{"id":355,"date":"2024-03-28T00:15:24","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T00:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanimberg.com\/?p=355"},"modified":"2024-03-28T01:35:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T01:35:46","slug":"the-contemplative-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanimberg.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/the-contemplative-life\/","title":{"rendered":"“The Contemplative Life”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Thomas Merton (1915-1968), the Trappist monk and author, has been a major influence in my life via his writings and the influence he has had on others that I admire (e.g. The Dalai Lama, Richard Rohr). For anyone curious, I strongly recommend you explore his writings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has referred to “The True Self” in his writing which is, as I understand, our self that is beyond ego, beyond fear, beyond even what we consider our identity. It is, as he describes it, reachable by way of a contemplative practice. His description is comparable to those of Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi figures throughout history which I find fascinating and encouraging. To use Richard Rohr’s term, it rings of “perennial truth”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past few years, I’ve made it a daily routine to awaken 1 hour before I have to get ready to depart the home so as to allow a time of prayer, meditation, reading, etc. It has made a subtle but noticeable difference in my demeanor and inner peace. It has been akin to dipping my proverbial toe into the contemplative waters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I share this as much to note to myself that, in spite of my noisy mind, fears, frustrations, and shortcomings, I have made some minor progress in this life to understand what serenity is. I know enough to know it is elusive and isn’t something to grab or obtain so much as it is something to be uncovered and rediscovered. It is, I believe (as Merton put it), to discover our true self. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May peace be with you, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thomas Merton (1915-1968), the Trappist monk and author, has been a major influence in my life via his writings and the influence he has had on others that I admire (e.g. The Dalai Lama, Richard Rohr). For anyone curious, I strongly recommend you explore his writings. He has referred to “The True Self” in his … <\/p>\n

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