"Lord's Prayer" For Atheists and Grand-Daughters

Q: My grandmother was a devout Catholic. I am an atheist. I love her so much, and miss her like crazy, but cannot be religious or pray as she would like me to, because it makes me feel like a hypocrite. It troubles me that I may be a disappointment to her that way. Is meditation equivalent to prayer?

MM: Meditation is basically wordless prayer unless you are doing a mantra meditation or certain Vipassana meditations. You can be sure that Jesus meditated a lot. Prayer is somewhat easier because it gives our minds direction and something to do "while meditating". It is the undisciplined, endless chatter of the mind, often negative or judgmental, that gets us into trouble.

Prayer and meditation are an attitude, too, or you could say they create an attitude. A turning away from the material world towards something "other than" oneself, or one's worldly concerns. It is important to turn inward regularly.

When the apostles asked Jesus how to pray he is said to have taught them the Lord's Prayer. No question your grandmother prayed this prayer regularly. You could connect with her through it. So let's take a look at how an atheist like you could use that prayer.

The first line which instantly causes trouble for non-believers, is:

"Our Father who art in heaven" -

We can think of "Father" as "where I come from, my source". "Mother" may be a better choice but before people understood where babies came from they thought men deposited tiny little babies in women's wombs. Christian Scientists pray to Father-Mother-God, for example.

If we simply think of "heaven" as "not the material world but the infinite and eternal vastness that is non-material and the source out of which everything arises and to which everything returns", you could rephrase that line as:

"Our infinite and eternal place of origin and destiny,

Which is not of this material world,"

"Hallowed by thy name"

"For which I have no name but infinite awe"

(if you don't have infinite awe yet, look at some Hubble telescope images, nature images, look at the stars at night, hold a baby, or go for a walk in nature... simply contemplate our amazing and awe inspiring existence)

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -

"May it unfold in perfect harmony according to its nature, here, now, on earth, as it does in infinity and eternity"

"Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us"

"May we be well and whole and taken care of for today,

As we tend to others likewise in mutual compassion"

"And lead us not into temptation"

"Without distraction,"

"But deliver us from evil"

"And free from all that causes distraction"

"For thine is the kingdom and the glory and the power."

"For the formless source

In its infinite powerlessness,

Is the greatest power there is."

"Lord's Prayer" For Atheists and Grand-Daughters

Our infinite and eternal place of origin and destiny,

Which is not of this material world,

For which I have no name,

But infinite awe

May it unfold in perfect harmony according to its nature,

Here, now, on earth, as it does in infinity and eternity

May we be well and whole and taken care of for today,

As we tend to others, likewise, in mutual compassion

Without distraction,

And free from all that causes distraction

For the formless source

In its infinite powerlessness,

Is the greatest power there is.

Or, if you want to be personal and more efficient - in your case you could pray

Dear Grandma

Please keep me well, and whole,

And taken care of for today,

As I tend to others, likewise,

In mutual compassion.

Please keep me free from distraction

And the root cause of all distraction.

I believe in you and trust in you, always.

(Amen)

("Amen" is simply a sound like "Om" that unites and calms the body/mind, much like the sound "Mom" instinctively used by children)

There is great psychological benefit in making prayer personal to someone you associate with unconditional and total love, and who you either imagine or would trust to watch over you. It can be difficult to generate that emotional energy flow into "just" meditation. Therefore even atheists find gurus, scientists, musicians and other celebrities to be in love with and worship, the way people used to be in love with and worship God and saints.

Our brains seem to thrive on love, worship, trust, and humble surrender to the big picture. We also seem to benefit from holding an ideal/idol in our minds, but are being warned about idol worship. This is simply because idols fall short of perfection associated with God. God - if nothing else - is simply the idea of absolute perfection.

Once you become experienced in prayer and/or meditation - wordless prayer is the highest form of it - and distinctions between "believer" and "atheist", "insignificant me" and "most significant celebrity", or "I, me" and "You, God", simply disappear. You become still. You become One.

Good Or Evil?

Q: I cried myself to sleep last night when I had the thought: "I really don't know whether I am good or evil." I was deeply moved and upset but in a very calm way. Can you explain this to me?

MM: Even God does not know whether he is good or evil. People question it, too. How can God let people suffer so much in wars and with diseases, especially little children?

You were upset because most of the time, thinking that you are a rather good person, at least a person trying hard and having good intentions - for the first time you considered being evil also. No more hiding this from yourself. The calmness came from holding both ideas of good and evil in regards to yourself at the same time, and knowing deep down beyond language that you are neither both, nor neither - but something different entirely.

Your Work And God's Work

Q: How does one express God, or do God's work in the world?

MM: God's work? God knows nothing of work. The idea of "work" is a very human idea. As far as God is concerned there is only effortlessness, and all gets done. It is more of a question of how do we stop destroying "God's work" - the earth, the oceans, and all of it's creatures.

