How to Knock—The Key to Meditation the Bible and Yoga

By Brian McDermott

The day of my meditation initiation ceremony a photo of a guru sat facing me from a table. I received a mantra which has been a vital part of my life ever since. This practice, so exotic and rare, clearly had beneficial effects. I learned to love my twice a day session. Years later I was asked to lead a meditation weekend gathering. I had, by then, learned Sanskrit terms and begun to study Indian systems of thought. I was looking for some thematic material on meditation to help the group deepen their practice. The scriptural help that came to me wasn't of Sanskrit origin but the King's English from Luke Chapter 11. Chapter 11 is where the disciples ask Christ how to pray. There are three parts to his answer. The first is The Lord's Prayer, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Hallowed be thy name is the tagline for meditation. This is followed by the friend at midnight parable. "Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. And I (Christ) say to you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." The third part of Christ's answer is the Father's promise-- "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." While the Lord's Prayer is known by all and the Father's promise familiar to all, the friend at midnight stays a parable until you practice meditation. In meditation you experience that to awaken the Lord sleeping with his children you must learn to knock with importunity (immodest pestering). From this beginning I began to see all over the New Testament and indeed the entire Bible, recurring references to meditative practice. I have written books on the mantra Christ left us and the accompanying teaching of the Two Great Commandments--glory to God, compassion to all. The Bible's meditation tradition can be traced, in the words of its own scripture, from Genesis 24:63 What follows is not a complete guide to meditation or a complete analysis of The Bible or the Yoga Sutras but reflections on individual Bible verses and Sutras that shine on their own to me. I hope by reading this book they will shine brighter for you also. May you learn how to knock.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0D6LSRBL7
• ISBN13: 9798327988507
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 28 Pages
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.1" x 8.5"