I have been a meditation teacher for 35 years, and I am very comfortable with Hinduism and Pujas and Buddhism and Tankas. But recently I have been feeling very strongly what an INSULT it is to people to insinuate that if you want to meditate, you have to accept Buddhism or Hinduism. The United States is primarily a Christian country. And it would be so much better if there were meditation teachers working in that context - and there are a couple. The problem is, that most meditation teachers have been so strongly influenced by Asian monastic traditions. Do you ever think about this? — Lorin Roche, California

Dear Lorin, your emphasis on the naturalness of meditation reminds of one of my favorite quotes of Brother David's: "Mystics are not a special kind of people; rather, each person is a special kind of mystic." He would wholeheartedly agree with you that meditation has strong roots in all religious traditions, not just Asian ones. One has only to look at the Hasidism or Sufism or the great Christian contemplatives to see this.

Your feeling of being insulted by any limitations placed on meditation is most likely a great gift. After all, it's inspiring you to broaden the framework within which meditation is considered in our culture, to make it available to all people, regardless of their background and orientation. You're not willing to settle for anything less that the true scope of contemplation, which Thomas Merton called "the highest expression of [our] intellectual and spiritual life....spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being." So for your opening of doors to let light pour in from all directions, i bow to you in gratitude.

Yet you also understand the unique value of each door to the people who stand at its threshold. Thank goodness that some meditation teachers do work within a Christian context. Their work is bound to spread, especially as people who grew up Christian -- and who turned to meditation to deepen their connection with the Divine -- return to their roots. As T.S. Eliot puts it, our explorations bring us back to the beginning, where we come to "know the place for the first time."

Best regards,
Patricia Carlson