Journery into Silence

Shane Gallagher

Shane Gallagher works as a ceramic artist, while living a contemplative lifestyle in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa.

I recently had the opportunity to stay at Bonnevaux; Centre for Peace, a contemplative community in France and the headquarters for the World Community for Christian Meditation. During my time there, I joined others in a rhythm of work, prayer, and meditation several times a day. It was a profoundly enriching experience.

Situated an hour south of Paris by train, Bonnevaux translates to 'beautiful valley', and indeed it lives up to its name. It features a serene lake and a gentle stream meandering through green fields and forests, teeming with wildlife.

During my daily walks, I was lucky to encounter a snake, muskrat, and even a wild boar. The main house stands atop the remnants of a 12th-century monastery, with some of its original structure still preserved and integrated into the 19th-century building.

This environment provided the perfect backdrop for a deepening spiritual journey through the practice of prayer and meditation.

How does one describe one's experience of Christ? It is like trying to describe the taste of blueberries, one can only use analogies, and they will always fall short. With this in mind, I would articulate my experience as: becoming more attentive, finding an inner centredness, encountering a burning desire and a deeper mystery.

We would begin our sitting with a reduced version of the daily office, followed by a reading from a sister tradition, such as the I Ching, Bhagavad Gita or Upanishads, then we would begin our 30 minutes of silence.

We were encouraged to use a mantra such as Maranatha which means Come Lord Jesus or a sacred word such as Jesus to come back to when distracted. Over the course of the 30 minutes, I would notice in myself a lot of thinking about all sorts of things, but also a slowing down and letting go which gradually and gently allowed me to come into a deeper experience of Christ.

After the final bell sounded, we would then have a reading from the mystical tradition - such as The Cloud of Unknowing or Rumi.

While Bonnevaux is a special place to visit, one does not have to reside there to join the worldwide community of meditators, which has a strong presence in Aotearoa. As the world faces unprecedented challenges, there is a real need for organisations like WCCM which transcend religious tribalism and offer a vision for spiritual awakening that Papatūānuku so urgently needs.