed agape flowing, permeating our being, bringing an awareness of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy. And slowly we allowed ourselves to awaken to divine Presence as agape opened each of us up spiritually. We let agape draw us into the intimacy of divine Presence.
Each person in the group was invited to begin forming an understanding of what spiritual well-being is for that person’s life. Then we took a few minutes to let that sense of well-being develop.
As we moved into Step 6, each of us held in agape prayer a group who were important to us. We began by forming a visual image of that group. As we let that group’s awareness form in our meditation, also we opened up to agape flowing in that moment. We prayed for agape to work in that group’s life together.
After a few minutes of that meditation, we moved our attention back into the room and each of us held in agape prayer each of the other persons meditating in that circle. We did that for a few minutes, then we spread our attention to hold in agape prayer the whole congregation. We sensed agape flowing among the members then out into the various service projects of the church.
Finally, we moved into Step 7. We imagined the expansion of the flowing of agape. First, we prayed for agape flowing out to the neighborhood around us, praying for the well-being of that neighborhood. Then we sensed the expansion of agape, ‘following’ the flowing farther and farther — throughout the whole city — praying for the well-being of every part of the city. Slowly we sensed the flowing of agape out in ever-widening circles — expanding out to the whole State of Colorado — east throughout the farm region, south through the cities and suburbs and the church camp, down to Raton Pass, west over the mountains, north to Ft. Collins and beyond.
We prayed for the flow of agape among all of America. Then, expanded our agape awareness out farther; first, to Canada, then to Mexico, and finally beyond. We continued holding more and more people in agape prayer until we held all the people of the world in agape prayer. Then we realized that the spiritual quality of agape has no boundaries — God’s agape goes where it will, not controlled by humans and not limited to humans — and so it flows beyond humans to all beings, including animals of the ground and birds of the air. Slowly we let our attention follow God’s agape as it spread throughout all of Creation.
After we let our attention slowly come back to our normal state of wakefulness, we followed up the meditation by discussing how the design of the 7 steps is meant to be a way to help deal with the false ‘myth of separation.’ We realized that most people spend their lives trying to formulate an identity based on being separate from all that is around them — and yet the reality of Life is we are connected with all that is around us. But as most of the great spiritual giants throughout history have suggested: we need to develop a different understanding of our relationship with what is around us.
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