Something of Silence

"The quieter we are, the more patient and open we are in our sadnesses, the more deeply and unerringly a new revelation can enter us, and the more we can make it our own. Later on when it ‘happens’ – when it manifests in our response to another person – we will feel it as belonging to our innermost being."
 
Letters to a Young Poet - Ranier Maria Rilke 

Songwriting

“The lyrics are the real thing, tangible, they’re not metaphors. The songs seem to know themselves and they know that I can sing them, vocally and rhythmically. They kind of write themselves and count on me to sing them.” - Bob Dylan (6/20/2020 New York Times interview)

When is it Contemplative? A Reflection on Contemplative Mind

Transcript: In Episode #1, I provided an introduction to the podcast and mentioned that guests would be discussing what they mean when they say "contemplative". I did not however say what I mean. While there may be diversity in understanding, a commonality is how our usual, familiar mind is viewed and treated in contemplative practices. 

Implicit is the idea that while this mind, the one we usually think of, is necessary for survival and well-being, and is developed and valued for its ability to accumulate information and to analyze it, to think critically, to use complex language, and to anticipate and plan for the future, etc., it is not the sole means for knowing that is at our disposal as humans. When, for lack of a better expression "thinking mind" dominates, other ways of knowing go unrecognized and unappreciated. 

For instance, if I wish to see the beauty, uniqueness and elegance of my visual world as it is in all its plentitude versus what I think it is, I will need to let go of thinking mind (my thoughts, concepts, opinions, judgements) and be open and receptive to unfiltered and unmediated seeing. Or speaking religiously, if I wish to know god or have a closer relationship with god, I will need to let go of what I think god is and open to receiving information that is not solely based on thinking mind including what others might have said and alleged to be true. In so doing, we're residing in "contemplative mind" so to speak.

Introduction to the Podcast

Thomas Keating (1923-2018), author, priest and monk, spoke of a contemplative dimension of life (CDL) and how we can awaken to it via our experiences of nature, scientific discovery, artIstic expression, religion or otherwise. A religious person might say such awakening is a grace and of god’s will. Other’s that it is simply a human potentiality that is common to all. This podcast explores through conversational interviews how diverse individuals and traditions understand the CDL and related practices, and how such practices can enrich life experience.
 
Initial Episodes

-  Welcome, Ron Barnett
-  Organization or Organism?: The Story of Contemplative Outreach, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, former
    President
-  Miksang: Seeing and Photographing the Visual World, Julie DuBose, Director & Co-Founder, The Miksang
    Institute for Contemplative Photography
-  The Retreat - Time-out at 8,000 Feet, Pat Johnson, Retreat Leader, St. Benedict’s Monastery, Snowmass CO
-  Pedagogy and Education, TBA
-  Health Care, Self Care and Medicine: The Role of Mindfulness, John A. Patterson MD, MSPH, FAAFP
-  Social Action, TBA
-  Managing the Mind During Long Distance Swimming, Jim Clifford, Attorney-at-Law
-  Contemplative Wilderness, Stephen Hatch
  
Host: Ron Barnett

Ron received a doctorate in psychology with a focus on cognition and leaning and worked for many years in medical research with the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He is a lifelong student and teacher of contemplative practices including approaches to meditation and the flourishing of human well-being. Ron served as a Board Trustee of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. and Coordinator of its Chapter for metropolitan Washington DC. He resides in Maryland, teaches with The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography, and swims, bikes and kayaks along the way.