This is a follow-up on my post comparing Christianity and Zen.
I saw Ewk made the following comment:
but "prayer" isn't an offensive word to honest people.
I certainly don't shy away from the term prayer, in fact, my previous studies embraced it, Domine noster, audi tuo servo! kyrie Christe! O Christe!, "Enflame thyself in praying."
...
Anyways, in my first post, I provided a quote of St. Teresa about 2 types of prayer (internal and external) coming together into Contemplation, she wrote: "In these two kinds of prayer, mental and vocal, we may do something by the Divine assistance ; but in contemplation, of which I have just now spoken, we can do nothing at all. It is His Majesty who does everything, for it is His work, and it surpasses our natural strength." - St. Teresa
Surpassing natural strength, and entering the suuuupernatural. This post will look at the Three Degrees of Prayer which make up Contemplation.
This post will be looking at The book of divine consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno (1248 - 1309). The following quotes will be from the text.
Not Two:
WHEN we pray we must keep our whole hearts fixed thereon, for if our hearts be divided we lose the fruit of true prayer.
Buddha Meditated So Should You Jesus Prayed So Should You
THOU seest, therefore, that when our Saviour Christ prayed, He did submit His will unto that of the Father. Do thou follow His example. Afterwards He prayed again when He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit." But wherefore should I repeat more things, seeing that His whole life was a prayer, in asmuch as He was continually engaged in making known and manifesting both God and Himself. Shall we say that Christ prayed in vain ? Then wherefore art thou neglectful, seeing that nothing is obtained without prayer ? Forasmuch as Christ, true God and Man, prayed not for Himself, but that thou mightest have an example of true prayer, it is needful that thou shouldst pray if thou desirest aught. For without prayer canst thou obtain nothing. If He who was actually God would accept nothing without having prayed and asked for it, how darest thou, miserable creature, hope to receive without supplication and prayer ?
Pray, therefore, and pray often, because the more often thou prayest the more wilt thou be enlightened and the more deeply and clearly and nobly wilt thou perceive the supreme Good, and that which is supremely good, and the more deeply and excellently thou perceivest it the more wilt thou love it, and the more thou lovest it the more wilt thou delight in it and be able to comprehend it. Then wilt thou attain unto the fulness of light, and wilt thou know that which heretofore thou couldst not know.
He desireth also that we should pray unto Him in order that, moved and drawn thereto by His example, we may love this above all other things.
She writes there are three degrees of prayer:
In these three degrees of prayer, therefore, man learneth to know God and himself. And knowing Him, he loveth Him, and loving Him he desireth to possess Him ; and this is the sign of love, for he who loveth not only a part of himself, but the whole, transformeth himself in the thing beloved.
There's Corporal, Mental and Supernatural prayer.
Supernatural prayer is that during which the soul is so exalted by this knowledge, or meditation, or fulness of God that it is uplifted above its own nature and understandeth more of God than it otherwise could naturally. And understanding, it knoweth ; but that which it knoweth it cannot explain, because all that it perceiveth and feeleth is above its own nature.
Meditation practice is enlightement? Or do we meditate to achieve enlightenment? Prayer practice is enlightenment? Or do we pray to achieve enlightenment?
For through prayer art thou enlightened, through prayer art thou set free from temptation, through prayer art thou cleansed, and through prayer art thou united with God. Prayer is nothing else save the manifestation of God and of oneself, and this manifestation is perfect and true humiliation, for humility consisteth in the soul, beholding God and itself as it should. Then is the soul in a state of deep humility, and the deeper the humility the greater is the divine grace which springeth therefrom and increaseth there.
Note: Mind is Jesus. (Mod, play nice, I did).
Submitted September 13, 2017 at 04:26AM by Dillon123 http://ift.tt/2fgtEzs
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