When Jesus says, ‘In my Father’s house there are many mansions,’ I think of this as ‘many dimensions’. People who have had a Near-Death Experience overwhelmingly report a feeling of certainty that life continues after we have deceased. Those who have had such an experience – and there are now millions of recorded instances – speak of death as nothing other than a different state of being. They set less store by money and material possessions, and report instead a deepening of spiritual values. They realise that everything and everybody is connected.
Month: February 2022
‘Together’ – An introduction to meditation
Together is a small book of some of the talks given by members of a meditation group of which James is a member. With these talks, the hope is that it will encourage others to form similar groups in their homes. James edited the book and wrote the introduction.
The idea of your group is splendid. Inspirational. Your sending me this book ties in for me with just the same sense of need I recognise locally and within myself – the quenching of loneliness with a sense of belonging. There are so many now heading puzzled towards the edge of institutional worship from different denominations and indeed other belief systems, needing a sense of belonging, of welcome. Within the small group with whom I share fortnightly centering prayer, and beyond it too, there are some who I think would be truly inspired to read this small book and might be encouraged to think about its value. Who knows where it might lead.
Click or tap here to download a digital version of Together
Photo by Muhammed Fayiz on Unsplash
Spotted: James’ book on the tube
Extra mile
I have never forgotten how, when I went up to Oxford to be interviewed for a place at New College, I was met by two sons of the writer (and translator of the play Lady Precious Stream) S.I. Hsiung, who was at that time Head of Chinese Studies at the university. They met me, entertained me and then insisted on walking me back to where I was staying, some two miles outside Oxford. When I protested, they replied, ‘Confucius says: “Always go the extra mile!”’
