WILLIAM BLOOM: THE POWER OF MODERN SPIRITUALITY
(Piatkus 2011, www.williambloom.com)
MARK WILLIAMS and DANNY PENMAN:
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World
(2011)
ABBOT CHRISTOPHER JAMISON:
Finding Happiness – Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life
(Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2008; Phoenix,
2009)
As we look forward to hearing Chris Sole on “Mindfulness and
Compassion: a Buddhist’s view” on Sunday 30th September at 7pm at
Wychwood Library, I have gone back to Bloom’s inspiring book whose subtitle is:
“How to live a life of compassion
and personal fulfilment”. It could almost be a bridge between our
discussions of Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
and our next study-text, the Abbot of
Worth Christopher Jamison’s Finding Happiness – Monastic Steps for a
Fulfilling Life (Introduction and Ch 1 to be discussed at Wychwood
Library on October 14th, 7pm-9pm).
When asked ‘What is your religion?’ in the UK Census last
year (only 17 spaces allowed under ‘Any other religion’) Bloom says he really wanted
to put ‘spiritual but not religious’ and would have liked to use words like holistic.
Someone else suggested universalist,
and others suggested that since diversity is the essence of modern spirituality
it would be wrong to try and describe it in a box or single word at all.
Modern
spirituality for Bloom is made up of Connection, Reflection and Service. And in the section on Connection he
identifies four core skills, which are the ability to:
- Pause and be mindful;
- Relax, centre and ground in your body;
- Observe what is happening in a kind and good-humoured way; and
- Yield to the feeling of connection.
In the light of the current trend for Mindfulness – in our
schools, in our local library, as a tool in cognitive behavioural therapy, in
meditation – it was interesting to see that the practice of mindfulness for
Bloom was only a start in a longer and deeper process. I recommend the whole book, which as well as
being instructive has a number of ‘exercises’ which are worth spending time on.
Professor Mark Williams, speaking to a full house at the
Christ Church Cathedral (Oxford) Summer Lectures last month, seemed to be making
a similar point. As the Director of the
Oxford Mindfulness Centre he was well-placed to give a thorough introduction to
the practice and relevance of Mindfulness.
Given the time constraints – and the non-specifically-religious nature
of the context – he did not take us any further than a brief practical session
to give us a flavour of the experience, but his parting words hinted that this could
be – and presumably for him as an Anglican priest it is – a preparation for
meditation, prayer, contemplation, or call it what you will.
We know from Karen Armstrong that the practice of
mindfulness features strongly in the contemplative practices of Buddhism and
Chris Sole will no doubt enlighten us further.
Should we also plan to invite Mark Williams, or maybe even the Abbot of
Worth who as a Benedictine monk will be extremely experienced in contemplation
and Christian prayer?
