SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
Prayer with fantasy
[23]Improving awkward relationships
Spend ten minutes for exercise, trying to achieve the serenity of mind and eliminate obsessive thoughts. (Observe the sensation of the air touching the isosceles triangle area at the tip of your nose, or the sensation of each part of your body.)
And then...
Think about a person who you feel awkward with. If you have more than one person, choose one. Who is it?
(2 minutes)
Imagine that the person is in front of you. What is his/her face like? What kind of clothes is he/she normally in? You don’t like the person. Recall the person’s shortcomings. Find three, such as “I don’t like that tendency,” or “I don’t prefer his/her way of doing that.”
(2 minutes)
Then, find three good points (favorable characteristics, good traits) of the person. One, two, and three. Find at least three good points.
(5 minutes)
Now, keep some distance from the person. Jesus comes to that person. Jesus approaches him/her. How does Jesus feel, looking at him/her? When you come to know how Jesus feels, how do you feel?
(5 minutes)
Then, Jesus turns to you. Does he tell you something? Does Jesus speak to you, or does he only look at you? Accept Jesus, who is looking at you, for a while, and try to listen to his message.
(5 minutes)
Still with your eyes closed, use your imagination and come back to the room you are actually in. Where is the entrance? Where are windows? Does the ceiling high, or low? Where are chairs? How are you feeling now?
(2 minutes)
Conclude this prayer by singing Tenrei Seika (Japanese liturgical hymn book) #177 “Watashi no kokoro wa kami no uchi ni yorokobu (My heart rejoices in God).”