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I am sure it's fair to say that all religions have in common that they aim for the true and the good and try to dismantle falsehood and badness (what is good and bad seems to the same in all religions).

I think that's a good generalization, Tara, which could also be applied to many philosophies. "The true and the good" are understood differently among the different religions, however, enough so to warrant their continuance as separate traditions. I don't think that's a bad thing, nor something we ought to try to gloss over. The differences make life more interesting.

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Traditionally (in Catholicism, at least), the intellect was understood to be the activity of the human spirit ordered to truth, wisdom and understanding. Intellect informs the will and is also informed by the psyche and its images and emotions.

This might further deflect the discussion from uua90's original enquiry, but would you say that understanding from the heart by-passes rational reflection, especially in matters of belief, or indeed life, which are problematic, and where a logical outworking of a solution may be impossible - something akin to intuition? Is heart-thought intellectual?

(I would read more from the book, Phil, but my head's a bit mangled via k energy at the moment)

Sorry to hear about your energy struggles, Stephen. I saw elsewhere that the moon is whupping up on you. Interesting phenomena!

People mean all sorts of things by heart knowledge or intuition, but usually it's along the lines of what you suggest: non-reflective knowledge. Sometimes this is simply a hunch that requires further reflection and investigation, but often it can be graced, infused knowledge. Even then, however, the intellect can have an integrative role to play.

Well folks, it's been a few months, and I'm back.

To make a long story short, I had a horrible summer. I decided to set aside my thoughts on Christian spirituality and just pursue the Buddhist path. This required a lot of time for meditating, time that I did not have. This made for a constant sense of frustration and left me feeling like a miserable wreck. I've hated my job and felt like I wasn't going anywhere in life, even with mindfulness in daily life. My biggest problem was the "tyranny of time", as I called it. The present moment was unpleasant, but it was nothing compared to the horrifying unknown of the future. I hated time.

My fourth child was born very unexpectedly last week. It was a difficult delivery and he almost didn't make it. It really made me stop and think about life and about what's important. I realized that my life was, quite simply, incompatible with the continuity of practice required by Theravada Buddhism. I wasn't sure what to do about this, since I couldn't keep feeling miserable. My wife convinced me to go to church with the family last Sunday and I had a wonderful time. Even though it's just a small Protestant home church, I felt like I belonged.

This rekindled my interest in Christianity. I started reading up on Christian mysticism and spent a lot of time reflecting on God, whether He existed and who or what He was, if He did exist.

I found Thomas Keating's Open Mind, Open Heart on Amazon and read some reviews. One the reviews was interesting. The reviewer said that they had a checkered spiritual past, practicing Buddhism for many years, but have found greater depth and completion in Christian practice. They also said that the closer they got to God, the less they knew about Him. This triggered a very strange inner change in me that I will try to explain below...

My experience of reality had been harsh and arid, but now there was something else, a Presence that completed it and made it feel full again. It felt all of reality was surrounded by a loving Awareness, that was beyond concepts. The tyranny of time that had plagued me for so long was inexplicably gone. I reflected on my life and saw how, if I practiced prayer, time would be a positive thing, because it would mean that I had time to deepen my relationship to God.

It reminded me of times when I was younger, when I would feel the presence of God as a kind of sweet nothingness that I could "fall into." I had forgotten these memories till now.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense. It felt like I was in love with the Unknown. Needless to say, I am now no longer interested in vipassana. I had a small taste of the Divine and that is all I want.

I realize there are some reservations with Centering Prayer on this discussion board, but I'm not sure where else to start.

Also-- I had a brief out-of-body experience a few nights ago, but I think it was because of my disrupted sleep patterns. Infants, I tell ya!

Thanks for the update, uua90. I have wondered how things were going with you.

Centering prayer is just fine for people who are ready for it, and it sounds like you are one such. I think that sense of presence you describe is what Christian faith opens us up to -- the One Who is always present to us, loving us. May you continue to grow in this loving awareness.

Yes . . . infants are tough. Who needs sleep, right? But it doesn't last too long, thankfully.