Seekers are people of faith even if they do not belong to a particular religion. Faith in this sense is deeper than one’s belief system. Belief systems belong to the level of pluralism; faith to the level of unity. Faith is constitutive of human nature itself. It is openness to Ultimate Mystery before It is broken down into various belief systems. It is the acceptance of authentic living with all its creativity and the acceptance of dying with its potential for a greater fullness of life. The experience of the transcendent dimension in oneself is an expression of this fundamental faith at work.
One aspect of the search for Ultimate Mystery requires special emphasis today. I refer to Its identification with other human beings and with their needs, rights, and heartbreaks. The seeker must search for Ultimate Mystery not only in Itself, but also in Its manifestation in individual human beings, especially in those who are suffering unjustly. …
If seekers of Ultimate Mystery perceive themselves as citizens of the planet earth, then their first loyalty is to the human family as a whole. The particulars of race, nationalism, religion and culture can be transcended without reacting against them or trying to destroy them.
Thomas Keating
“Seekers of Ultimate Mystery,”
The Contemplative Outreach News, June 2010
(the full newsletter archive is here)
 Q: I’ve been meditating for about 10 years every day three or four times for about 30 minutes each. I’ve practiced mantra and just sitting or Shikantaza,
Later on I’ve been doing Centering Prayer twice a day and Christian meditation per John Main. Can I practice both or should choose one? I really love the silence and resting in the presence of God.
A: Read Lindsay’s response here.
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