Knabb’s Main elements

Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is a form of contemplative prayer that focuses on the experience of God. It emphasizes:

  • Silence and Stillness: Unlike vocal prayers or active meditation, centering prayer involves sitting in silence, creating space for God to work within us.
  • Consenting to God: In centering prayer, we consent to God’s presence and action within us, allowing God to work without our constant mental chatter.
  • Letting Go: We release our need to control and simply rest in God’s presence.
  • No Agenda: Centering prayer has no specific goals; it’s about being present with God.

  • Heart-Centered: It’s less about intellectual understanding and more about experiencing God’s love deep within.

    Image of the prayerful

Meditation

Meditation (such as mindfulness or Christian meditation) differs:

Buddhism diverges from Western religious norms in two significant ways: it does not adhere to the concept of a creator god, nor does it assert the existence of an independent soul. These distinctive features often lead Westerners to view Buddhism more as a philosophical system than a traditional religion.

Many would argue that for Christians and Jews, in particular, Buddhism can coexist alongside their original faith because it does not overtly challenge their beliefs in God or the soul. The absence of direct conflict allows for a comfortable exploration of Buddhist principles without compromising existing religious convictions.

We would disagree, as previously stated, all things were created from the One Living God, while Buddhism never goes beyond the growth of inner-self which is contradictory to the teachings of Christ as shown in John 17:20-23

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Secular views on meditation

  • Focus: Meditation actively engages the mind. Examples include:
    • Mindfulness Meditation: Observing thoughts and sensations without judgment.
    • Loving-Kindness Meditation: Cultivating compassion.
    • Christian Meditation: Reflecting on scripture.
  • Purpose: Meditation often has specific purposes (stress reduction, self-awareness, etc.).
  • Active vs. Receptive: Meditation is more active, while centering prayer is receptive.
  • Variety: Different traditions have unique meditation practices.

We would counter the points of Active vs. Receptivve when considering meditation and prayer together to be incorrect. If one believes that there is no God and no soul, then it cannot be active except as a means of creating a selfish construct about oneself. However, with Prayer we are actively engaged with the living God who listens to our requests and offers forgiveness, guidance, and an opportunity to self-reflect as we discuss our problems with him in quiet active prayer.