The Trust for the Meditation Process was founded on three principles. 

The first is the radical need for contemplative practice to help us face the challenges of our world.  Frs. Main and Keating capture this idea clearly in the excerpts at left.   But modern contemplatives from all religious traditions – from Thomas Merton to Ticht Nhat Hanh – return to it again and again.   

The second is the compelling need for contemplative practice within the Christian community.  Christians need first, to recognize their own contemplative traditions. These  have deep roots, in the Gospels, in the desert fathers and mothers,  in Cassian, St. John of the Cross and others.   And they have strong branches in the modern experiences of Merton, Main, and Keating, for example, and in those who build on links between  Eastern and Western traditions.

But Christians also need to reclaim a way of knowing God that relies on personal experience and relationship.  Silent meditation without thought is a key path on that journey.   Moreover,  we believe that distinctions between styles and theories of meditation are less important than the actual experience of interior silence itself.  People with experience in that silence  must develop the means and tools to reach out and support the journeys of others.

The third is quite simple: Small efforts matter and there’s almost always enough money to do something that will make a difference.  We routinely look for ways a small grant can have impact on organizations and on lives.