[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.26,0:00:13.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In today’s world, our lives are full to bursting.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.26,0:00:17.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have ever increasing opportunities for fun, friendship and growth.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.22,0:00:24.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So why do we sometimes feel empty inside or caught up in worries over the little things?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.94,0:00:30.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why does the reality of life seem so far from our childhood imaginings?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.06,0:00:37.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why does the divine peace and love we hear so much of, sometimes feel so far away?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.56,0:00:46.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everyone needs a place of anchor in their lives. A place of stillness, a peaceful refuge
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.66,0:00:51.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,beyond the busyness and worries of day to day life.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.09,0:00:55.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For many people, Christian Meditation offers just that.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.40,0:01:00.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An ancient form of silent prayer, it’s incredibly relevant
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.89,0:01:04.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the busy and preoccupied citizens of the 21st century.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.18,0:01:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Silence in the City Young Christian Meditators´ Stories
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.23,0:01:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Giovanni Felicioni: Meditation is a time of prayer which happens
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.00,0:01:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without words, without movement, in solitude, where you are at rest, comfortable,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.93,0:01:32.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,easy, relaxed and then, when you have this opportunity to give your attention to something.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.23,0:01:39.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the something is in the silence; around you and within you; it’s not a thinking,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.28,0:01:46.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s not a praising or a thanking, it’s a neutral, simple place of anchor that gently teaches
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.57,0:01:52.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you how to be in the present moment... and it’s there that we discover the Moment of Christ.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.98,0:01:59.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Be still and know that I am God. - Psalm, 46, 10.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.17,0:02:05.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Celia: My name’s Celia, I’m part of a Christian
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.03,0:02:06.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,meditation group in Sydney, Australia.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.34,0:02:13.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our group meets each week at a church in Paddington, a busy shopping district.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.03,0:02:17.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the center of all that busyness, we make time for silence.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.68,0:02:22.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are quite a mixed group, our lives are all pretty different: some of us work, some
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.37,0:02:28.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,study and we have all sorts of interests. But when we sit down to meditate, our differences
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.78,0:02:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fade away as we share in the silence which connects us to each other and to God.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.82,0:03:01.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After we’ve listened to some readings, we meditate in silence for 25 minutes.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.32,0:03:17.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our practice is based on the internal repetition of a prayer word or mantra. Many people use
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.41,0:03:23.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Aramaic word MARANATHA, meaning "The Lord or the teacher comes".
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.25,0:03:28.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When repeating the mantra, we don’t think of its meaning, it just helps us focus our
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.71,0:03:33.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,attention and be in the present moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.08,0:03:38.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course thoughts, of plans for tomorrow or dinner tonight, distract us. The key is
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.91,0:03:44.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to return to the mantra as soon as we realize we are thinking. This is a way to move beyond
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.93,0:03:51.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thoughts, words and imaginings. Through the simplifying silence, we let go of our own
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.83,0:03:58.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plans and priorities and let ourselves to be open to the Divine.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.18,0:04:07.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Christian meditation was revived some 30 years ago by John Main, a Benedictine monk. He believed
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.11,0:04:13.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the ancient Christian tradition of meditative prayer should be available to all as a valuable
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.14,0:04:17.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and relevant practice in today’s fast paced world.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.57,0:04:22.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,John Main and fellow Benedictine Laurence Freeman began to teach others this way of
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.23,0:04:29.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,prayer by establishing small meditation groups. First in London and then in Montreal, Canada.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.17,0:04:33.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As groups began to appear around the globe, the World Community for Christian Meditation
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.83,0:04:39.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was formed: an ecumenical monastery without walls.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.51,0:04:44.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today our group is one of almost 400 groups in Australia and countless more worldwide.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.71,0:04:51.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In contemplative prayer we seek to become the person we are called to be. - John Main
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.01,0:04:59.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,John Shields: The main reasons why I meditate, really, initially
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.56,0:05:06.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was to stop the busyness of my life, to really just center myself and to try and be
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.34,0:05:12.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,living in the present. I found I was living too much in the future, even in the past at
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.31,0:05:18.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,times. I actually meditate on the train before I go to work and also in the afternoon on
