Contemplative Practices in Action 0 Content

 0] Contents

Foreword by Huston Smith vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1 Introduction: Contemplative Practices in Action 1 Thomas G. Plante, Adi Raz, and Doug Oman

PART ONE: INTEGRATED CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE SYSTEMS 5

Chapter 2 Similarity in Diversity? Four Shared Functions of Integrative Contemplative Practice Systems 7  Doug Oman

Chapter 3 Managing Stress Mindfully 17 Hooria Jazaieri and Shauna L. Shapiro

Chapter 4 Translating Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life: The Eight-Point Program of Passage Meditation 35 Tim Flinders, Doug Oman, Carol Flinders, and Diane Dreher

Chapter 5 Centering Prayer: A Method of Christian Meditation for Our Time 60 Jane K. Ferguson

Chapter 6 Mantram Repetition: A “Portable Contemplative Practice” for Modern Times 78 Jill E. Bormann

PART TWO: CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITIONS 101

Chapter 7 “The Eternal Is with Me, I Shall Not Fear”: Jewish Contemplative Practices and Well-Being 103 Zari Weiss and David Levy

Chapter 8 A Comprehensive Contemplative Approach from the Islamic Tradition 122 Aisha Hamdan

Chapter 9 The Path of Yoga 143 T. Anne Richards

Chapter 10 Zen and the Transformation of Emotional and Physical Stress into Well-Being 159 Sarita Tamayo-Moraga and Darlene Cohen Roshi

PART THREE: CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES IN ACTION: APPLICATION 181

Chapter 11 The Impact of Meditation Practices in the Daily Life of Silicon Valley Leaders 183 Andre L. Delbecq

Chapter 12 “Shaking the Blues Away”: Energizing Spiritual Practices for the Treatment of Chronic Pain 205 Amy B. Wachholtz and Michelle J. Pearce

Chapter 13 A Pilgrimage from Suffering to Solidarity: Walking the Path of Contemplative Practices 225 Gerdenio Manuel, SJ, and Martha E. Stortz

Chapter 14 Contemplative Practices in Action: Now What? 243 Thomas G. Plante and Adi Raz

Index 247

About the Editor and Contributors 257

 

Foreword

If I ask myself why it is I who has been asked to write the Foreword to this important book, I suspect that it is because it is in line with my own book, The World’s Religions, which is, like this one, ecumenically inclusive. In its 14 chapters, Contemplative Practices in Action introduces a broad array of contemplative practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. No faith or religion is accorded privileged status above others.

However, towering above the virtue (which I consider it to be) of ecumenism, is this book’s persuasive conviction that the world’s reli- gions house inexhaustible resources for transforming and augmenting the human spirit, a conviction with which I concur.

There is another and somewhat more personal connection, however, which has to do with the fact that the Eight-Point Program of Passage Meditation developed by the late Eknath Easwaran figures importantly in several chapters of Contemplative Practices in Action. Easwaran was a professor of English from Kerala, in South India, who came to this country on a Fulbright fellowship in 1959  and became  a widely read and deeply respected teacher of meditation who lived out his days in an ashram in Northern  California.  I  had  the  privilege  of  meeting him more than once and held him in high regard.

On several occasions, friends drove me to Easwaran’s ashram to participate in the evening gatherings of the community that sprang up around him. After supper, residents would join their teacher to lis- ten to his short homilies, ask questions about their spiritual practice, or simply sit quietly in the community’s soothing, collective peace. Those evenings made me think of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram, where, after their simple suppers, villagers would gather around their leader for brief prayer meetings. Gandhi always made sure those services included prayers and scriptural readings from all the great religious traditions, and so did Easwaran.

That is half of the story, and the book in hand tells the other half. Contemplative evenings with a great spiritual teacher are not ends in themselves. It would not be amiss to think of them as times when com- municants recharge their batteries for the next day’s work. The title of this book, Contemplative Practices in Action, splices the two halves together. Like Gandhi, like the Buddha, like all great spiritual teach- ers, Easwaran had no use for beliefs unless they generated actions. Doing, not saying, is what counts.

Welcome to this book, which ought not to leave any serious reader unchanged.

Huston Smith Berkeley, California

January 2010

 ===

Goodreads Reviews:

Apr 08, 2012Jill rated it really liked it

Picked this up in the recommended book section of the library. An excellent exploratory book for anyone as new to comparative religion as I am. And this book is helpful because it gives you action points, ways of practicing mindfulness, for example, instead of just barking religious dogma at you. I imagine this would be a useful book to have around if you're looking to change your life in a positive way. Suggestion: I found it best to skip around to chapters that grabbed my attention rather than reading it beginning to end.

"According to Buddhist psychology, suffering comes from our wanting things to be different from what they really are, whether that is wishing for another job, for more money, for a different appearance, or even to be happier...Though we are presenting mindfulness meditation here as a means of stress management, it is important to note that in Buddhism, the intention of mindfulness training is not for "stress management" but to achieve complete liberation from suffering and compassion for all beings."

On Observing the Breath: "Some find it helpful to set an intention before beginning this sitting exercise by silently speaking something that resonates for them in the moment. "May I be nonjudgmental," or "May I be gentle with myself" are examples of such intentions."

Mindful Eating: "First, simply observe how you eat, without changing anything about it. Do you eat with someone? Do you eat standing up or sitting down? Perhaps while doing something else? where do you eat--on a couch, in bed, at a table, in front of the computer? How much do you eat? How long does it take you to eat? How do you feel before and after you eat? How do you determine what to eat?"

