The Inspiring Life of a Modern Christian Mystic, Father Thomas Keating
Thomas Keating
Father Thomas Keating is one of great Christian mystics and contemplative giants of our time. Spiritual teacher, Cynthia Bourgeault, a long time student and colleague of Fr. Keating, offers insight into this master’s journey from cloistered monk to world-renowned spiritual leader.
Cynthia Bourgeault
Cynthia Bourgeault is a Episcopal priest, and theologian. She divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine and traveling globally to promote the rediscovery of the Christian contemplative path. She is a core faculty emerita of the Center for Action and Contemplation and founding director of an international network of Wisdom Schools. She was a long-time student and colleague of Fr. Thomas Keating. Cynthia’s articles and essays have appeared in many journals and publications, and she is the author of numerous books, including the book we are discussing today, Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Christian Mystic.
WEBSITE: CynthiaBourgeault.org WisdomWaypoints.org Facebook: Cynthia Bourgeault
#kriyayoga #centeringprayer #thomaskeating #unityconsciousness #Oneness #interspiritual #interfaith
The documentary on the life of Father Keating that is mentioned in this program is The Rising Tide of Silence. It is available on several streaming platforms.
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Cynthia Bourgeault’s relationship, deep study with Fr. Keating and her own deep practice gives us a greater understanding of his work, especially in the latter half of his life. She equates Fr. Keating to one of maybe 5 Christian mystics in history who have attained a highest level of understanding of Reality. She shared that for many Christian practitioners his teachings have been received as a “lifeline”. For those of us on the yogic path of spiritual awakening, the teachings of Fr. Keating resonate deeply. He came to these realizations just as the ancient rishis and rishikas came to them, by spending time in profound silence. I really appreciated Cynthia’s closing statement “Whatever stage you are in the journey, bless that stage and know that it opens into something else.” I would highly recommend this program.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: In this conversation we learned about Father Keating who was was key to re-establishing the process of Centering Prayer, a form of meditation, in the Christian tradition. I appreciated his description of meditation as “taking a brief vacation from yourself”. As Cynthia Bourgeault pointed out, his teachings over the last 30 years of his life focused on unity consciousness and having a direct relationship with the Infinite. He realized that all spiritual traditions have a way to “speak the language of silence” and connect in their depths. It was a pleasure to learn more about Father Keating in our discussion, and to find so many areas where his teachings touch on the teachings of Kriya Yoga.