Contemplative Outreach of Colorado's 16th Annual Conference featured speakers Fr. Thomas Keating and Mr. Bob Mischke. Fr. Keating is currently in residence at St. Benedict Monastery in Snowmass, CO. More than 30 years ago, he served as abbot at St. Joseph's Abbey, a large Cistercian monastery in Spencer, MA. There, Fr. Keating and fellow monks, Fr. William Meninger and Fr. Basil Pennington, developed Centering Prayer, a distillation of the Christian contemplative tradition of the desert fathers, Eastern mediation practices and a prayer method described in the 14th Century English classic, The Cloud of Unknowing. Bob Mischke is a retired surgeon who runs a Christian spiritual retreat center with his wife, Genca, near Idaho Springs, CO. He also is a Contemplative Outreach instructor who has presented classes on the teachings of Jesus and Eckhart Tolle.
In his presentation, Fr. Keating discussed the human condition and Oneness in the world, with particular emphasis on the Lenten season. The human condition, he explained, must be viewed in the broader context of 13.7 billion years of an evolutionary plan that continues to unfold and has shifted from the biological to the spiritual level. He described Lent as an invitation for us to grow beyond our childish limitations and experience an "inner resurrection" in which we become more fully integrated human beings. Through this process, we can fully participate in the Divine plan, transforming ourselves and the whole human family.
In his talk, Mr. Mischke drew parallels between Fr. Keating's description of the false self and Tolle's use of the term "pain body." Both teach that the greatest obstacle on our spiritual journey is "the tyranny of the mind," or the over-identification with our thoughts. Centering Prayer teaches letting go of the continual stream of thoughts through the practice of interior silence while Tolle emphasizes being in the "present moment." Mischke outlined a series of simple techniques suggested by Tolle that can help us return to the present moment in the midst of daily living.