Mindful Eating: "As a mindful eating exercise, try sitting down to a meal and pausing before you begin eating. Set an intention for this meal, for example, "May this food nourish me"; "My I be present for this meal"; "May I appreciate all that was involved in providing this meal". And it goes on to explain how to observe your eating, how you feel during and after, paying close attention to your body.

"Recent surveys show that as many as one-third of Americans place themselves in the category of "spiritual, but not religious," rejecting traditional organized religion as the sole means of furthering their spiritual growth."

Source: Rumi

Passage:

"Everything you see has its roots.

In the unseen world.

The forms may change,

Yet the essence remains the same.

Every wondrous sight will vanish,

Every sweet word will fade.

But do not be disheartened,

The source they come from is eternal."

(less)

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Gloria

Apr 22, 2011Gloria rated it really liked it

Shelves: for-the-spirit

I can see this book being used as a textbook for a class on spiritual practices. It is rather dry like a textbook, but is also quite thorough in presenting viewpoints and practices among all the major faiths. Not particularly inspiring, but certainly educational. Lots of resources included.

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Mila Gamaiunova

Aug 11, 2018Mila Gamaiunova rated it it was amazing

The book makes an introduction of different types of contemplative practices rooted in various traditions.

Contemplative Practices in Action 2] Similarity in Diversity? Four Shared Functions of Integrative Contemplative Practice Systems

 2] Similarity in Diversity? Four Shared Functions of Integrative Contemplative Practice Systems

Doug Oman

The reader of this volume, impressed by the rich descriptions of many diverse systems of spiritual practice, may start to wonder, “What are the shared themes? What patterns emerge amidst this inspiring profu- sion of perspectives?” In this chapter, I sketch one possible answer— one way of characterizing shared themes and functions that appear in many different systems of practice. Along the way, I propose using the term integrated contemplative practice to describe systems of practice that meet a certain functional threshold.

Four common elements or themes can be found, I suggest, in most of the practice systems described in the next eight chapters. These commonalities exist even though some chapters describe com- prehensive and clearly defined systems, whereas others present instruc- tively selected highlights from venerable traditions. More specifically, the next four chapters in Part One examine well-defined systems of interrelated practices that are challenging, but can be undertaken by individuals in their entirety. Three systems partly or wholly tran- scend individual faith traditions (e.g., Mindfulness, Passage Medita- tion, Mantram), whereas the fourth (Christian-derived Centering Prayer) arose within a particular faith tradition. In contrast, all four chapters in Part Two explore venerable schools (yoga, Zen) or major traditions ( Judaism, Islam)1 that constitute storehouses of wisdom

 

8 Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health

accumulated over many centuries. Each of these schools or tradi- tions, viewed in its entirety, has accumulated a richer repertoire of techniques than any one individual can fully implement.

One shared function of many spiritual practice systems was described in the 1980s by Daniel Goleman. He surveyed more than a dozen methods of meditation, both East and West, and reported that “the need for the meditator to retrain [his or her] attention ... is the single invariant  ingredient  in  the  recipe  ... of  every  meditation  system” (p. 107).2 Indeed, it seems quite likely that almost all of the practices dis- cussed in this book, when undertaken regularly over time, will affect— and may sometimes transform—how people habitually deploy their attention. But can we identify any specific and concrete forms of resem- blance between traditions?

Several concrete resemblances can indeed be identified. Recently, my colleagues and I at the Spirituality and Health Institute (SHI) observed several elements in common between two paradigmatic sys- tems of practice.3,4 More specifically, we found four distinct functions that were each accomplished, in slightly different ways, by these two integrated contemplative practice systems: Passage Meditation (PM) (Flinders et al., this volume) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) (Jazaieri and Shapiro, this volume).

Both PM and MBSR, we noted, require setting aside time—substantial

time—approximately half an hour daily—for undertaking a powerful attention-training activity. For this purpose, PM and MBSR each use a form of sitting meditation. Similarly, PM and MBSR each recommend specific mental centering/stabilizing practices to be used throughout the day to stabilize and balance the mind in conditions of stress or boredom (PM uses mantram repetition, and MBSR uses informal mindfulness practices). These analogous elements do not perform functions that are fully identical matches—rather, to borrow a phrase from positive psychology, these analogous elements, and the precise functions they perform, may be said to share a “coherent resemblance” (p. 35).5

Table 2.1 shows that with few exceptions, variants of these four elements are prevalent not only in PM and MBSR, but in each set of contemplative practices covered in the next eight chapters. These four shared elements, or features, are as follows:

1. Set-aside time—time that is set aside regularly, usually daily, for a disciplined activity or exercise that has a comparatively

 

Similarity in Diversity? 9

powerful effect on training attention.2 Variants of sitting medi- tation are commonly used. Some systems in this book also use prescribed postures (e.g., yoga, Islam). Such attention training can support optimal performance in all spheres of life, since “attention is the first and often most effective line of defense in nearly every sphere of self-control” (p. 1172).6 Most attention training fosters concentration, and “powerful concentration amplifies the effectiveness of any kind of activity” (p. 168).2 The attention-training functions of meditation are supported by recent neuroimaging evidence.7

2. Virtues and character strengths—qualities of character and behavior, such as compassion, forgiveness, or fearlessness. In many sys- tems, such qualities are to be cultivated throughout the day by making appropriate choices in thoughts, words, and actions. Typically, the recommended qualities involve subsets of six cross-culturally prevalent classes of virtues recently identified by positive psychologists—wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.5

3. Practices for centering/stabilizing that are usable throughout the day— such as during occasions of stress, anxiety, or unstructured time. Examples include returning the mind to the breath (MBSR), or returning the mind to repeating a mantram or holy name.8,9 Here, the contemporary word “center” (small c) is used to designate recovery of a sense of inner strength and balance. (This contrasts with the term “Centering Prayer,” which designates a specific sys- tem of Christian-derived practices,10 described elsewhere in this volume by Ferguson.)

