Just This

What's "Just This: Prompts and Practices for Contemplation" about?

• Contemplative Seeing: The book focuses on a type of seeing that goes beyond mere looking, involving recognition and appreciation, which is central to contemplation.
• Inner Dialogue: It emphasizes the importance of an authentic inner dialogue, where the contemplative mind teaches us how to see rather than what to see.
• Mental Discipline: Contemplation is described as a mental discipline that detaches us from habitual thinking, allowing us to see the truth of things in their wholeness.
• Spiritual Journey: The book explores the spiritual journey as an interplay between moments of awe and the process of surrendering to those moments.

Why should I read "Just This: Prompts and Practices for Contemplation"?

• Deepen Spiritual Practice: The book offers insights and practices to deepen one's spiritual practice through contemplation and mindfulness.
• Transformative Insights: It provides transformative insights into how to see the world and oneself with new eyes, fostering a deeper connection with reality.
• Practical Guidance: Richard Rohr offers practical guidance on how to cultivate a contemplative mind and live a life of awareness and presence.
• Universal Themes: The book addresses universal themes of love, suffering, and surrender, making it relevant to anyone on a spiritual journey.

What are the key takeaways of "Just This: Prompts and Practices for Contemplation"?

• Seeing with New Eyes: The importance of seeing beyond dualistic thinking to appreciate the wholeness of reality.
• Role of Contemplation: Contemplation as a practice that helps maintain the fruits of love and suffering over time.
• Inner Transformation: The book emphasizes the need for inner transformation through practices that cultivate awareness and presence.
• Universal Connection: It highlights the interconnectedness of all things and the role of imagination in encircling the world.

What are the best quotes from "Just This: Prompts and Practices for Contemplation" and what do they mean?

• "Imagination is more important than knowledge." This quote emphasizes the limitless nature of imagination compared to the constraints of knowledge.
• "The spiritual journey is a constant interplay between moments of awe followed by a general process of surrender to that moment." It highlights the dynamic nature of spiritual growth through awe and surrender.
• "We must allow ourselves to be at least slightly stunned by it until it draws us inward and upward, toward a subtle experience of wonder." This quote encourages openness to the transformative power of awe.
• "The way to any universal idea is to proceed through a concrete encounter." It underscores the importance of specific experiences in understanding universal truths.

How does Richard Rohr define contemplation in "Just This"?

• Beyond Mere Looking: Contemplation involves a kind of seeing that includes recognizing and appreciating, not just looking.
• Mental Discipline: It is a mental discipline that detaches us from habitual thinking and binary mindsets.
• Inner Dialogue: Contemplation is central to authentic inner dialogue, teaching us how to see what we behold.
• Truth in Wholeness: It allows us to see the truth of things in their wholeness, beyond superficial judgments.

What practices does Richard Rohr suggest in "Just This" for cultivating a contemplative mind?

• Beholding: Practice seeing things in their inherent dignity without interference or labels.
• Heart Attention: Cultivate heart attention through silence and placing awareness within the heart.
• Breath Awareness: Focus on the breath to center and ground oneself, moving towards full-access knowing.
• Silence: Embrace silence as a practice to connect with the divine and deepen awareness.

How does "Just This" address the concept of suffering and surrender?

• Transformative Suffering: Suffering is seen as a necessary part of the spiritual journey that can lead to transformation.
• Sacred Wounds: The book discusses the idea of transforming wounds into sacred wounds rather than denying or transmitting them.
• Surrender to Reality: Surrender involves accepting the reality of suffering and allowing it to lead to deeper faith and consciousness.
• Divine Economy: Rohr suggests that in God's economy, everything, including suffering, can be transmuted and used for growth.

What is the significance of "awe" in "Just This"?

• Foundation of Spirituality: Awe is described as the foundation for the entire religious instinct and journey.
• Moment of Gratitude: A single moment of gratuitous awe is essential to get started on the spiritual path.
• Universal Connection: Awe helps us universalize the goodness, truth, and beauty of reality, eventually including ourselves.
• Resistance to Awe: The book discusses how humans often resist awe and surrender due to ego and will.

How does "Just This" explore the relationship between love and suffering?

• Interconnected Experiences: Love and suffering are interconnected experiences that bring us into the present moment.
• Transformation through Suffering: Suffering is often the quickest and longest-lasting form of transformation into love.
• State of Being: Being "in love" is described as a state of being that opens us to wonder and receptivity.
• Role of Contemplation: Contemplation helps maintain the fruits of love and suffering over the long haul.

What role does imagination play in "Just This"?

• Encircling the World: Imagination is seen as more important than knowledge because it encircles the world.
• Broader Horizons: It allows us to venture into broader and more open-ended horizons beyond binary thinking.
• Creative Seeing: Imagination is essential for creative seeing and recognizing the interconnectedness of all things.
• Einstein's Insight: The book references Einstein's belief in the importance of imagination over knowledge.

How does "Just This" address the concept of the True Self?

• Objective Identity: The True Self is who you are from the moment of creation, beyond any actions or decisions.
• Purpose of Religion: The book suggests that the purpose of religion is to lead you to experience your True Self.
• Beyond Psychological Self: True Self goes beyond the psychological self to the cosmic and universal God Self.
• Experience of Union: Experiencing the True Self involves recognizing your union with God and all creation.

What is the "Welcoming Prayer" in "Just This" and how is it practiced?

• Simple and Hard: The Welcoming Prayer is a simple yet challenging practice of welcoming everything that comes to you.
• Letting Go: It involves letting go of desires for power, control, approval, and security.
• Presence of God: The prayer opens you to the love and presence of God and God's action within.
• Daily Practice: It is recommended as a daily practice to counteract habitual reactions and find serenity through surrender.