Prayer begins at the edge of emptiness.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel(gratefulness.org)
And, from my experience, meditation can bring you into "emptiness" , an awesome blissful state with no thoughts, time or space!
Dean A. Banks Since our senses are limited, they only reveal a portion of reality. In order to finely tune our perceptions, we need a greater awareness of reality than we currently possess. In my 1982 book “Communication: The Key to Successful Living”, I explore the triune of prayer, meditation and service as a method of expanding your awareness. Prayer is a process whereby you speak to God (or Higher Power), meditation is the process of listening to God hearing His still small voice and service is the process of sharing your inner peace and resolve with the world.
Communication: The Key To Successful Living
©1982 The Light Center Foundation Press
Communication: The Key To Successful Living
©1982 The Light Center Foundation Press
Prayer is where you request or petition for something from God, or give thanks to God for something He has already given to us. It is where we accept that there is a Higher Power and we recognize our unity with Him. If we didn’t, then why would we pray at all? It is the way we talk to God. A simple look at the vastness of the universe should be impetus enough to realize that whoever created all of this is much greater than we are.
Meditation is where we shut up and listen. You cannot try to meditate. You must let go of the outer world and release your supposed control of it in order to truly meditate. Meditation allows you to enter the stillness of the Most High God. In the first part of Psalm 46:10 it states, “Be still and know that I am God!” In order to experience God’s greatness, we first need to remove any external distraction and enter the peace and stillness of the Most High God. God has 4 main qualities we need to experience in order to finely tune our perceptions. He is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (existing everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful) and omniparient (the source of everything). In order to experience how infinite God is we need to regularly meditate, or let go of the outer world and its distractions.
Finally, when we listen to God and increase our awareness we must begin to move our feet. Awareness without action is selfish. When we receive God’s awareness it is a blessing. We need to share this blessing with the outer world. Service is the act of giving this awareness to the outer world. Volunteer in your community, mentor a child or help those less fortunate than yourself. The act of giving enriches your spirit and blesses you with a finely tuned perception of the continuity and enjoyment of life.
By faithfully practicing prayer, meditation and service, we develop an attitude of gratitude. Giving thanks daily for all the blessings we have paradigm shifts our awareness off of the things, people and situations that we cannot control into an understanding of being thankful for our current experience. By the Law of Attraction all things, people and situations are ultimately created by us. God has given us the power of co-creating the universe. Christ said in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Can you get any clearer than that?
Meditation is where we shut up and listen. You cannot try to meditate. You must let go of the outer world and release your supposed control of it in order to truly meditate. Meditation allows you to enter the stillness of the Most High God. In the first part of Psalm 46:10 it states, “Be still and know that I am God!” In order to experience God’s greatness, we first need to remove any external distraction and enter the peace and stillness of the Most High God. God has 4 main qualities we need to experience in order to finely tune our perceptions. He is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (existing everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful) and omniparient (the source of everything). In order to experience how infinite God is we need to regularly meditate, or let go of the outer world and its distractions.
Finally, when we listen to God and increase our awareness we must begin to move our feet. Awareness without action is selfish. When we receive God’s awareness it is a blessing. We need to share this blessing with the outer world. Service is the act of giving this awareness to the outer world. Volunteer in your community, mentor a child or help those less fortunate than yourself. The act of giving enriches your spirit and blesses you with a finely tuned perception of the continuity and enjoyment of life.
By faithfully practicing prayer, meditation and service, we develop an attitude of gratitude. Giving thanks daily for all the blessings we have paradigm shifts our awareness off of the things, people and situations that we cannot control into an understanding of being thankful for our current experience. By the Law of Attraction all things, people and situations are ultimately created by us. God has given us the power of co-creating the universe. Christ said in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Can you get any clearer than that?
God has given us the tools to organize and appreciate the blessings in our life to be healthy, wealthy, prosperous and abundant. Can you count the grains of sand, the blades of grass and the stars in the universe? If you could you would see how abundant it is. We live in an abundant universe filled with opportunities to co-create, discover and actualize our God-given potential. Make time daily to finely tune your perception through prayer, meditation and service.
©2009 Dean A. Banks. All Rights Reserved
Principles for Living Fully
©2009 Dean A. Banks. All Rights Reserved
Principles for Living Fully
4. Within me exists a world of awe and splendor, and every morning is a reminder of my innate obligation to participate in my own majesty
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5. This life is my inheritance as a human being and I will claim it by living as fully as I possibly can through mindful and compassionate participation.
6. May any reward I receive be recycled through my service to others!
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