St. John Cassian, who was largely responsible for bringing our tradition of meditation to the West in the fifth century, linked Jesus' teaching on "poverty of spirit" to simplest form of prayer, repeating a prayer word and letting go of "the abundant riches of thought".

The great fourteenth-century work The Cloud of Unknowing was written as a practical guide for a young student and is a text of great importance for the practice of meditation in the Christian tradition, what the anonymous author calls the ‘work’ of contemplation.

I’d like to share some of the author’s teaching from Chapters 45 and 46 of The Cloud. What he shares is very important. But how he shares it is equally important. As I read his words, he speaks to me in a way I have valued greatly in my own teachers, a blend of no-nonsense directness, tenderness and humour.

In Jesus' story of the Prodigal Son, the younger son squandered his inheritance. However, the word commonly translated as ‘squandered’ (διεσκόρπισεν) can also mean ‘scattered’ or ‘dispersed.’ With this deeper meaning in mind, we might hear the beginning of this Parable as a rich teaching for the practice of meditation and the cultivation of attention.

A beautiful story of a young monk so eager to do his tasks correctly that he was oblivious to what was hiding in plain sight. In meditation we find our sense of wonder deepens.

Along with the Bhagavad Gita, Gandhi considered the Sermon on the Mount the greatest writing on nonviolence in history. He read the Sermon nearly every morning and evening for over forty years. Though not a Christian, he said its words went ‘straight to my heart.’ ‘The gentle figure of Christ – so patient, so kind, so loving, so full of forgiveness… I thought this was a beautiful example of the perfect human being.’

A reflection on "The Cloud of Unknowing" and the power of contemplative prayer - how an ancient tradition leads us beyond thought into love, healing separation and restoring our oneness.

A contemplative Easter reflection on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the resurrection. Discover how silence, surrender, and the practice of meditation open us to God’s presence—where letting go becomes the doorway to love, healing, and new life.

A reflection on Benedictine Monk, Bede Griffiths, and the meeting of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, exploring how the journey into silence and the return to the centre reveals a deeper unity beneath all religions and offers a foundation for peace.