Contemplative prayer

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does contemplative prayer bear good fruit?

  • Yes, and you should not speak against it!

    Votes: 1 33.3%

  • No it is dangerous

    Votes: 2 66.7%

  • I don't know

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • other, will explain below

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    3
A

AnandaHya

Guest
#1
#1
you know it is found in Hinduism, Buddhism and now offered in Christians Circles near you.

what are you thoughts on it? Is it Biblical?

wait your doing it wrong if you actually THINK.....

I do not recommend you do it but Hindu like the sacred word "Shiva" or "Om". Tibetan Buddhist have mantras like "Omni Padme Hung' but Christians like the words like "Peace" or "Love" wait those are the English translations of some of the Sanskrit mantras. hmmm wonder why supposed Christians are teaching others Vedaic meditations?


THE GUIDELINES OF CENTERING PRAYER

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. When engaged with your thoughts*, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

*thoughts include body sensations,
feelings, images, and reflections

1. The “sacred word” is sacred not because of its inherent meaning, but because of the meaning we give it as the expression of our intention and consent. Examples: Love, Let Go, Serenity, Peace, Silence, Faith, Trust, Gentle, etc.
2. “Sitting comfortably” means relatively comfortably so as not to encourage sleep during the time of prayer.
3. By “returning ever-so-gently to the sacred word” a minimum of effort is indicated. This is the only activity we initiate during the time of Centering Prayer.

Contemplative Outreach: The Living Flame Program
 
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D

Deadflesh

Guest
#2
#2
If you choose a "Sacred Word" to "Center" yourself in rpayer, thats vain repetition. For one thing. and secndly there is NO actual closeness with the lord.

I have sat in SILENCE with the LORD, sat in his presence. Waited and was still, he WANTS us to do that, and spend time SEEKING him. BUT its different than Contemplative prayer. That is a very WORLDLY practice, and it can conjure up other spirits, becasue your focus is on a specific word, and not THE WORD who is JESUS. We must ALWAYS have JESUS in mind. If you want to be silent before him then ask HIM to keep thoughts out of your mind. If you want to PRay then PRAY if you want to talk then TALK. If you want jsut to sit in HIS presence, and sit at HIS feet, and wait from HIM to talk(to your spirit) then GREAT. But there is a BIG difference between that, and Centering/contemplative prayer.

SO just be carfefull pleae. Jesus bless you.
 
U

Ugly

Guest
#3
#3
every reference to this practice is a non-biblical religion. there's no biblical basis, or backing for it. the only history it has is in religions that worship more than one god, or man as god. how someone could take that as biblical is beyond me, but people have voted its a biblical thing. i would love to see the biblical reference these people have for word repetition opening up a doorway to God. i thought thats what Jesus came to do.
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#4
#4
Genesis 24:63 (KJV)
63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

psalm 77:12
I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.

Psalm 119:15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.

Psalm 119:27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.

Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands.

Psalm 145:5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. (NASB ©1995)

muse
v. mused, mus·ing, mus·es
v.intr. To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation.

n. A state of meditation.

Muse - definition of Muse by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

 
A

AnandaHya

Guest
#5
#5
meditating on ALL of God's word is one thing.

centering prayer is another thing.

its like what Jesus told His disciples to pray by trusting in God and giving thanks for His grace and acknowledging His power and asking for His forgiveness and forgiving others and thanking Him for our daily bread, etc.

NOT as the heathens do repeating things over and over again. centering prayer teaches people to focus and repeat ONE "sacred" word over and over again.
 
loveschild

loveschild

Banned
#6
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#6
I only read a little about it. Kinda sounded like magical stuff to me.
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#7
#7
centering on a short verse such as "Jesus wept" (jn 11:35) saying it over and over and musing on it and opening up its truth in your heart can be very fruitful. Then that seed becomes fruitfull.
 
loveschild

loveschild

Banned
#8
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#8
Hearer said:
centering on a short verse such as "Jesus wept" (jn 11:35) saying it over and over and musing on it and opening up its truth in your heart can be very fruitful. Then that seed becomes fruitfull.
Click to expand...
Isaiah 29:13
And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning],


I have not been taught to do things as you say.
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#9
#9
loveschild said:
Isaiah 29:13
And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning],


I have not been taught to do things as you say.
Click to expand...
I would not recommend repetition without opening your mind to its meaning. That means that its meaning should be received as the Spirit talks with you.

Do you understand all about the short verse "Jesus wept"? Do you see it in your mind with an open heart?
 
loveschild

loveschild

Banned
#10
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#10
Hearer said:
I would not recommend repetition without opening your mind to its meaning. That means that its meaning should be received as the Spirit talks with you.

Do you understand all about the short verse "Jesus wept"? Do you see it in your mind with an open heart?
Click to expand...

I have felt God crying so hard because people were going to hell. I had to ask him to stop letting me feel that so much. To feel his hurt was more than I could bare. That is when he showed me the entrance to hell people will go through.

There are times he moves to say Jesus over and over or the blood of Jesus over and over. No I don't understand about Jesus wept?
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#11
#11
jesus wept means that jesus has sympathy for his friends' suffering. it shows the tender and human heart of Jesus as he surrounds himself with people he loves intimately and who suffer.

Jesus also taught that we should mourn with those who mourn. And he practised what he preachees.
 
zone

zone

Senior Member
#12
Jun 13, 2010
27,214
164
63
#12
Hearer said:
jesus wept means that jesus has sympathy for his friends' suffering. it shows the tender and human heart of Jesus as he surrounds himself with people he loves intimately and who suffer.

Jesus also taught that we should mourn with those who mourn. And he practised what he preachees.
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He wept because they didn't understand the resurrection.
 
loveschild

loveschild

Banned
#13
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#13
Hearer said:
jesus wept means that jesus has sympathy for his friends' suffering. it shows the tender and human heart of Jesus as he surrounds himself with people he loves intimately and who suffer.

Jesus also taught that we should mourn with those who mourn. And he practised what he preachees.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I understand Jesus has compassion. I would think it would be much better to pray for souls to come to Christ. For people to be sent to them. To bind the evil that stops them from hearing. To pay for bibles an stuff to help all this. And yes we are to care about people. Have a good day!
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#14
#14
loveschild said:
Thank you. I understand Jesus has compassion. I would think it would be much better to pray for souls to come to Christ. For people to be sent to them. To bind the evil that stops them from hearing. To pay for bibles an stuff to help all this. And yes we are to care about people. Have a good day!
Click to expand...
I think that it is important to realize Jesus has an intimate love for you, and he wants to build on your friendship, with you, for its own sake because he just cares. And if you get hurt he will have sadness for you, yourself. Not me or just the people far away. Though he cares for everyone too (he is able to do that :))
 
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