Ever since the rainy season retreats of the Buddha 2,500 years ago, sages have celebrated the transformative power of being alone. In Christian monasteries, silent mindfulness became part of the everyday routine in the sixth century after the appearance of a book of monastic principles and guidelines called \u201cThe Rule of Saint Benedict.\u201d<\/p>\n
In periods of trouble and isolation, my studies as a historian of medieval European religion draw me to the monks who\u2019ve taught that solitude heals the mind and body and brings one closer to others.<\/p>\n
The author of \u201cThe Rule,\u201d Benedict of Nursia, lived during the chaotic last years of ancient Rome, a period of plagues, intolerance, and, for some early Christians, self-isolation.<\/p>\n
Rather than retreat to the desert or live atop pillars, attempting to imitate Christ in acts of extreme aceticism, Benedict wanted a monastic life that combined \u201cora et labora\u201d \u2013 work and prayer. It should impose, he thought, \u201cnothing harsh or rigorous.\u201d<\/p>\n
The monastic lifestyle may seem stark for modern times, but Benedict\u2019s take on religious contemplation was moderate compared with the experiments of his era. His guidance for monks \u2013 which begins with a gentle, poetic invitation to listen with \u201cthe ear of the heart\u201d \u2013 quickly became the monastic standard.<\/p>\n
Today, it remains the traditional frame by which historians, philosophers and theologians regard contemplation as a monastic pursuit.<\/p>\n
About 1,400 years after Benedict\u2019s rules, Thomas Merton\u2019s writings about his experience as an American Trappist monk influenced generations of Christians seeking spiritual healing.<\/p>\n
Born in France in 1915, Merton moved to the United States after his mother died when he was 6. His father died soon after. His 1948 autobiography, \u201cThe Seven Storey Mountain,\u201d describes the long period of soul searching that ended when he recognized that solitude had became the antidote for his suffering.<\/p>\n
Being alone in silence was not about withdrawal from the world for Merton. Rather, solitude, as the foundation for heightened self-awareness, led to greater compassion for others. Merton expressed this realization, which sustained his lifelong activism in peace and social justice causes, in \u201cNo Man Is an Island,\u201d published in 1955 and now a classic in Christian spirituality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot find ourselves within ourselves, but only in others,\u201d he wrote, \u201cyet at the same time before we can go out to others we must first find ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not all monks succeed in finding inner peace through solitude, as Merton did.<\/p>\n
Take the Dominican Order of Preachers. While researching a book about the order\u2019s experiences during a diseased and disoriented 14th century in Spain, I found many failures among the mendicant friar-brothers.<\/p>\n
Beyond some examples of illicit sex and public criminality, there are many instances of disruptive, lewd and uncouth behavior.<\/p>\n
In 1357, just after the Black Death, for example, two of the order\u2019s men, Frances\u00e7 Peyroni and Bartomeu Capit, came to blows, hitting and kicking each other until, finally, clobbered with a stone to the head, Capit lost the ability to speak.<\/p>\n
The exploits of Spain\u2019s bad-boy friars make for good reading, but they also raise a disheartening question: If seasoned professionals can fail at contemplative progress, how can regular folks even hope to achieve the benefits of solitude?<\/p>\n
For some solace, consider the \u201cCloud of Unknowing,\u201d a practical manual for the work of reflective solitude. Written by an anonymous author of the late 14th century, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest of the medieval spiritual guides.<\/p>\n
The \u201cCloud of Unknowing\u201d calls the practice of solitude exercise. An everyday comparison helps here: As with running or walking, some exercise is better than nothing at all, and more is even better. Encouraging oneself to be still, quiet and alone is beneficial, no matter how much effort goes into it.<\/p>\n
The \u201cCloud\u201d author says that a guide or coach might offer helpful advice, various \u201ctricks and devices and secret subtleties,\u201d but none of that is necessary. What is most important is getting started and staying at it: \u201cDo not hang back then, but labor in it until you experience the desire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doing the exercise of solitude, rather than perfecting it, is what counts.<\/p>\n
Contemplative practice in the Western world has historically been the pursuit of privileged men, like so many other realms. In the middle ages, clerics often scorned female spirituality. Today, of course, meditation by and for women is common.<\/p>\n
Aspiring practitioners of solitude in today\u2019s turbulent times may find a capable guide in Anthony De Mello, an Indian Jesuit priest, psychotherapist, storyteller and spiritual teacher active into the 1980s \u2013 kind of a Catholic yogi.<\/p>\n
Like the author of the \u201cCloud of Unknowing,\u201d De Mello focused on reflective silence as a way of detaching from the words, concepts and emotions that can cause trouble. His 1978 bestseller, \u201cSadhana \u2013 A Way to God: Christian Exercises in Eastern Form,\u201d offers practical advice with an encouraging \u201cwell, that\u2019s a good start\u201d message.<\/p>\n
Many websites offer audio and video recordings of De Mello\u2019s conferences. They are super retro, but also, I think, just right for this moment of violence, illness and protest.<\/p>\n
When every day conspires against inner peace, moments of solitude are all the more worthwhile.<\/p>\n
The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" since the rainy season retreats of the Buddha 2,500 years ago, sages have celebrated the transformative power of being alone. In Christian monasteries, silent mindfulness became part of the everyday routine in the sixth century after the appearance of a book of monastic principles and guidelines called \u201cThe Rule of Saint Benedict.\u201d In periods […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-52940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52940\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52940"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=52940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}