4. Spiritual models—attending to individuals whose behavior reflects desired spiritual qualities—provide a unique resource for spiri- tual growth. Spiritual and religious educators have long viewed spirituality as primarily “caught, not taught” (p. 149),11 since so much of human learning is social. Spiritual and religious tradi- tions, and many of the practice systems described in this book, transmit words of revered or instructive spiritual models, such as Jesus, the Buddha, Muhammad, or various sages and saints.12 Attending to spiritual models’ words and actions can motivate sustained practice, and guide or inspire implementation of other spiritual practices (e.g., #1–#3).

 

Table 2.1. Presence and Naming of Features by Contemplative Practice Type

1 2 3 4

 

Practice System

 

Set-Aside (/Dedicated) Attention Training

 

Virtuous/Mindful Attitudes

 

Centering Practice Usable Throughout Day

 

Spiritual Models/ Exemplarsa

 

 

Integrated Contemplative Practice Systems (Part One)

 

Mindfulness (/Vipassana)b

 

Sitting meditation (on breath)

 

Mindfulness attitudes Informal practices Poetry

 

 

Passage Meditationb Sitting meditation

(on a passage)

 

Put others first;

+ additional

 

Mantram repetition Passages; reading

 

 

Centering Prayer Sitting meditation

(with sacred word)

 

Implicit;c silence, solitude, service

 

Prayers: active; welcoming

 

Implicitc

 

Mantramd Focus; slow Mantram repetition

Contemplative Traditions (Part Two)

 

Judaism Sabbath;e prayer; meditation

 

Implicit;c peace, calm, equanimity

 

Repeat verse (liturgy/ scripture)

 

Implicit;c teachers/ Rebbesf

 

 

Islam Five daily prayers Many (justice, gentleness, etc.)

 

Dhikr (remembrance); supplication

 

The Prophet/aha¯dı¯th

˙

 

 

Yoga Asanas +meditation Yamas (truth, nonviolence, etc.)

 

Lineage of teacher

 

 

Zen Sitting meditation (Zazen) Brahma Viharas (compassion, etc.)

Others Combinations or Systems—Yours, Your Client’s, or Your Student’s

1. 

 

Mindfulness; letting go

 

Teaching stories; teacher

 

2. 

3. 

Note: For a fuller explanation of each practice system, see corresponding chapter in this volume; lists of practices contained in each cell may be incomplete. aThe final column describes learning from traditional or prominent models, but most systems also encourage spiritual fellowship to foster learning from positive models in the local community.

bMindfulness and Passage Meditation are the two paradigms used to develop the four categories.

c“Implicit” practice categories are typically enacted when an individual engages in traditional observance, especially communal worship. For example, Jewish and Christian services in synagogues and churches often include scripture readings about virtuous conduct and spiritual models such as Moses or Jesus. dMantram/holy name repetition as presented by Bormann lacks the full set of four elements that comprise an integral contemplative practice system, but it is extracted from such a system (Passage Meditation).

eThe Sabbath cycle is weekly (not daily).

fSee Silberman25 on Rebbes as spiritual models.

 

Figure 2.1 shows how these four elements of practice can work together in concert to foster spiritual growth and related outcomes. In every system, these elements are intended for integration into one’s daily and weekly routines of life,13 through which they may gradually transform “character, conduct and consciousness” (p. 37).14 As tools for retraining attention, they reinforce each other. They address multiple needs and opportunities that arise in the ordinary rhythms and textures of daily living. Like a well-designed course of instruction or a healthy physical exercise routine, they provide for periods of heightened intensity and immersion (#1, set-aside time), application of skills in diverse contexts (#2 character strengths and #3 centering/ stabilizing), and overall guidance and inspiration (#4 spiritual models). The model in Figure 2.1 suggests that these four elements function synergistically, by reinforcing each other. Like the nutritional contri- butions of complementary food groups,15 these four types of practice together may generate greater benefits than obtainable separately from individual practices. Of course, the model in Figure 2.1 is far from complete in representing all of the psychological and spiritual processes that operate in real time. Other factors include an

Figure 2.1. Elements Function Dynamically in Concert.

 

individual’s need for a valid and coherent worldview,16 and the influ- ence of spiritual fellowship.11,17 For this reason, forms of “spiritual shopping” (p. 126)18 that are blind, that incoherently mix and match incompatible elements from discordant practice traditions, will rarely be optimal. Spiritual benefits, one might hypothesize, are maximized when the elements interface and cohere harmoniously with each other, like pieces of a well-constructed musical instrument, or threads in a well-crafted tapestry. How to best evaluate the coherence of a set of prac- tices is, of course, a perennially controversial and important issue— and one that cannot be resolved here.

Practical applications flow from recognizing the synergistic interre- lation of elements in these four categories. For example, an individual could use the four categories as a checklist to review the complete- ness of his or her own practice, from the standpoint of the model in Figure 2.1. More broadly, the four elements might function as a checklist for a psychotherapist to help a client in reviewing his or her practice, or for an educator to lead students in reviewing or aug- menting their own practices. To distinguish it from something less complete, my SHI colleagues and I propose that a system of practices that encompasses elements from all four categories should be desig- nated an integral contemplative practice system.

