Is Meditation Dangerous?
One
morning my celibate serenity was rudely ruffled when a fantastically
beautiful girl gushed into my office. As to face, figure and fashion
she could well have walked off the fashion pages of THE MANILA CHRONICLE.
But if her attributes instantly turned me on, her attitude switched
me off just as quickly. She had just recently been BORN AGAIN and
she had decided to "let her light shine before men" as this
weekend's Gospel tells us to do. She had chosen me to be the man,
and with roughly hewn chunks of Scripture set out to convince me that,
not only was I on the way to perdition, but that I was an anti-Christ
leading others down the slippery slope especially by teaching them
meditation and opening the doors for the devil to enter their souls.
Most causes do not need protagonists; their over-enthusiastic proponents
are enough to destroy them!
Her
intervention brings up the questions of over-enthusiasm and of the
danger of meditation. Fr. John Main, the teacher whom I follow, spoke
once of being at a party with someone who had newly discovered the
thrill of sailing a boat. Within half an hour most of those present
had had enough of sailing boats for the rest of their lives. Enthusiasts
about meditation could produce a similar effect. John had a good friend,
Fr. Eltin Griffin, a Carmelite, and it was only after his death that
Eltin knew that he taught meditation. There is a tendency when we
get convinced of something to shout it from the house tops or try
at once to form a movement or organization, but this must be done
with great discretion. Mature spirituality is not concerned with numbers
and high profile; it is more like the seed that is planted and grows
quietly day and night. It is very respectful of the truth that is
in other methods or approaches and sees the Scriptures as storehouses
from which unending treasures emerge, not as arsenals from which to
draw ammunition to be fired at spiritual adversaries. Those who are
trying to lead a deeper spiritual life must have a great sense of
humor about themselves and their fumbling efforts to begin again in
the frustrating task of trying to say the mantra, the prayer word,
for 20 to 30 minutes each morning and evening. They will be aware
of how much ego is in even the best things we try to do.
My
lady visitor did bring up a commonly heard question: is meditation
dangerous?
In almost twenty years of personal experience of meditation following
the teachings of John Main and of working with meditation groups in
different parts of the world, I have never come across anybody that
was hurt spiritually or psychologically by meditation. I believe that
there is no danger in this form of meditation.
From
history there are lingering fears about meditation. Protestants have
told me that they were taught that if you meditate, Satan will come
in and take over your soul. Obviously, this is the product of contention
between traditions where there may have been unhealthy practices involved.
From
experience I can understand how these fears may have come about. As
one meditates one becomes more honest. This means that repressed forces
within may be released. Some of these are good; some of them are bad.
Anger and repressed hurt may bubble up to the surface. This can be
frightening and can be why some people are afraid to meditate. According
to the tradition and vocabulary with which one has grown up these
strong forces from within may be described as angels or demons. A
meditation group needs a competent director to help understanding
and discernment in these matters. In our own times there are meditation
teachers, and schools of teaching, whose motivation and practice merit
critical scrutiny. The gift of God is free but some "teachers"
demand big fees for the meditation word, the mantra, and technique
that assure "transcendence." Guarantees of instant "success"
or of paranormal experiences have nothing in common with true mysticism
or spirituality.
In
the sixteenth century Quietism was condemned by Pope Innocent XI.
According to the Quietists, salvation came entirely through God's
action without our efforts. For them meditation or contemplation was
the only kind of prayer. The fear of being branded a Quietist has
influenced the teaching of prayer for centuries. For example, St.
Alphonsus Ligouri (1696-1787), a Doctor of Prayer, is very wary when
he talks of contemplative prayer.
Mysticism,
the direct unmediated communication between God and the individual,
is a fact of Scripture, of history, and of the experience of many
ordinary people. However, it is very often extremely difficult to
discern what comes from God and what comes from a psychologically
unstable mind or other influences like the use of drugs. Mystics tend
to be vague, not fitting into clear categories, and they often tend
to have disturbing things to say to those who are content with the
status quo. For these reasons the institutional Church has always
been wary of mystics and mystical experience.
Taken
from Sundays
into Silence - A Pathway to Life. Copyright © 1998 by Claretian
Publications
