I am THRILLED to share this email interview with a long term student of Fr. Thomas Keating, David Frenette.
David is the author of the well known book The Path of Centering Prayer.
Beyond his sharing of his unique relationship with Thomas Keating, I’m sure you’ll enjoy his sense of the “value of contemplative prayer for people today.
David’s answers are written below my questions which are bolded.
In brief, tell us about your relationship with Father Thomas Keating?
I met Father Thomas Keating in 1983, two years after I converted to Christianity, having moved to Berkeley to practice Zen Buddhism. I immediately recognized that Fr Thomas was a genuine spiritual master, as deep as any Buddhist teacher I had encountered. I soon went on his first Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat and shortly thereafter lived a monastic life under his auspices for ten years at a Centering Prayer retreat center.
Trappist Monk Thomas Keating in Contemplative Prayer
Until his death in 2017 he was my abba, or spiritual father. In the Christian monastic and contemplative tradition this is a relationship of spiritual mentoring, existing on outer and inner levels. On the outer level Fr Thomas manifested to me the counter cultural values of the contemplative life, including: endless compassion, transparent humaness and ordinariness. On my side, I was his dedicated spiritual son: loyal, hidden, committed. I often attended to his needs when he was teaching by cooking his breakfast, carrying his bag and driving him around.
On the inner level, spiritual generatively can also exist between a spiritual father, or mother, and son, or daughter. Over time, I noticed that the Christ in me was being animated by the Abba in him. Evelyn Underhill, one of the greatest writers on Christian Mysticism of a century ago, said of her own abba, Baron Friedrich von Hugel: “somehow by his prayers or something, he compelled me to experience Christ. He never said anything more about it – but I know, humanly speaking, he did it…I seem to have to try to live more and more towards him (Christ) only.”
In 2014 when my wife and I were moving from Colorado to Oregon, and I knew I’d only be able to see Fr Thomas once a year or so, I told him that he was always with me, when I turned in my consciousness toward his Mind. He said he understood that, and that he experienced the same thing with me. Needless to say, this relationship was a great gift to me.
What is the value of contemplative prayer for people today?
During this time of environmental, social and political change and collapse, contemplation and meditation offer a path of connection, connection with ultimate meaning, connection with other people, connection the ground of all life. We can find refuge from turmoil and uncertainty in this connection, Ultimate Reality, or God.
And more than that, because from the point of view of unity, the right practice of contemplative prayer flows from the depths of our being into our words, our actions, and our life. Contemplative action is the unifying expression of contemplative prayer. The changing collapsing world needs us engaged with it, acting from a centered place of presence rather than distraction, hope rather than despair, unity rather than separation. Contemplative prayer is a refuge, a dynamic refuge, for people today.
In what ways do you see Centering "Prayer" also as a meditation practice?
Having taught and written about Centering Prayer for 40 years, I find the most beneficial way for me to share it now is as a meditation practice first and a contemplative prayer practice second. When sharing “Centering Meditation” I use the language of life rather than religious language.
I trust that someone’s own unique sense of the divine, or “God,” will guide them. If that is towards a religiously contemplative practice then they will find themselves drawn to Christ by name. They will download Centering Meditation’s religious background. If not, then the practitioner has, in Centering Meditation, a helpful practice that is grounded in a wisdom tradition. Much the way mindfulness is grounded in Buddhism without being conditioned by its religious language. So, Centering Meditation is very suited to those who identify as spiritual more than religious. And also for those who are religious.
How might a Centering Prayer practitioner open to the deeper waters of contemplation?
Once someone has established their daily practice of Centering Prayer – Meditation, there are valuable ways of deepening it into contemplation. On our March 20th event (Note: this event was in 2020) we will explore one of these ways.
What do your current prayer and meditation practice look like?
At this late time in my life, I practice many forms of meditation, along with a good dose of formless meditation too. Because of my health most of my practice is done in my backyard meditation shed and offered for others, without being able to be engaged in explicit forms of service that involve travel, even local travel. I wish I could be more engaged and active. But at times, there is no separation between my own practice and the prayer I offer for others. I follow Jesus’ example in this regard.