In the practice systems examined in this book, centering activities (#3) are perhaps most commonly missing, or underemphasized in real-world implementations. A useful resource to redress this neglect is offered by Bormann’s chapter (this volume). She highlights mantram/holy name repetition, a cross-culturally common practice that produces centering. When sought, variations of mantram repetition can be found in many faith traditions and practice systems, including several described in this volume.

For individuals who are interested or engaged in some form of spiri- tual practice—about 80 percent of U.S. adults, according to a recent national survey (p. 79)19—the following questions may prove practically beneficial:

1. Do I currently draw spiritual support, strength, and reinforcement through engaging in practices in each of the four categories listed earlier? That is, do I enjoy the spiritual support of an integral contemplative practice?

2. If not, can I expand my practice in ways that are personally appropriate and consistent with my tradition and beliefs?

 

3. How can I extend my practice in a way that is most harmonious and complementary to my existing practices?

Such questions may also be relevant to the growing roster of for-profit and nonprofit organizations seeking to systematically integrate spir- ituality into the workplace20,21 (see also Delbecq, this volume, whose executive seminars have addressed all four elements).

Even beyond its relevance to spiritual practice, of course, many ben- efits can flow from identifying commonalities across faith traditions. Recognizing similarities may facilitate intercultural understanding, foster improved communication between human service professionals and diverse clients, and contribute to better education and health care. This chapter has described similarities in daily spiritual practices. Similarities also exist at other levels, ranging from the institutional22 to the philosophical.23 Comparatively few earlier writers, such as Walsh24 and Easwaran,14 have examined similarities in practices. Yet daily practice is at the core of applying spirituality to address real- world problems. Our analyses suggest that diverse faith traditions have recommended similarly integrated systems of contemplative practice. I encourage readers to consider how these four categories may apply to their own practices, and that of their clients, students, fellow congregants, and organizations, as well as to the practice sys- tems described in the next eight chapters in this book.

REFERENCES

1. Hamdan (this volume) describes practices from Islamic Sunni tradi- tion; also within Islam is Shia tradition, as well as Islam’s mystical side, Sufism, a phenomenon “so broad [and with] appearance so protean that nobody can venture to describe it fully” (p. 3), according to Schimmel, A. (1975). Mystical dimensions of Islam. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

2. Goleman, D. (1988). The meditative mind: The varieties of meditative experience. New York: Tarcher.

3. Oman, D., Shapiro, S. L., Thoresen, C. E., Plante, T. G., & Flinders, T. (2008). Meditation lowers stress and supports forgiveness among college students: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health, 56, 569–578.

4. Oman, D., Shapiro, S. L., Thoresen, C. E., Flinders, T., Driskill, J. D., & Plante, T. G. (2007). Learning from spiritual models and meditation: A ran- domized evaluation of a college course. Pastoral Psychology, 55, 473–493.

 

5. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC, and New York: American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press. “To say that particular virtues ... converge ... is not to argue that all their features line up perfectly, but rather that they have a coherent resemblance to one another, sharing more features than not” (p. 35).

6. Baumeister, R. F., & Exline, J. J. (1999). Virtue, personality, and social relations: Self-control as the moral muscle. Journal of Personality, 67, 1165–1194.

7. Lutz, A., Slagter, H. A., Rawlings, N. B., Francis, A. D., Greischar, L. L., & Davidson, R. J. (2009). Mental training enhances attentional stability: Neural and behavioral evidence. Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 13418–13427.

8. Oman, D., & Driskill, J. D. (2003). Holy name repetition as a spiritual exercise and therapeutic technique. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 22, 5–19.

9. Baesler, E. J. (2001). The prayer of the holy name in Eastern and Western spiritual traditions: A theoretical, cross-cultural, and intercultural prayer dialogue. Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 38, 196–216.

10. The term “Centering Prayer” was adopted in the 1970s by three Trappist monks to describe a system of practices they had codified; and one of its earliest published uses was in Pennington, M. B. (1980). Centering prayer. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

11. Oman, D., & Thoresen, C. E. (2003). Spiritual modeling: A key to spiritual and religious growth? International Journal for the Psychology of Reli- gion, 13, 149–165.

12. Oman, D., & Thoresen, C. E. (2007). How does one learn to be spiri- tual? The neglected role of spiritual modeling in health. In T. G. Plante &

C. E. Thoresen (Eds.), Spirit, science and health: How the spiritual mind fuels physical wellness (pp. 39–54). Westport, CT: Praeger.

13. Fiese, B. H., Tomcho, T. J., Douglas, M., Josephs, K., Poltrock, S., & Baker, T. (2002). A review of 50 years of research on naturally occurring fam- ily routines and rituals: Cause for celebration? Journal of Family Psychology, 16, 381–390.

14. Easwaran, E. (1978/2008). Passage meditation: Bringing the deep wisdom of the heart into daily life. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press (full text: http://www

.easwaran.org).

15. Robertson, L., Flinders, C., & Ruppenthal, B. (1986). The new laurel’s kitchen: A handbook for vegetarian cookery & nutrition. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

16. Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

17. Oman, D., Thoresen, C. E., Park, C. L., Shaver, P. R., Hood, R. W., & Plante, T. G. (2009). How does one become spiritual? The Spiritual Modeling Inventory of Life Environments (SMILE). Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 12, 427–456.

 

18. Wuthnow, R. (2005). America and the challenges of religious diversity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

19. Gallup, G., & Lindsay, D. M. (1999). Surveying the religious landscape: Trends in U.S. beliefs. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse.