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.07,0:05:23.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the train, so I really try and blend the meditation into my lifestyle. It’s my own time which
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.73,0:05:29.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can spend with God and become closer to Him.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.28,0:05:34.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Meditation has really helped me in my own work practice, because it helps me to listen
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.91,0:05:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to be... to really be closer to the person who I’m actually helping.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.00,0:05:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’m really passionate about my triathlons and about keeping fit, because I think keeping
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.14,0:05:52.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fit makes you feel good, gives me a lot of confidence in my life, it gives me structure
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.58,0:05:59.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and also I feel the discipline enables me to really use my time productively. Meditation
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.42,0:06:02.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has helped me in my discipline with my sport.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.62,0:06:07.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We’re encouraged to meditate for 25 to 30 minutes in the morning and the same in the
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.23,0:06:13.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,evening and that’s a big commitment and it actually helps with my sporting commitments.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.05,0:06:17.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Life is a gift and I’m not here to waste it.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.90,0:06:24.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Utterly at home, God lives in our soul forever. - Mother Julian of Norwich
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.52,0:06:30.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Claire: My name is Claire. I’m British and currently
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.82,0:06:38.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,living in Sydney. When I was growing up, Christianity was all around. My dad was an Anglican vicar,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.20,0:06:44.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we lived in a vicarage next to the church. Christianity was there in the kitchen, as
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.62,0:06:50.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my mum prepared for parish lunches, in the garden where we hunted for Easter eggs and
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.81,0:06:57.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the ringing phone coming from Dad’s study. As a child, I listened to people in church
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.94,0:07:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and wondered what prayer was. To me it didn’t make much sense to speak to God as if He was
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.82,0:07:10.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out there somewhere. Growing up, I distinctly remember feeling
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.95,0:07:18.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that God was more inside than outside. As I got older, my questions about God remained,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.47,0:07:25.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I put all my energy into trying to make a difference in the world, working on conservation
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.15,0:07:32.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,projects and community programs overseas. Despite working in some fantastic places with
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.32,0:07:37.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wonderful people, I often felt unfulfilled.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.37,0:07:42.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was upstairs, on a double-decker London bus when a friend first told me about Christian
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.87,0:07:49.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Meditation. I knew then, that this was a missing piece in the jigsaw for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.33,0:07:57.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Learning about the Christian contemplative tradition validated my sense of a God who dwells within.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.39,0:08:07.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It also helped to me appreciate other forms of prayer and the tradition I grew up with.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:09.09,0:08:16.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Through meditating, I know that being is just as important as doing and the action to help
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.49,0:08:23.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,others grows out of silence. I love the sense of community and friendship that meditation
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.17,0:08:29.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,brings and the new places and people I’ve known because of it. But most of all, I meditate
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.90,0:08:32.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it’s how I feel closest to God.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.65,0:08:39.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are one with the One. We are one with all. - John Main
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.15,0:08:42.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Retreat: meditation & the body
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.37,0:08:45.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Giovanni: The gorgeous thing about meditation is that
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.34,0:08:51.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it gives us this opportunity to be really free, to be playful and to be ourselves. We
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.33,0:08:57.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have this chance to reset everything, instead of having to believe all the things we’ve
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.34,0:09:02.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,been told to believe. In meditation it’s a chance to really check, to listen in to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.59,0:09:08.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God, to really listen to what it sounds like in the silence and what it feels like to be
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.48,0:09:08.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ourselves
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.58,0:09:15.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean you are totally and utterly loved, no matter your sexuality, no matter your addictions,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.26,0:09:19.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no matter what you may have done that you feel has really hurt someone else. All you
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.69,0:09:26.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,need to do is to say "I accept that I’m being loved, I totally accept to the bottom
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.01,0:09:31.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of my breath, to the deepest muscle in my body that I forgive myself, that it's beautiful
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.73,0:09:38.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be me, to be quirky, to have the timbre of my voice or the shape of my body, to be
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.09,0:09:44.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at this moment of my life. And meditation gives us that chance. We’re simply opening
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.28,0:09:49.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to space, to silence, to rest and to presentness.