The Centering Prayer
Needless to say, traditional Christians should have no objection to a contemplative practice that aims to assist them in becoming aware, or more fully aware, of the apophatic presence of God. The "traditionalist Catholic" criticism of the Centering Prayer which you...
An Exception to the Rule
The only place I recall where Schuon refers to Sikhism is in Understanding Islam. Having said (not surprisingly) that no new revelation is possible after a "certain cyclical period and the hardening of the terrestrial ambiance", the Middle Ages marking "gross modo the...
The Beneficence of Evil
Is it really true, you ask, that evil—with all its attendant suffering and death—is nothing more than illusion? As you know very well, this is precisely what many spiritual teachers have claimed, both Eastern or Western. To use Medieval Christian language,...
Irreducible Goodness
I'm not sure I'd use the phrase "non-dual God". God is God. Non-dualism has to do with our relationship with Him rather than with some sort of unusual conception of God. The question I was raising in class is whether we are fundamentally or essentially something...
Epektasis
I agree: doing consciously what we are doing right now is an indispensable means of fixing the spirit and soul in the Real. Can this be done "permanently"? Yes, but not in such a way that the need ever passes for a continued renewal of the effort required. "Done",...
Miserable as Ever
I'm not sure there really is such a thing as "the right degree of concentration", to quote from your message. I understand of course why you use this phrase: we read about such things as samadhi and fana, and we're perhaps tempted to think—a very dangerous...
A Two-Fold Remembrance
Yes, there is ample precedent for praying to both Christ and His Mother, not only canonically and thus discursively, but in the methodic, "hesychastic" way you allude to. I would recommend, however, that if you wish to use two full petitions, they should be: "Lord...
Would You Tell Them How?
As you know, I too have a profound love for a wide range of spiritual traditions and contemplative methods, Christian and otherwise. It's important, however, that we not get so caught up in the undeniable beauty of these teachings—their allure or their...
No Idea How It Happened
Thank you very much for sending me the following musings from a much-published scientist. As you doubtless expected, they only serve to confirm my own philosophical doubts concerning evolution: I will tell you, as a scientist and synthetic chemist: if anybody should...
Harrowing Hell
Yes, your question is certainly well-timed, and thank you for your season's greetings, which I gladly return: Christos anesti ! The only place I know of where Schuon speaks of Christ's descent into Hell is in the chapter "The Particular Nature and Universality of the...