20. Giacalone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2003). Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

21. Duerr, M. (2004). The contemplative organization. Journal of Organi- zational Change Management, 17, 43–61.

22. Smart, N. (1996). Dimensions of the sacred: An anatomy of the world’s beliefs. Berkeley: University of California Press.

23. Smith, H. (1976/1992). Forgotten truth: The common vision of the world’s religions. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.

24. Walsh, R. N. (1999). Essential spirituality: The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind. New York: Wiley.

25. Silberman, I. (2003). Spiritual role modeling: The teaching of meaning systems. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 13, 175–195.

 

CHAPTER 3

Contemplative Practices in Action 1] Introduction: Contemplative Practices in Action

 1] Introduction: Contemplative Practices in Action

Thomas G. Plante, Adi Raz, and Doug Oman

Several decades ago in his book The Meditative Mind,1 Daniel Goleman reviewed more than a dozen major Eastern and Western methods of contemplative practice, ranging from Christian hesychasm and Jewish Kaballah to  Transcendental  Meditation  and  Tibetan  Buddhism. He reported that two major approaches or strategies to meditation were incorporated: One recurrent approach was concentration, that is, focused attention on a single object, such as the breath, a mantram, or a prayer. The other recurrent approach was mindfulness (the detached observation of one’s thinking process). Sometimes concentration and mindfulness were used separately, and sometimes they were combined in various ways. Goleman argued that both mindfulness and concentra- tive meditation have been directed to a single objective, the retraining of attention, a skill that he believed “amplifies the effectiveness of any kind of activity” (p. 168). Goleman also reported that “the need for the meditator to retrain his attention, whether through concentration or mindfulness, is the single invariant ingredient in the recipe for altering consciousness of every meditation system” (p. 107). Nearly a century earlier, William James, one of the founders of modern psychology, had argued that “the faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will.    An education which should improve this faculty would be

the education par excellence” (p. 424).2

 

2 Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health

In modern health promotion, psychotherapy, and other human service interventions, these contemplative practices have largely been taken out of their religious and spiritual contexts and then secularized and repackaged.3,4 For example, the health and mental health care community has incorporated mindfulness meditation in recent years with numerous books, workshops, conferences, and trainings being offered. Yoga studios can be found in many strip malls, and meditation workshops are offered by human resource departments in many diverse companies.5

The currently popular mindfulness meditation approach stems from Zen Buddhism and Hindu yogic practices, and it is a common miscon- ception that only by borrowing from these Eastern traditions can one secure any benefits from contemplative practices. Many Christians and Jews, for example, who identify and engage with their religious tradi- tion, are often not aware of the long history of contemplative practices within their own faith tradition. As many in our culture have become more familiar and comfortable with the Eastern contemplative prac- tices, the Western practices have been largely ignored, even though they also often offer contemplative approaches that can provide effective stress management, well-being, and healing.6,7

All of the major religious and spiritual traditions have developed specific principles and techniques to help their members assimilate con- templative perspectives and behaviors aimed at fostering a fuller experi- ence of wisdom, wholeness, and enlightenment.1,7,8 Research studies have reported many physical and mental health benefits from regular contemplative practices, as well as confirming their stress management functions.4,5,9,10 Benson,11 for example, has documented that meditation helps to promote a “relaxation response.” He argues that when medita- tion is associated with one’s religious or spiritual convictions, it further enhances relaxation, leading to greater psychological and physical health benefits. Recent well-controlled research studies have further supported Benson’s arguments, reporting advantages for spiritually based medita- tion over otherwise nearly identical secular forms of meditation.12,13

There are a number of books available on contemplative practices. However, almost all focus on one particular religious or spiritual tradi- tion and most are practice oriented without solid research grounding. Usually, they highlight the Eastern traditions and overlook the Western ones. This is especially true among books that target the health and mental health care communities.6,7

The purpose of this book is to examine contemplative practices from a wide variety of both Eastern and Western religious and

 

Introduction: Contemplative Practices in Action 3

spiritual traditions and to examine their commonalities and unique approaches to improved well-being, health, healing, wholeness, and stress management. Chapters are written by experts in their fields, most of whom are affiliated with the Spirituality and Health Institute at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. Each chapter will discuss the state-of-the-art science, practice, and general applications of contemplative practices in the professional workplace, educational settings, pastoral care, and medical, psychological, or other health care environments. This book hopes to be inclusive in coverage of contemplative practices, and integrate science and practice in a bal- anced manner and from a variety of Eastern and Western sources.

This book will discuss several different contemplative approaches to stress management and achieving well-being. Some chapters highlight approaches from Western traditions while others highlight contempla- tive approaches from Eastern traditions. Others are integrative of both Western and Eastern traditions. Some are more closely connected to religious traditions and practices while others are not. Several chapters will highlight application to business and health care as well.

Oman (Chapter 2) has pointed out that four similar functions are performed in diverse ways by elements within many of the contempla- tive systems discussed in this book. Most approaches involve setting aside time for practices that reshape and train attention; most also include elements for centering oneself throughout the day, cultivating personal character strengths, and drawing inspiration and guidance from spiritual exemplars. Oman suggests using the phrase “integrated contemplative practice system” for systems of practice that encompass all four of these elements that are highlighted in this volume.

