SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
Prayer with fantasy
[20]Jesus comes in history of my life - 3
In [8] and [13] of “Prayer with Fantasy”, a method of meditation titled “Jesus comes in history of my life” is introduced.
In this chapter, we will deepen the meditation especially as an extension of [13]. (This prayer is originally designed to be done together with the prayer introduced in [13].) We will try to praise God by looking at our bitter experience from a broader perspective.
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Sit in silence for a while and calm yourself. (5 minutes)
Then, recall the experience of being comforted by Jesus’ visit, as we did in [13]. Settle down, feel the presence of Jesus, the tender love that He shows, and be filled with His love. (5 minutes)
Now, we bring our awareness to the next level.
Recall the bitter, unhappy experience you have had since the unhappy experience in [13]. As you recall each event, feel that you are embraced by Jesus, who is beside you when you experience suffering. And praise God. Praise Him because of this bitter event, this mistake, and this sin. Let’s try this. Focus on how your mind changes while you pray. (5 minutes)
Next, we view this experience an as ongoing one. Let’s feel again that Jesus shows us His tender love and embraces us with his love… Then, pray with the following awareness: Pray so that God tells you what kind of goodness He draws out through this pain. God draws out goodness through this painful event. What is it? (4 minutes)
Praise God for a while, using your own words. Praise God and thank him in your heart. (1 minute)
Thank God no matter what kinds of bitter events you experience in the future. Can you do that? (2 minutes)
Still with your eyes closed, return to the room that you are in. Hear the sound. Imagine the size of the room. What are you doing here? What kind of emotion and feeling do you have after returning to this room? Do we feel uneasy, happy, or bitter? Focus as much as possible. (3 minutes)
Finally, praise God once again. Praise God, who dominates everything including your emotion. After two minutes, finish this prayer.
Conclude this prayer with Tenrei Seika (Japanese liturgical hymn book) #130 “Shu wo tataeyou (Let’s praise the Lord).”