Fr Bede Griffiths o.s.b.,
"To enter deeply into meditation is to enter into the mystery of suffering
love. It is to encounter the woundedness of our human nature. We are all deeply wounded
from our infancy and bear these wounds in the unconscious. The repetition of the mantra is
a way of opening these depths of the unconsciousness and exposing them to light. It is
first of all to accept our woundedness and thus to realize that this is part of the wound
of humanity. All the weaknesses we find in ourselves and all the things that upset us, we
tend to try to push aside and get rid of. But we cannot do this. We have to accept that
"this is me" and allow grace to come and heal it all. That is the great secret
of suffering, not to push it back but to open the depths of the unconscious and to realize
that we are not isolated individuals when we meditate, but are entering into the whole
inheritance of the human family." p50.
"The resurrection does not consist merely of the appearances of Jesus to
his disciples after his death. Many think that these appearances in Galilee and Jerusalem
are the resurrection. But they are simply to confirm the faith of the disciples. The real
resurrection is the passing beyond the world altogether. It is Jesus' passage from this
world to the Father. It was not an event in space and time, but the passage beyond space
and time to the eternal, to reality. Jesus passed into reality. That is our starting
point.
It is into that world that we are invited to enter by meditation. We do not have to wait for physical death, but we can enter now into that eternal world. We have to go beyond the outer appearances of the senses and beyond the concepts of the mind, and open ourselves to the reality of Christ within, the Christ of the resurrection." p77.
Bede Griffiths OSB, THE NEW CREATION IN CHRIST: CHRISTIAN MEDITATION AND COMMUNITY (Springfield, IL: Templegate, 1994)
Father Bede referred to John Main as "the most important spiritual guide in the Church today."
Father Bede Griffiths, who died in 1993, was one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20th century, a charismatic man who emanated unconditional love.
The Bede Griffiths Sangha (sanskrit for community) who was established in 1994 is an informal network of people who have been touched and inspired by his life and teaching and by his vision of the "Marriage of East and West": if you would like to know more about Bede Giffiths and Bede Griffiths Sangha ;
The Bede Griffiths Sangha, Beech Tree Cottage,
Gushmere, Selling, KentME13 9RH, UK.
Phone : +44 (0) 1227 752871
Fax : +44 (0) 1227 750082
Email : bg.sangha@btinternet.com
Web : www.bedegriffiths.com