Sadly, it is impossible to include a discussion of every contemplative practice and practice system in one book. We cannot do justice to the numerous practice systems or isolated spiritual techniques that are not represented here. For example, the role of the rosary in the Roman Catholic tradition, shamanism, and the role of chanting in Hindu Bhakti traditions are just some of the many contemplative practices that are not presented here. Rather than presenting an exhaustive review of the contemplative practices among the various religious and spiritual traditions, our hope is to provide a helpful selection by leading figures in their respective fields to assist with stress manage- ment, healing, wholeness, and well-being. The contributors met for an all-day conference with university and health care community members during October 2009. This allowed all of the authors to lis- ten to and consult with each other as well as with diverse professionals

 

4 Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health

in the local San Francisco Bay Area professional community in order to hopefully create a more thoughtful, seamless, and comprehensive book project. We hope that our efforts will encourage the reader to have a better understanding and appreciation of contemplative practices in action.

REFERENCES

1. Goleman, D. (1988). The meditative mind: The variety of meditative experience. Los Angeles: Tarcher.

2. James, W. (1890/1923). The principles of psychology. New York: Henry Holt.

3. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living. New York: Delacorte Press.

4. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Research and Practice, 10, 144–156.

5. Walsh, R., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). The meeting of meditative disci- plines and Western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist, 61, 227–239.

6. Plante, T. G. (2008). What do the spiritual and religious traditions offer the practicing psychologist? Pastoral Psychology, 56, 429–444.

7. Plante, T. G. (2009). Spiritual practices in psychotherapy: Thirteen tools for enhancing psychological health. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

8. Walsh, R. (1999). Essential spirituality: The seven central practices. New York: Wiley.

9. Borman, J. E., Gifford, A. L., Shively, M., Smith, T. L., Redwine, L., Kelly, A., et al. (2006). Effects of spiritual mantram repetition on HIV out- comes: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 359–376.

10. Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Cresswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211–237.

11. Benson, H. (1996). Timeless healing. New York: Scribner.

12. Wachholtz, A. B., & Pargament, K. I. (2005). Is spirituality a critical ingredient of meditation? Comparing the effects of spiritual meditation, sec- ular meditation, and relaxation on spiritual, psychological, cardiac, and pain outcomes. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 28, 369–384.

13. Wachholtz, A. B., & Pargament, K. I. (2008). Migraines and meditation: Does spirituality matter? Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 351–366.

 

PART ONE

INTEGRATED CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE SYSTEMS

PREFACE TO PART ONE

Part One, “Integrated Contemplative Practice Systems,” focuses on systems of practice from both East and West that are well defined and sufficiently limited in scope that they can be undertaken in their entirety by a single individual. First, Oman’s short introductory chap- ter offers a conceptual analysis and overview, unique in this volume, that describes four shared elements that are present in many of these practice systems. His chapter includes a table that shows the specific names used to describe these elements in each of the additional chap- ters in this section, as well as the names used in chapters in Part Two (“Contemplative Traditions”).

Each of the remaining four chapters in this part examines a single contemplative practice system. Attention is directed in turn at Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction ( Jazaieri and Shapiro), Passage Meditation (Flinders, Oman, Flinders, and Dreher), Centering Prayer (Ferguson), and repetition of a mantram or holy name (Bormann). Most of these practices can be undertaken within any major faith tra- dition, although Centering Prayer is essentially Christian. Bormann’s mantram/holy name repetition practices were extracted from the Passage Meditation system by its developer, and contain only two of

 

6 Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health

the four elements described by Oman. But as Bormann points out, the mantram/holy name is noteworthy for its portability, power, and uni- versality. It highlights powerful but oft-forgotten practices that can be found within each major faith tradition, and which can complement these traditions’ better-known elements.

 

CHAPTER 2

대행 - Daehaeng 위키백과

대행 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전

대행

위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전.

고대 중국의 관직에 대해서는 대홍려 문서를 참고하십시오.

이 문서의 내용은 출처가 분명하지 않습니다. 이 문서를 편집하여, 신뢰할 수 있는 출처를 표기해 주세요. 검증되지 않은 내용은 삭제될 수도 있습니다. 내용에 대한 의견은 토론 문서에서 나누어 주세요. (2012년 7월)

대행 스님

대행(1927년 2월 3일(음력 1월 2일) ~ 2012년 5월 22일)은 대한민국의 비구니 승려이다. 호는 묘공당.

생애[편집]

1927년 2월 3일 서울 이태원에서 태어나, 1950년 강원도 상원사에서 방한암 스님을 스승으로 출가했다. 대행은 1972년 경기도 안양에 한마음선원의 전신인 대한불교회관을 건립해 선원장으로 활동했다.

2012년 5월 22일 오전 0시 경기도 안양 한마음선원에서 입적했고, 전국비구니회장으로 경기도 안양 한마음선원 연화대에서 다비식이 봉행되었다.

==

Daehaeng

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Daehaeng 대행 大行
Daehaeng Kun Sunim in 1996
Title	Dae Seon Sa (Great Zen Master)
Personal
Born	Jum Soon No/ 노점순 / February 3, 1927 Seoul, Korea
Died	May 22, 2012 (age 85) Anyang, Seoul, South Korea
Religion	Buddhist
Nationality	South Korean
School	Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
Notable work(s)	founder of Hanmaum Seon Centers
Posthumous name	Myo Gong Dang (묘공당, 妙空堂)
Senior posting
Teacher	Hanam Jungwon (漢巖 重遠)
Website	www.hanmaum.org/eng

Daehaeng Kun Sunim (대행, 大行; 1927–2012) was a Korean Buddhist nun and Seon (禪) master. She taught monks as well as nuns, and helped to increase the participation of young people in Korean Buddhism.^[1][2] 

She made laypeople a particular focus of her efforts, and broke out of traditional models of spiritual practice, teaching so that anyone could practice, regardless of monastic status or gender. 

