Ausculta -- Latin for Listen
The first word of the
Rule of St. Benedict.
The Logo & Motto of
The White Robed Monks
Hello
I am an independent priest serving within the ministerial network of the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict, an independent catholic community in a "new monastic" mode which traces its spiritual lineage through the "old catholic"churches that originated with the Union of Utrecht, when the church in Utrecht, Holland, broke from the Roman Catholic Church.
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The monks, and their affiliated clergy, "offer without question the Word and Sacraments to everyone who requests them. The Monks appreciate that Jesus never really said No to anyone who came to Him and He had only two commandments: Love God, Love Neighbor. (Matt 22:37-40, Jn 15:17) Maintaining simplicity, they are neither institutionalized nor bureaucratic. Given their monastic orientation, they appreciate God through the eyes of the early Church rather than an institutional church. They are an independent Catholic jurisdiction in the tradition of the Old Catholic Church. Their clergy come from the Roman and other Catholic jurisdictions. Their general purpose is to let the world be a more compassionate place of child-like wonderment inviting peace and joy."
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The monks' spiritual ethos is a blending of this independent catholic tradition with the insights and meditation practices of Zen Buddhism.
Mission Statement of the White Robed Monks:
The mission of the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict is to engender an atmosphere for healing the human experience wherein each person may realize his or her wholeness, holiness. The White Robed Monks of St. Benedict accomplish this end through the administration of the Word and Sacraments to all, without question, who wish to participate in them and by offering educational programs through which each may recover the wealth of one's divinity in humanity and humanity in divinity.
To Learn More:
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The Holy Zen Rule (an adaptation of the rule of St. Benedict)
Listen! -- First Word of the Rule of St. Benedict
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May all beings be happy
and at their ease.
May they be joyous
and live in safety. -- The Metta Sutra
How do we keep things simple, even in their complexity?
Only-just-sit. This Rule (The Zen Rule of St. Benedict) is about only-just-sitting in a Judeo-Christian context. In the Vimalakirti Sutrawe find the layman Vimalakirti, possibly a student of the Buddha, describing only-just-sitting as:
To sit is not necessarily to meditate.
Not to reveal the body in the three worlds
(of lust, form, and formlessness),
that is meditation.
Not to rise up from concentration
in which the inner functions are extinguished
and yet to conduct oneself worthily,
that is meditation.
Not to abandon the way of the teaching
and yet to go about one's business as usual in the world,
that is meditation.
Not to allow oneself to be bothered
about all sorts of bad intentions
but rather to practice the (way of love and compassion),
that is meditation.
Not to cut (off) disturbances
and yet to be in a state of peace and tranquillity,
that is meditation.
Anyone who sits thus in meditation
receives the seal of the Buddha (and the Christ).
Zen Buddhism: A History (Volume 1). H. Dumoulin, Macmillan, 1988.
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Mind is the master of one body, the basis of myriad activities;
if the mind is not perfectly enlightened, then delusions naturally arise.
Once delusions are born, perception of truth is not clear.
When perception of truth is not clear, right and wrong are confused.
Therefore, in mastering the mind, one must seek perfect enlightenment.
When enlightened,
the spirit is harmonious, the breath is quiet,
the countenance is dignified, and the body is firm.
Errant conceptions and emotional thinking all melt in the real mind.
When you govern the mind this way,
the mind will naturally be radiantly immaculate.
Zen Lessons: The Art of Leadership, trans. Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambhala, 1989.