Ask yourself instead - how do I express myself in the world, and how do I do my work - without doing harm? Attempt to know yourself. What drives you, what motivates you, what seems good and what seem bad to you, etc. Really look closely and learn. Meditate, and get in touch with your innermost self. Learn to separate what you are conditioned to believe from what you yourself know to be true from your core.

The better you know yourself and the more you are guided by that - you will find there is no difference between "your work" and what people call God's work. The truth is that God has no work - but you do. You need to get the laundry done and the kids fed. Your work - and what people call "God's work"- is always what is directly before your eyes - be that the dishes that need to be washed, or jumping in front of a moving train to pull someone off the tracks. At some point what has been thought of as hard work, becomes effortless and natural.

Q: But aren't there choices - like - do I do the laundry, answer emails, or do I read a book to my child?

MM: Is the child standing in front of you asking you to read, or are you doing the laundry wondering about this? What is before your eyes?

As a general rule, when in doubt - always make it a priority to attend to a child.

A child always demands your presence in the present. That's why the above is good advice - not just for the benefit of the child, but also for you. (Use Here You Are to help you - that's what it was written for - to help adults meet with their children in the present).

If you take a moment - you will always know what is needed right now, without thinking, and right action will follow.

Q: What if I get 25 letters a day "before my eyes" - asking me to donate money to good causes ? Or people, or my child, making unreasonable requests?

MM: Don't open them! If you do, make sure you stay in the present. In the present - you cannot make a mistake. The same is true with unreasonable people or children. As soon as "unreasonableness" is before your eyes - respond accordingly.

Closer Than Your Own Breath

Q: So - MeditationMom - to follow up on your last post - have you then discovered God? If so, what would you say about that discovery? What then about believing or not believing in that discovery - for yourself or for others who are trying to "learn" from you? Doesn't that just bring us back to belief or non-belief?

MM: I would say first - Be careful. You cannot learn from me. I can only help you to un-learn some of your notions and beliefs, so you are free to meditate and look for yourself. Some people feel nervous about that because they feel it will weaken their beliefs. But they need to remember that Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, etc - all did this and recommended to do this. Meditation, sitting in silence, personal or wordless prayer, whatever you want to call it - is the way home.

Then I would say "There is no God" - "but God" - meaning there is nothing that is not God. When people talk about God, in general, they think of God as something or someone "additional" and "outside of" and "separate" from existence and themselves. In my experience God is existence itself and neither part of it, nor not part of it. In other words - the end of "parts", and ideas of separation, altogether. Or, as Jesus put it, "me and my father are one". How can you separate yourself from God? It is impossible.

As far as "having discovered God", and then either believing or not believing in what has been discovered - think of it this way: it is like a fish who has been looking for the ocean while all other fish are arguing whether one should or should not believe in the ocean, and in what kind of ocean! On his search he some day is separated from the ocean through unforeseeable circumstances - he jumps out of the water by mistake maybe while being chased by a bigger fish, is caught on a fishing line, or some other situation.

Now you could say he "discovered", or become aware of the ocean, even though there was nothing to discover. It was always closer to him than even his own breath. Now it is no more a question of belief or non-belief, it is just what it is - truth. He also now knows that it is only a question of time before he will be completely dissolved back into the ocean.

It is the same with God. God is closer to you than your own breath - much closer! Hiding in plain "view". For this view you have to close your eyes and be still. As Jesus said - be still and know. You cannot be still - and believe or not believe in anything at the same time. Being still means to go beyond belief and all thoughts. This is why I have equal love and compassion for believers and atheists alike. It is not a question of believing or not-believing. It is a question of meditation and calming one's mind altogether.

Beyond belief, is where the truth is to be found.

The Most Subtle

Q: What do you mean "by the most subtle"?

MM: God!
That of which we are made, from which we have come, and to which we will return. You can believe in God; you can not believe in God; you can call it something else - the eternal, the infinite, the Tao, the Force, anything you like; or, you can learn to pay attention so deeply that you will simply come to know. This knowing is different from our normal knowing of something. This knowing does not belong to you. It has not been earned or acquired. It is what remains after all of one's knowing and believing is dissolved.

God As The Number Zero

Atheist are committed truth seekers and often had very strict religious upbringing by the wrong people, or had none, and are scientifically minded.

Consider this, scientifically minded truth seeker - God is like the number zero and is both absolute power as well as absolute powerlessness. Both undetectable and obvious depending on the circumstances. He doesn't matter, unless he does. Both at the same time. It all depends on how you use the number zero in your calculations whether it makes a difference or not. It seems when atheists and believers argue about the existence of God it is like arguing whether the number zero is a number. It is not - and yet it is - it is a non-number-number. It names that, which is not. God is that, which is not matter. It is that out of which everything arises and to which everything returns. As such it matters more than matter itself. People who say God exists and people who say he doesn't exist - are both right for reasons they do not understand.

If we thought of God as the number 0, and were to describe an atheist as the number 5, a believer would be the number 05. Jesus would be the number 50, and someone like Hitler would be the number 55.