She was also a major force for the advancement of Bhikkunis (nuns), heavily supporting traditional nuns’ colleges as well as the modern Bhikkuni Council of Korea.^[3][4] The temple she founded, Hanmaum Seon Center, grew to have 15 branches in Korea, with another 10 branches in other countries.^[5]

Contents

• 1Life
• 2Teaching Style
  • 2.1Modern Versions of Traditional Buddhist Ceremonies
• 3Hanmaum Seon Center
• 4Works in English
• 5Works in Korean
• 6See also
• 7References
• 8External links

Life[edit]

Daehaeng Kun Sunim was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1927. Her family was originally quite wealthy, and owned large pieces of land stretching from what is now Itaewon down to the Han River. Her father was from an old Korean military family, and had continued to secretly support resistance to the Japanese Occupation of Korea. As a result, in 1932 or 1933, the Japanese secret police, the Kempeitai, came to arrest him. He was warned a few minutes before their arrival and escaped out the back of his home with his family. They fled south across the Han River, and lived in the mountains there in a dugout hut. Unable to safely contact friends or family, they lived in poverty, having to glean fields for leftover grains of rice or vegetables.

Daehaeng Kun Sunim often slept outdoors in order to avoid her increasingly angry father. Obsessed with the question of why people suffer, she awakened when she was around eight years old. She was formally ordained by Hanam Kun Sunim in around 1948, and received Dharma transmission from him at the same time. She spent many of the years that followed wandering the mountains of Korea, wearing ragged clothes and eating only what was at hand. Later, she explained that she hadn't been pursuing some type of asceticism; rather, she was just completely absorbed in entrusting everything to her fundamental Buddha essence and observing how that affected her life.

Around 1959, she settled in a hermitage below Sangwon Temple in the Chiak Mountains, and in the mid 1960s moved to the Wonju area. Later she moved to the Cheongnyangni area of Seoul, before eventually moving to Anyang, where she established the first Hanmaum Seon Center in 1972.(Daehaeng 1993, 19-141)^[6]
At the time of her passing on May 22, 2012, she was the guiding teacher of over one hundred nuns, and the Dharma teacher of over fifty monks. The center she founded has a lay membership of over one hundred fifty thousand people, and has grown to twenty five branches around the world.^[7][8][9]

Teaching Style[edit]

"Have faith in your inherent Buddha-nature, unconditionally entrust it with the things that come up in your life, and go forward. Observe what happens when you entrust problems and feelings to your inherent nature -- experiment with this, and try to apply what you learn. And then go forward without clinging to even that."

A Dharma talk by Daehaeng Kun Sunim at the Jinju, South Korea, Hanmaum Seon Center

The goal of Daehaeng Kun Sunim teachings was to help people to discover the great potential with themselves. In this way, they would be able to make their own way forward, and use the abilities inherent within them to help themselves and others. To this end, she taught people to rely upon the great wisdom and energy inherent within each of us, often called "Buddha-nature," through which she said each one of us is connected to every other being and thing.

In her own life and practice, Daehaeng Kun Sunim had experienced for herself that each and every person has this infinite potential with themselves, which she said could be called "Buddha-nature," "God," "inherent Buddha," "Father," and so on. Thus, she was determined to teach such that spiritual practice was something everyone could participate in, and which wasn't limited to certain groups such as monks or nuns.

It was important to her that people develop the strengths and tools to be able to practice and overcome whatever might confront them, without becoming dependent upon some outer teacher or guru. To this end, she taught people to rely directly upon this "inherent Buddha." (She also frequently used the Korean expressions for "foundation," "fundamental mind," "Juingong"(the one that is truly doing things," and "Hanmaum(one mind).) She did however say that an outer teacher may be necessary until people find their own, true inner teacher.

She exhorted people to work on letting go of thoughts such as "I," "mine," and "I did," as well as to be careful to interpret events positively. In addition, she warned about getting caught up in blaming others for the things one experiences. Instead, she said, understand that we've had a role in creating everything that we experience. So if we can handle them wisely, if we can entrust them to our foundation, even those will change and move in a more positive direction.

She didn't emphasize fixed periods of sitting meditation, nor did she encourage the systematic study of hwadus(kong-an). She wanted people to get used to listening inwardly and discovering what they needed to do at any particular time to brighten their own hearts, as opposed to getting caught up in other's fixed forms and traditions. To this extent, she taught people to take the issues of their own daily life as the material of their spiritual practice, and to practice entrusting that to one's inherent Buddha-nature.

About hwadus, she said that although they can still be effective, they don't work as well with modern people, and at any rate, each person has their own fundamatal hwadus that they were born with. "Why am I here?" "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" and so on. She called these kinds of questions "naturally arising hwadus."

