Resources

Welcome to Meditation & Beer with Hamilton’s Well. In a few minutes, we will begin with a 20-minute simple silent meditation. Some of you may have a lot of experience with meditation while for others this may be new. You are all deeply welcome.

There are many ways to meditate. We invite you to participate in whatever way is most comfortable for you: close your eyes, or keep them open with a soft gaze, perhaps looking at the flickering of the candle. Keep your hands where they feel natural. We only ask that you honour the silence.

One way that we recommend here is the use of what is called an anchor word. Sometimes this is called a mantra-based form of meditation. The Benedictine monk John Main developed the use of an anchor word meditation using the word ‘Maranatha’ which roughly translated means ‘The presence of the divine.’

In this approach to meditation, we gently repeat the anchor word, split into four syllables: ‘ma-ra-na-tha.’ You can divide the rhythm however you’d like. To start, it may be helpful to take it slow, inhaling with ‘ma,’ exhaling with ‘ra,’ inhaling with ‘na,’ then exhaling with ‘tha.’

When we feel distracted or feelings arise, we come back to our anchor word as a focus, inhabiting every syllable for as long as our breathing takes us. If you have a prior meditation practice with your own mantra, you are welcome to use your own mantra or anchor word.

We begin by focusing on our anchor word to get beyond distraction. And in time as we develop our practice we will have moments where we transcend our thinking and feeling to encounter what is beyond ourselves.

Meditation will begin with three bells. Every five minutes an intention bell will ring again to help bring us back to our breath and our practice. The meditation will end with three bells. I will then read some words from John Main before a final benediction.

Before we begin, you might want to stand or stretch your muscles. [Pause and stretch.] Find a comfortable seat, sitting alert and upright, supported in the back of the chair, but relaxed at the same time. Become aware of the feeling of your body. The feeling of your feet on the ground. The feeling of the chair beneath you. Do you feel any tense muscles? Your shoulders, your neck, your jaw? Let them relax. Finally, become aware of your breath, the rising and falling of your chest and abdomen. The feeling of your breath in and out. Settle into your breath and your anchor word. We will begin our practice in a few moments.

May this group be a true home for the seeker, a friend for the lonely, a guide for the confused. May all those who meditate here be strengthened by the Spirit to serve all who come to receive. In the silence of this room may all the su=ering, violence, and confusion of the world encounter the power that will console, renew, and uplift the human spirit. May this silence be a power to open the hearts of people to the vision of creation, and so to each other, in love and peace, justice and human dignity. May the beauty of life fill this group and the hearts of all who meditate here with joy and hope. May all who come here weighed down by the problems of humanity, leave, giving thanks for the wonder of human life.

There are many different reasons to meditate: some do it to still their bodies and minds amidst a hectic life and world; some to be present to what is happening inside them; and some to simply have a moment of rest. Or all of them!

While you are meditating, you can have your eyes open or closed. If you choose to keep your eyes open, choose a point to direct a soft gaze, perhaps the candle, or one of the art works on the wall. Don’t choose another person for this as it may intrude on their practice. Keep your hands in a comfortable position. This can be on your lap, facing down or up, or by your sides. Sit in a relaxed way that feels like an open posture. You can choose to use to the time to be present to the rhythm of your breathing. You can slowly repeat a word or a short phrase in your mind (some places to start may be: ‘I am loved,’ ‘Peace is here,’ ‘Joy is within me,’ and ‘Hope endures’) or start at the top of your head and make your way down your body, checking in with how each part feels. If you notice that your mind has wandered, without judgement, bring your attention back to some of the simpler practices outlined above. If this time of silence is uncomfortable for you, notice that discomfort and allow yourself to feel it. Feel free to walk out of the room if it feels like too much. There’s always a next time to try again!

The reflections that we hear at the end of our time of silence every week are from a book called Silence and Stillness in Every Season: Daily Readings with John Main.

John Main (1926-1982) was a Benedictine monk. This means that he belonged to a group of people who follow a ‘rule of life’ written down by Benedict of Nursia (480-550). Their core values are peace, prayer, and work. While monks live a life built to be set apart for prayer and contemplation, they often participate in the world in vibrant ways.

This was the case with John Main. Born in England, he was on the path to ordination as a priest in the Catholic Church, but he left midway and studied law. This took him to Malaysia, where he was introduced to the mantra-based form of meditation by a Hindu religious teacher. Changed by the experience, he set back on the path to becoming a priest.

He spread the practice that he had found so life giving for him throughout the West and eventually founded a monastery in Montreal.

Because of his journey, some of his writings have explicitly Christian themes. We try to pick readings that will be accessible for all. But if you are interested in hearing more of his talks and reading more of his writings, there are a lot of resources available on MedioMedia.com.