The Cloud of Unknowing Pt. 2: Centrality of Love, by William Meninger

Fathers Thomas Keating, William Meninger and Basil Pennington began the Centering Prayer movement in the 1970’s to renew the Christian tradition of contemplation. This series, “The Christian Contemplative Heritage - Our Apophatic Tradition,” locates Centering Prayer in the mainstream of the Christian Contemplative Tradition which retrieved, reclaimed and reappropriated the classical inspirations of our apophatic tradition. Recorded at the Contemplative Outreach Institute at the Beech Grove Benedictine Center in January 1994, the entire series has not been available since the days of VHS videocassettes, until now.
For a listing with links to all videos in this series, including all six parts of “The Cloud of Unknowing,” go to the playlist at • The Christian Contempl... .
For information on the Centering Prayer practice and Contemplative Outreach, which sponsored this series, go to www.contemplati....

[@maureenribeiro2391]

I am so grateful for these videos. Thanks for Your Generosity!

[@SolveEtCoagula93]

This Mystical teaching is beautiful. 'God' and 'It' are not the same (read Meister Eckhart). God, as stated, can be referred to in many ways, Father, Love, Compassion, Infinite, etc.. These are dualistic qualities and belong to what the mind can grasp. 'It' is non-dualistic, and nothing can be said of it - only pointed to. Here, ALL spiritual paths become meaningless.

[@kvnboudreaux]

Hey should have been the only one to promote centering prayer because he kept it firmly rooted in Christian tradition

[@coutreach]

You may be interested in the discussion between Meninger and Keating at kzbin.info/www/bejne/enitc6aOgLt8sLs.

[@kvnboudreaux]

thanks@@coutreach

[@final1fantasy]

We need Part 1, please. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@coutreach]

Part 1 is at kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqHImp53itqirLM

[@MarcosBetancort]

The only question I have about this negative theology and love is what is the gospel of Jesus Christ has to do with it practically? If one can unite with God by a negative theology in contemplation where does the intelligible Gospel for salvation fits in?

[@brycecormier1527]

John 14:6 The only way of entering into the presence of God is through Jesus Christ. One must come to know Christ through the gospel before he is able to love Christ

[@MarcosBetancort]

@@brycecormier1527 right but then it is not just blank contemplation, or abstraction from thought.

[@millicentmarano5001]

Wasn’t he a monk❤

[@juliesheard2122]

About time Christians dropped all this "Him" and "Almighty" stuff. I have just spent a short 2 week stay in an open convent and was shocked by the mental illness around me in the visitors who believe in the dualisms. Grasping at Hod and terrified of the Devil they conceptualise everything. God they create in their own image, stick It in their pocket and declare It "mine" or at best "Ours". Centering prayer is, I hope, a methodology to cure this spiritual sickness. But just as humans are not separate instances of existance, so neither are religions. Mystical or apophetic thought belong to all and is in fact utterly natural; it can be found amongst all the traditions of ancient tribes and traditions of spirituality. The experience of Love is not unique to Christians it is the birthright of humanity. Please stop with your greed for what you call souls. Sit down without your "Almight" and talk WITH not at the rest of us, oh sweet Christians. You did not invent what you call "Christ". It has been around much longer than Jesus.