(See No River to Cross, 2007, Wake Up and Laugh, 2014)

Modern Versions of Traditional Buddhist Ceremonies[edit]

In the late 1970s, Daehaeng Kun Sunim began translating the traditional ceremonies used in Korean Buddhist temples.^[7] These were used at the temples she founded, Hanmaum Seon Centers, beginning in the early 1980s, with the first collection of these ceremonies being widely published in 1987,^[10] but it would not be until late 2011 when Korea's largest Buddhist order, the Jogye Order, would begin to introduce modern Korean translations of the traditional Chinese-character(hanmun) ceremonies.^[11] Daehaeng Kun Sunim had been concerned that laypeople were missing the benefits and help that understanding the ceremonies could provide, so she began translating them from the traditional Sino-Korean characters into modern, phonetic Korean(Hangul). These included:

• The Thousand Hands Sutra(千手經), which includes the Great Compassion Dharani(大悲咒)
• The Heart Sutra(般若心經)
• The Diamond Sutra(金剛經)

In addition, she translated the Flower Ornament Sutra(華嚴經). Her Korean version of the Thousand Hands Sutra and the Great Compassion Dharani has been published in English as A Thousand Hands of Compassion^[12]

Hanmaum Seon Center[edit]

Hanmaum Seon Center("Hanmaum Seonwon"), Anyang, South Korea,

Hanmaum Seon Center(or Hanmaum Seonwon-한마음 선원) is large Buddhist temple complex near Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1972, in Anyang City, it is part of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is run by Daehaeng Kun Sunim's Bhikkuni disciples, and has fifteen Korean branches and ten overseas branches. In addition to its role as a center for teaching the Dharma, it is well known for its choir and youth groups. The youth group is the driving force behind many award-winning lanterns and floats that take part in the Buddha's Birthday parades.

Works in English[edit]

Primary Works

• No River to Cross: Trusting the enlightenment that's always right here (2007, Wisdom Publications)
• Wake Up and Laugh: The Dharma teachings of Zen Master Daehaeng (2014, Wisdom Publications)
• A Thousand Hands of Compassion: The chant of Korean spirituality and enlightenment (2008, Korean/English, Hanmaum Publications)
• My Heart is a Golden Buddha: Buddhist stories from Korea (2012, Hanmaum Publications)

Secondary Works

• Educating Unborn Children: A Sŏn Master's Teachings on T'aegyo, by Chong Go (2006), in Religions of Korea in Practice, Buswell, Robert, (ed). 144-162.
• Sŏn Master Daehaeng’s ‘Doing without Doing’, by Chong Go (2010), in Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism, Park, Jin Young, (ed). SUNY Press, 227-242.
• Forum on the Thousand Hands Sutra: Frankfurt Bookfair 2009, (2009, English/German, Hanmaum International Culture Institute)

Works in Korean[edit]

Principle Works

• 신행요전 Hanmaum Seonwon, 1987 (Ceremonies and Essentials)
• 한마음요전 Hanmaum Seonwon, 1993, (The Principles of Hanmaum[One Mind])
• 허공을 걷는 길, V. 1-15 Hanmaum Seonwon, 2005~, (Stepping Forward into Emptiness: The collected Dharma Talks of Daehaeng Sunim)

Major Secondary Works

• 道 : 김정빈長篇實名小說 by Kim Jeong Bin, Kŭlsure, 1985, (The Way: A story of finding the Path, by Kim Jeong Bin)
• 한마음 : 大行스님對談集, by Che-yŏl Yi, Kŭlsure, 1988 (One Mind: Conversations with Daehaeng Sunim)
• 無 : 大行스님法語集 by Kim Jeong Bin, Kŭlsure, 1991 (Nothing: The Dharma Teachings of Daehaeng Sunim)
• 한마음과 대행禪 edited by Hye Seon, Unjusa, 2013 (One Mind and Daehaeng's Seon)

See also[edit]

• Korean Buddhism
• Korean Seon

References[edit]

1. ^ Chung, C.K. (May 22, 2012). '비구니계 큰스승' 한마음선원장 대행스님 입적 ['A Great Bhikksuni Teacher' Daehaeng Sunim, founder of Hanmaum Seon Centers passes away]. Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2014.
2. ^ Oh, Hyeon Gyeong (May 26, 2012). 묘공당 대행스님 영결식 봉행 [The Funeral Ceremony of "Myo Gong Dang" Daehaeng Sunim]. Bulgyo Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2014.
3. ^ An, Jik Su (August 20, 2003). 전국 비구니회관 서울 수서에 개원 [National Headquarters for Council of Buddhist Nuns Opens in Seoul]. Bulgyo Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2014.
4. ^ Eom, Tae Gyu (November 11, 2010). 제22회 포교대상에 대행스님 [Daehaeng Sunim: Recipient of the 22nd Grand Award for Helping to Propagate Buddhism]. Bulgyo Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2014.
5. ^ "Nun who propagated Korean Buddhism abroad dies". Dong-a Ilbo. May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
6. ^ Daehaeng, Sunim (1993). 한마음요전 (The Principles of Hanmaum)
7. ^ Jump up to:^a b Si, Jun Bong (May 23, 2012). [부고]한마음선원 세운 대행 스님 [[Obituary] The Founder of Hanmaum Seon Centers, Daehaeng Sunim]. Jungang Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2014.
8. ^ Sunim, Chong Go (May 22, 2012). "The Passing of Daehaeng Kun Sunim". Wake Up and Laugh. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
9. ^ Lim, Yunsu (May 27, 2012). 릴레이 상여꾼들이 멘 스님 운구 [Sunims Carry the Coffin]. Ohmynews (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
10. ^ Hanmaum Seonwon(1987). 신행요전(Ceremonies and Essentials)
11. ^ Bak, Seong Yeoul (October 11, 2011). 우리말 반야심경 널리 쓰여야 [It's Time for the Korean Version of the Heart Sutra to be Widely Used]. The Buddhism Journal (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2014.
12. ^ Daehaeng (2008). A Thousand Hands of Compassion.

External links[edit]

• Hanmaum Seon Center (Hanmaum Seonwon)
• Wake Up and Laugh (blog featuring many articles about Daehaeng Kun Sunim's teachings.)